Purpose Before Profit: Lisa Blackburn Ullven of Guided Results On The Benefits Of Running A Purpose-Driven Business
An Interview With Chad Silverstein
Have a Quick Alignment Check to stay on track: As opportunities fly your way, having a way to quickly assess if and how well the opportunities align with your vision may be helpful. When Street Sense Media invited me to co-write Road Trip Stories, it was an easy “yes” as it positioned us to reach up to 35 countries in 25 languages.
In today’s competitive business landscape, the race for profits often takes center stage. However, there are some leaders who also prioritize a mission-driven purpose. They use their business to make a positive social impact and recognize that success isn’t only about making money. In this interview series, we are talking with some of these distinct leaders and I had the pleasure of interviewing Lisa Blackburn Ullven.
Lisa Blackburn Ullven, CEO and Community Success Coach of Guided Results, learned the power of stories when her mountain climb and fall recovery inspired people across the globe. As a Multi-year #1 Best Selling Author, Speaker, and Coach; the stories in her book, “Secrets to Sustainable Solutions — Tips from Business, Science, & Non-Profit Experts” are featured in multiple international programs. Washington D.C.’s Street Sense Media News invited Lisa to co-write Road Trip Stories to empower people to improve any part of their lives — personal, work, or community.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us your “Origin Story”? Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
Growing up, I designed the High Jump Bike Ramp Performances to bring happiness to the neighborhood children. In my book, “Secrets to Sustainable Solutions,” the very first words, “Dedicated to the little girl with the bluest eyes” are a reflection of my intense drive to fix that “broken system” that the adults referenced.
In my first job, I was the lone advocate for co-workers and customers. My boss said, “We are watching you.” She said they were trying to figure out how I made way more money than the other waitresses. Ironically, I was focused on purpose over profit. One customer exclaimed, “You gave us an experience that we will cherish for a lifetime. This money is for you!” For those who think purpose is for nonprofits, I share the Service-Profit Chain where happy employees deliver better service, leading to happier customers, and ultimately happier Chief Financial Officers.
When I went off to college to pursue Social Work, a mentor advised, “If you really want to help people, study systems and become a liaison to help people with systems.” Making a 180 degree turn, I earned every credential that I could find in Integrated Systems. After 20+ years of coaching top global companies, I formed Guided Results to empower people and organizations with the top tips and tools to strengthen communities.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company or organization?
At 12:00 midnight, I got a phone call from a warzone. A young man, representing one million women and children uprooted to Uganda, wanted to apply the steps in my book to replicate Peace through Sports. The River Phoenix Center for Peace Building kindly delivered the books to launch our South Sudan Solutions Team Book Club.
The young man, a former Social Worker, shared how he and his two young sons were playing ball in the front yard when the political disagreements escalated into what he describes as “brothers killing brothers.” Listening to the horrifying violence, I had to ask, “How are you so good?” He shared, “We believe that we survived for the purpose of building peace for our children and all children and families.”
One day, the budget for their food supply was severed. I already knew that the men who ran to pick berries to feed their families were all shot so that was not an option. Despite this unfathomable news, the young man still wanted to focus on the peace initiative. Funders asked, “How can you ask for soccer balls versus food?” Our face-to-face talks helped me see that when you have no peace, achieving peace can be equal, if not more important than food.
I truly feel that we can learn so much from those who have lost everything.
We often learn the most from our mistakes. Can you share one that you made that turned out to be one of the most valuable lessons you’ve learned?
When my team was recognized as an A+ trend-setter in World Class Support, I jokingly said to my boss, “This would be a great time to ask for funding.” Intending to correct me, he said, “No matter how great your team is, your department will always be an Expense Center.” He explained that “Leaders invest in Profit Centers, but always strive to cut costs in Expense Centers.” He laughed when I said, “I’m going to turn us into a Profit Center.”
I already knew we can each do the impossible. My new lesson learned was to always be a Profit Center! With just one word, my team and I adjusted our mindset from “helping with problems” to “helping with goals.” As we partnered with one Sales team, the results clearly showed how our contribution magnified profits. Other Sales Teams joined us. The CEO happily asked, “With such high profit results, should your department be in Sales?”
As a successful leader, it’s clear that you uphold strong core values. I’m curious what are the most important principles you firmly stand by and refuse to compromise on. Can you share a few of them and explain why they hold such significance for you in your work and life?
I used to joke that my numbers (i.e., sales and success metrics) were so good that management lets me be human (i.e., show compassion, help people, be kind, be positive, smile, and even laugh at work). After decades, I have many stories that illustrate that bringing those qualities into my business roles may just be the secret ingredient.
Mostly, I use these qualities to bring out the best in others, empowering them to realize their untapped potential. In my book, I even have a true story entitled, “The Compassion Experiment” where I had the rare opportunity to test my theory with PhDs and Statisticians. Following a devastating hurricane, all agreed that a study, that involved interviewing people who just lost their homes, would be a 100% failure. Figuring we had nothing to lose, I asked, ‘”What if we let the interviewers show compassion?” Spoiler alert: They ended up getting the best results ever!
With my married name being long, people sometimes call me Lisa B U. I love it because I firmly believe that we each have our unique qualities. Be true to yourself: B U (be you)!
What inspired you to start a purpose-driven business rather than a traditional for-profit enterprise? Can you share a personal story or experience that led you to prioritize social impact in your business?
My then-five-year-old daughter said from her car seat, “Mom, can you help fix problems in our community?” As I was driving, I asked her what problems she was referring to. She said, “Look, there is trash on the streets and there is a homeless man holding up a sign that he needs food.”
As I checked out schools, I saw low passing rates in areas like Science and Math. Thinking I make good numbers go up for a living, I volunteered to help improve the scores. As I got more involved, I learned of child trauma statistics that I could literally not believe. I ended up on the board of Peace4Tarpon, nationally recognized for being the first to work on being a trauma-informed city. Experiencing how this science, if known, could strengthen communities, I expanded my mission to empower us with the best of both worlds, business and community best practices.
Can you help articulate a few of the benefits of leading a purpose-driven business rather than a standard “plain vanilla” business?
For me, purpose is more of a “mindset” that we can apply to any area of our lives or work. I have many stories that illustrate how having purpose enables us to be more creative, overcome challenges, and magnify results or profits.
A major benefit to being purpose-driven is you will have experiences that you and others will always cherish. At the time of the World Trade Center 9/11 tragedy, a top executive interrupted me in a meeting to whisper, “I know it is just before Thanksgiving, but can we set up an Emergency Help Desk to get computers to the hospitals, schools, and others in New York?” Overhearing his question, the experts expressed, “We confirmed it is impossible.”
To me, this was an incredibly purpose-driven mission. I said to the team, “This is our chance to help the people in New York.” Staff, with immense support from their families, cancelled Thanksgiving plans without hesitation. The first obstacle was getting a phone number. Typically, it took days, but we found an unused number. Climbing each hurdle, we achieved the goal. When you achieve purposeful goals together, you sort of become like family.☺
How has your company’s mission or purpose affected its overall success? Can you explain the methods or metrics you use to evaluate the impact of this purpose-driven strategy on your organization?
With an ultimate mission to evolve toward Organized Kind, a key success metric for me is that leaders with a global influence are contacting us to magnify their positive impact. I feel honored that so many organizations have chosen to include us and our practices as part of their milestone celebrations, conferences, and training programs.
As a Conference Speaker, the most satisfying metric for me is when attendees are excited to tell me how they are applying the takeaways with friends and family. At a PACE Conference, Child and Family Advocates expressed that they share the PCE (Positive Childhood Experience) takeaway tips with their own children and families as well as clients.
The Advocate for Human Potential featured one of my stories in their international 25th Anniversary Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP®) video. LSF and Collectively invited me to present Wraparound sustainability via the international Project ECHO platform. We are thrilled to have so many partners amplify our mission to empower communities.
Can you share a pivotal moment when you realized that leading your purpose-driven company was actually making a significant impact? Can you share a specific example or story that deeply resonated with you personally?
At the Juvenile Welfare Board 70th Anniversary and Putting Children First Leadership Awards, the big projector TV screen displayed my name and photo with the description, “Guided Results — Protecting and empowering the world’s children and families through strategy and prevention.” While my first thought was, “What a great elevator speech,” the deeply resonating part was that a committee was able to articulate my purpose by simply observing my actions.
I realized the significant impact of the Guided Results approach when I was coaching an agency to help with their goals. The State of Florida had just released goals so I aligned the individual team member goals with the state goals. Each team member joined Focus Teams. When a Statewide Quality Director noticed progress in all the areas, he exclaimed, “Your agency is paving the path for others to follow!” When he asked how they did so well, they answered, “Guided Results!”
Have you ever faced a situation where your commitment to your purpose and creating a positive social impact clashed with the profitability in your business? Have you ever been challenged by anyone on your team or have to make a tough decision that had a significant impact on finances? If so, how did you address and reconcile this conflict?
While my pro bono dives into emergencies and the aftermath of hurricanes may clash with profits, it often positions me to discover unmet gaps. When Child and Family Advocates were hit by two hurricanes, I volunteered to help with Resiliency and Crisis Plan Training. When I found there was no training, I created the training. The state of Florida now sponsors me to teach the training as part of the statewide SPC Center for Public Safety Innovation program.
Similarly, when the pandemic hit, the state was about to cancel the launch of Wraparound training due to the complexity of teaching it online. For the pilot, I did pro bono work to convert the in-person training into interactive online activities. As I delivered my part, trainers texted me to ask for the steps. Four years later, the training is still going strong. Clients often say “We need to pay you more.” As I stay focused on purpose, profits seems to naturally follow.
What advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs who wish to start a purpose-driven business?
While it may be natural to gravitate toward inviting like minds, including those who think differently than you will be key to your success. With entrepreneurship, you will need all 4 superpower personalities at different phases from the start-up to the plateau. Understanding your natural personality more will help you decide what parts you do versus which parts you delegate. That is one of the advantages of being an entrepreneur, you get to decide.
Since combining these 4 views is literally viewed by experts as key to solving world problems, I wanted to make it as accessible as possible. You can click “Read Sample” on the “Secrets to Sustainable Solutions — Tips from Business, Science, & Non-Profit Experts” book to view the 4 Super Powers for free. It will likely help you build and maximize the power of your team. Together, you will definitely experience at least one minor storm before you soar.
What are your “5 Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Purpose-Driven Business.” If you can, please share a story or example for each.
1 . Have a Quick Alignment Check to stay on track: As opportunities fly your way, having a way to quickly assess if and how well the opportunities align with your vision may be helpful. When Street Sense Media invited me to co-write Road Trip Stories, it was an easy “yes” as it positioned us to reach up to 35 countries in 25 languages.
2 . Be open to a new Path: One unplanned adventure was collaborating with the American University Humanities Truck. They are introducing ways to make solutions accessible to all universities as part of the Oral History Project.
3 . Engage all 4 views: Including all 4 personality types (caring helpers, problem solvers, leaders, and fun change agents) helps to consider all views. In a TEDxMiami follow-up interview with Dr. Rhode-Barbarigos of University of Miami, he shared how their Engineering approach is to invite multiple sectors to “co-design” better community solutions.
4 . Make it easy to Grow with You: In every role, I enjoy empowering everyone to do skill development. To help them realize that they can be a Positive Change Leader, I invite them to own even the smallest project and grow at their pace. As one employee grew his leadership skills, he said with excitement, “People think I am the manager.”
5 . Keep Purpose and Outcome in Mind: When goals factor in the purpose (people or employee view) as well as the outcome (employer view), it is a win-win. I invite employees to reflect on ways to “Make it Better” and then think on both views. One employee said, “Ugh. I drive in peak traffic!” By thinking of the employer too, she got approval to come in early to run reports. Her win-win idea saves her and her employer time.
I’m interested in how you instill a strong sense of connection with your team. How do you nurture a culture where everyone feels connected to your mission? Could you share an example or story that showcases how your purpose has positively influenced or motivated people on your team to contribute?
One of my bosses asked me, “Why do you always climb mountains when you’d make the same amount if you climbed hills?” From my view, when you have a team that selects and climbs a mountain together, it creates a culture of growth and excitement toward a shared mission. Along the way, we discover strengths in ourselves and each other, aligning our individual aspirations with the organizational goals.
One of my favorite mountain climbs was when my team and I decided to “Go Global!” Even the vendor was excited to explore this uncharted territory together. One team member asked, “Can I be the Liaison for Latin American countries?” I said “sure” and he was off studying Spanish. Another employee said, “Can I be the Liaison for France?” Again, I replied “sure” and she was off studying French. We figured out how to route calls and came in at 4 am to test. It worked! Our team was ecstatic when we were selected as a trend-setter in the industry.
Imagine we’re sitting down together two years from now, looking back at your company’s last 24 months. What specific accomplishments would have to happen for you to be happy with your progress?
I will be very excited that one of my successors volunteered to share our accomplishments with you.
With over 200 worldwide territories having people like me who are Certified Project Management Professionals, my plan is to co-design a way to empower and mentor students and Project Manager trainees to lead mini-projects of their choice to create positive change in our world. It is often difficult for trainees to find projects to earn the 3,500 plus hours required to get certified so it will be a win-win for them and our world.
While Step 1 of my 5 Step Model can be initiated by an employee, an employer, and even a child; people seem to need a little encouragement. I plan to focus heavily on coaching my successors on ways to empower education centers to create welcoming environments to inspire people to take that first step. To me, the most rewarding feeling is seeing how people feel once they realize and reveal their untapped “good” from within.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Beyond a movement, we have the collective power to inspire a new mindset. This is a job for my favorite best practice, the Lean Management Culture, where 100% of the team members are invited to be a part of continual improvements.
First, let’s start with the basics. Over 1 billion people could really use a friendly “hello.” There are 3 main bench models that illustrate how all ages can play. Then-8-year-old Christian Bucks initiated “Buddy Benches” to help lonely children. Following the death of his son Lucas, Sam Fiorella launched “Yellow is for Hello” benches after many college students came forward to share that Lucas was always there to provide a friendly “hello” for those who needed it. Friendship Benches (also known as Grandma Benches) have now helped over 500,000 people.
Next, let’s magnify our collective impact. While benches are optional, the physical benches help us visualize the possibilities. People ask if I see a future with benches at every school or library. This way of thinking invites us to evolve to a mindset to explore the infinite ways to magnify the “good” in our world. We have an incredible foundation of organizations that share our mission to add “good.” Each could invite members to follow their passion with a “Make it Better” project of their choice.
To show how contagious “Make it better” projects can be, I’ll share a funny experience I had helping a “do good” organization that had hit rock bottom. As a consultant, I empowered each of the employees in my area to work on a “Make it Better” goal of their choice. As excitement grew, word traveled. One morning, I had to maneuver around a long line to get to my office. To my surprise, the line was to my office. Other department employees and even people who had quit in frustration, were in line to learn how they could join us in adding “good.”
Now, let’s reach for the sky! There are millions of people wanting to help, but in need of a little encouragement. From my experience, it helps to show how easy and fun it can be. A great way to do this is to engage children. Dr. Jane Goodall expanded her program to invite Kindergarteners to add “good” for three areas of our world: animals, people, and the environment. Watching Topper Carew’s video of children around the world singing “This little light of mine!” being broadcasted from the International Space Station to Earth can serve as a reminder of the incredible possibilities ahead.
How can our readers further follow your work or your company online?
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisaullven
LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/guidedresults
This was great. Thanks for taking time for us to learn more about you and your business. We wish you continued success!
About the Interviewer: Chad Silverstein is a seasoned entrepreneur and Thought Leader with over 25 years of business experience. He has founded, operated, and exited multiple companies and now builds into a handful of high impact CEOs. Chad has launched multiple online communities, including a recent leadership development platform, and also serves as a strategic advisor for Authority Magazine’s thought-leader incubator program.
To learn more and connect with Chad visit: chadsilverstein.io
Purpose Before Profit: Lisa Blackburn Ullven of Guided Results On The Benefits Of Running A… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.