Purpose, Values, and Anchors

I recently attended a seminar where leaders from Armanino , a US-based accounting and consulting firm, shared their thoughts during their visit to India. The session was insightful, packed with lessons and ideas from a different cultural perspective.

The two speakers, Ryan Prindiville and Cody Page , brought a unique approach to discussing their firm’s business philosophy. They introduced a simple yet powerful framework to communicate their organisation’s approach to business and operations: Purpose, Values, and Anchors.

This framework stuck with me because of its clarity. It helps break down an organisation’s essence into actionable components. Here’s a brief look at what I learnt:

Key Takeaways

This framework made me reflect on the importance of simplicity in business communication. Clear articulation of an organisation’s purpose, values, and anchors can help create alignment across teams and stakeholders. Without this clarity, even the best strategies can falter during execution.

In Indian businesses, I often see challenges in balancing growth with strategic alignment. Many organisations have operational strengths but lack a well-defined purpose or struggle to communicate their values effectively. Similarly, without clear anchors, businesses risk losing focus amidst rapid expansion. This framework provides a blueprint for addressing these gaps.

For me, the most striking part of the framework is how it connects the abstract—like purpose and values—with the practical—like anchors. It emphasises that success is not just about having the right systems in place but also about staying true to your core mission and principles.

One of the best anchors I gathered from the talk was how Armanino 's culture is to 'wrap arms around the client' intending to create a culture to experience the clients' problems first-hand and make them their own to solve! I loved this for how simplified it is for a complex communication.

A Final Thought

This session with Ryan and Cody reminded me of the power of cross-border learning. We all operate in unique contexts, but some principles, like purpose, values, and anchors, are universal. They can be adapted to suit any organisational or cultural framework, provided there is a willingness to introspect and implement.

What do you think about this framework? Does your organisation have a clearly defined purpose, a set of core values, and strategic anchors? How do you ensure these are communicated and embedded into daily operations? I’d love to hear your experiences and examples. Let’s connect and learn from each other.