Published in 2016, the book tells the story of how often business leaders focus on the wrong things. They spend countless hours building strategies, analyzing numbers, and putting out personnel fires. They go home at the end of each day exhausted . . . and a bit confused. They think, “there must be a better way!” And there is.
In “A Better Way,” Keene and McKibben share the gripping stories that form the backdrop of their corporate private equity firm lives. As they faced setbacks, conflict, and ruin, they learned valuable lessons – the most valuable lessons for business leaders. They condensed what they’ve learned into four profound principles: passion, process, purpose, and people. Their goal is to instill these four “Ps” into every Ancor Capital Partners’ portfolio company, every team, and every person. And it all begins with passion. Profits are important, but they are the result of a vibrant, creative, supportive culture – an atmosphere where passion brings out the best in every team member.
“A strong positive corporate culture is something we instill in each of our portfolio companies, and Tim and I are excited to share our experiences in this book” said Keene.
“‘A Better Way’ is a compilation of our experiences across the more than 45 companies we have acquired over Ancor’s 20-plus-year-history,” said McKibben. “Ancor is what is is today because of these experiences.”
“Making money is the byproduct of doing the right things and doing them well.”
“In all of this, passion is at the heart of an organization’s culture”
“Consistency is crucial – not perfection, but consistency”
“Every person in the company, from the top to the bottom, needs to be able to say, “This is who we are. This is what we do exceptionally well. This is what our customers can count on from us.”
“A rich, supportive culture is enough of a benefit in itself, but there’s more. Teams that function with passion are also incredibly productive.”
“People who dislike each other seldom make good business decisions, but people who love and trust each other make a lot of great decisions. Sometimes it’s that simple.”
