Driven to Build, Guided by Values

About this book

Peter Finn was always a little different. As a high school senior, he became an ethical vegetarian, took up meditation, and immersed himself in Eastern religions; later, as a long-haired student at Brown University, he fell for a beautiful classmate named Sarah, and the two began dreaming of creating an organic, green-energy farm. Then, as a rising executive in his family's public relations business, Peter began stirring up controversy by advocating an entrepreneurial leadership style and growth through acquisitions that would also require decentralized control. It became increasingly clear that, somehow, Peter Finn would end up forging a life path all his own.In the end, Peter shattered expectations not once but twice. First, in 1998, having fallen in love with rural Hunter, New York, Peter and Sarah (now his wife) launched the Catskill Mountain Foundation with the dream of using arts programs-drama, music, dance, movies, and more-to spark economic and social revitalization throughout the region. They started on a shoestring, but over time, through improvisation and daring, sometimes "crazy" opportunism, they forged partnerships with talented people and groups to build one of the most vibrant artistic hubs in the Northeast.Second, late in 2011, Peter took an even riskier plunge into the unknown. With a handful of like-minded colleagues, he negotiated a separation from the family company to launch a new PR agency built on values ranging from "Work hard and play nice" and "Create a best-place-to-work environment" to "Commit to diversity" and "Make a difference in the world." Today, having won a host of industry awards and honors, FINN Partners has grown to embrace 35 offices with 1,300 employees around the world.Driven to Build, Guided by Values tells the parallel stories of these two unique organizations, operating in very different spheres yet shaped by the same core beliefs. Leaders in every field will discover valuable lessons about how to build organizations for lasting success in the dramatic, colorful stories that fill the pages of Driven to Build.