Transforming Work with Sophie Wade 29. Lisa Morton - How Purpose and Values Make a Difference in Business
Lisa Morton, CEO of Roland Dransfield, founded her PR agency in Manchester, England, combining entrepreneurial spirit, Northern grit, purpose, and values to build her company and expand nationally and internationally. Lisa explains her intentional emphasis on purpose and living her values daily which has been core for attracting and retaining clients and employees, while guiding all their actions and decisions. She also shares what happens when values are not clearly defined and how they have benefitted from setting boundaries.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
[02:50] Who was Roland Dransfield and how was he relevant to Lisa’s business?
[03:46] Lisa’s father great saying about cars and baked beans!
[04:16] How Roland Dransfield started Lisa off as an entrepreneur.
[05:54] Circumstances were not easy when Lisa started her company.
[07:34] A dramatic incident impacted the purpose and role of Roland Dransfield early on.
[08:53] Manchester has changed significantly since Lisa first started her career.
[10:19] How purpose is manifested for employees coming to work at the agency.
[12:15] Lisa’s approach to mutually enriching development and progress.
[13:20] The celebration dinner for Roland Dransfield alumni.
[14:21] What happens when values do not have defining boundaries?
[15:54] Lisa set hard lines to achieve alignment and expected some people to resign.
[17:16] How they explored values—finding out which values resonated most.
[18:20] What they did once new values were agreed to integrate them effectively.
[18:49] Exploring Greater Manchunian values through their podcast “We Built This City”
[19:29] Values are lived actively—one is selected and reinforced every week.
[20:44] Lisa confirms potential new clients’ values before agreeing to work with them.
[21:33] How their value “Admit it, fix it, move on” helps them improve.
[22:08] How BrewDog admitted their mistakes and made amends and why other companies don’t.
[24:17] After finding disconnected values were really upsetting her team, Lisa resigned a client project.
[26:31] The positive outcomes after Lisa took this difficult step.
[28:08] How new recruits connect with the company values.
[29:40] Purpose helps retention and values provide protection.
[31:04] Why Lisa feels pro bono work is important.
[32:14] Are the agency’s values manifested differently in London and Los Angeles?
[35:26] How do boundaries make it easier when things are really tough?
[36:25] IMMEDIATE ACTION TIP – Take time out to work on your values. Write them down, do some iterations and consider how to integrate them into your life.
RESOURCES
Roland Dransfield on Instagram
QUOTES
“My dad always used to say, ‘if business is going well, have a great car and eat baked beans. And if business is going badly, have a great car and eat baked beans.”
“We will hope to make your lives better in terms of your personal professional development, and we want you to help us make our platform even richer.”
“You wouldn't come and join Roland Dransfield if purpose wasn't at your heart, or if you didn't feel you wanted to be part of a purpose driven organization.”
“I want to know—for a 21 year old who's coming into this business—what's important to you? What does work need to look like for you? What gets you out of bed in the morning?”
“What we don't want to be as individuals or an organization that just goes through life using all the resources around us. Our platform as people and as a business needs to use the platform to create more resources. So we go out having left more than we've taken out.”
“Having put that values piece in has helped me to create space for myself as a mom, as a business person, as a friend, and as a leader.”