“We love to serve” is one of LNW’s core values, and LNW CEO Kristen Bauer explained why in her quarterly message to clients earlier in October. Being of service essentially means approaching any task — big or small, at home or at work — with respect and humility. This opens up possibilities for learning new skills, developing greater understanding and staying committed to making things work. Here is what Kristen had to say:
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Dear LNW Community,
“We are all in service to someone.” That is essentially what my former boss and mentor George Russell said to me one day when I myself was serving as the Russell family wealth advisor and helping him launch a wealth advisory firm. George had spent a good part of his life turning Russell Investments into a global powerhouse in index and pension investing. He was honored, he said, to have served working Americans, bringing them “sunshine” in the form of a comfortable retirement.
Years later, George’s words came to mind as I was deciding whether to take on the role of LNW CEO. I did, mainly because I saw that since its founding LNW had been focused on service above all else, a place where being of service had long been recognized as an honor and a calling.
Today, all of us here at LNW are building on that legacy of service.
Being of Service
It is not by chance that “We Love to Serve” is the first of the five core values you see on LNW corridors. What does that mean in practice? It certainly means being proactive. It means us working to know you and your family well, so we help you serve the people and causes you care about in meaningful and positive ways. Having recently visited our offices in NY, SF and LA, I can tell you that the focus of virtually all meetings is what more can we be doing for clients.
Being of service also means aligning our interests with yours and always sitting on your side of the table. We have remained independent and privately owned by our employees and the Laird and Norton families through their parent company, the Laird Norton Company. This allows us to focus on helping you serve your loved ones, your community and what you consider to be your own highest calling.
Finally, service means being of service to all LNW stakeholders: to you and our other clients, to our employees, and to the communities we operate in. It’s this extended definition of service that allows LNW to create overlapping circles of service and support that reinforce each other in service to you. That is what I think allows us to do our best work.
Circles of Support
In September, we were again named one of the top 100 RIA firms in the United States by Barron’s. I am proud of the ongoing recognition because I know it stems from the great deal of collaborative teamwork we do (being of service to each other) to find what will work best for you and yours.
That is especially true now, a time of heightened uncertainty in politics, the economy, geopolitics, the environment. LNW is more capable than ever to advise you on effective strategies for all aspects of your financial life and how that can continue to serve your actual life. That is perhaps the most important service we provide — helping you and our other clients navigate through periods of change (both personal and on a large scale) — and something we have been doing since 1967.
In closing, I am hopeful to report that being of service is evidently not old-fashioned. I have a sample of one, namely my youngest daughter during her job search after college, when she said: “I just want to help people.” What an honor that would be, I thought, again remembering that conversation with George a long time ago.
