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OPINION
Find your North Star
Leading with purpose helps firms navigate uncertainty by reinforcing values, fostering trust, taking ownership, and turning challenges into opportunities.
T here’s an old saying, paraphrased from the Greek philosopher Heraclitus, which goes, “The only constant in life is change.” Now more than ever, it can feel as though not only is more changing around us than we’re used to, but the pace of change seems to be accelerating as well. Our brains evolved over hundreds of thousands of years, and for 98 percent of that time day-to-day life really didn’t change all that much. If you could survive as a hunter-gatherer 50,000 years ago, the odds are good that you could survive as a hunter- gatherer 3,000 years ago. Now, pluck someone off the streets of New York City from 1925 and plop them in Times Square today and their brain might literally explode.
Morgan Stinson
THE POWER OF PURPOSE. It is in this world of relentless change and uncertainty that firm leaders find themselves today. In professional service firms, the challenges are multiplied as clients, teams, and entire industries grapple with rapid shifts in the marketplace. Amid this turbulence, a clear and unwavering sense of purpose serves as a beacon for decision-making and a powerful motivator that rallies teams and strengthens resilience. Knowing your organization’s purpose allows you to create a vision that inspires action and aligns teams, even in the face of uncertainty.
financial goals or operational metrics; it is the core belief that drives a leader’s vision and inspires others to follow. In Start With Why , Simon Sinek argues that people are drawn to leaders who can articulate a clear and compelling “why.” This is especially critical in professional service firms where the people are the product. This purpose also connects to your firm’s core values, which if properly articulated and aligned throughout the organization will give everyone the same lens through which problems can be viewed and solved.
Start with why. Purpose is the “why” behind every decision, strategy, and action. It transcends
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See MORGAN STINSON, page 8
THE ZWEIG LETTER FEBRUARY 24, 2025, ISSUE 1574
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