drive toward excellence, which required thoroughness and hard
work. “In creating media and print tools,” David explained, “we
wouldn’t spend a dollar on production until we had sign-off on
the audience and the purpose of the communication. What were
the outcomes we wanted? What would constitute success? We’d
pass ideas around, involve the team, and they would all weigh in
on it. Only after all that thinking was done would we spend money
on photos and recordings. That kind of work took products and
ideas to higher levels, because there was no ‘Billy has to approve
everything’ or ‘I woke up this morning feeling I wanted to do this.’
Many organizations never put in that level of thinking.”
“Did this DNA convey a sense of empowerment?”
“Clearly. Once Billy put something into motion, it went.
People had tremendous spending authority, and this goes back to
trust. Billy had too many irons in the fire and too high an agenda
to review the details. If Sterling needed to do a project, he didn’t
have to check with six people. Billy’s trust in those with spending
authority cascaded to us and gave us freedom. In turn, we could
act with our vendors in the same way. It called out of us stan-
dards—you raise the standard and it pulls everyone up.”
“We’ve noted that Billy and his organization have shown great
ability to deal with crises. How have they been able to do this so
well?”
David nodded. “My short answer is, the systems. He had sys-
tems in place; they had matured organizationally. People knew
how to move right in, and information didn’t lollygag at a lower
level. People had the discernment to know ‘This can bite us! Let’s
get it right up.’”
We explored with David various mechanisms of Billy’s orga-
nization, and he kept returning to the way Billy’s vision and val-
ues had influenced his colleagues. Several of them have recently
faced health challenges or changes in position, and in describing
their responses, David said, “These are grace-filled people! That’s
Billy’s DNA. They model grace, and they have a sense of cause.
They emulate Billy in saying, ‘I’m called to do this, no matter
what the challenges. Join me!’”
Empowering Soul Mates