21st Century Desirable Leadership Characteristics for Professional Services Firms in North American Metropolises

Professional services firms (PSFs) in North American metropolises are facing challenges in doing business in a fast pace global society with environments which require them to cope with increasing size, complexity and conflict management, to shape and coordinate the right culture that meets their strategic goals, and creates sustainability with legacy. This requires to address retaining and developing leaders and emerging leaders, and pursue their commitment to a long and productive career, in their organizations. Thus, this case study is an exercise of depth that reflects the uniqueness in the lives of leaders in PSFs similar to the organization where the participants are employed to help them and other leaders in fostering a culture that develops and retains good leaders with authentic, servant, and transformational leadership characteristics. The participants’ enthusiasm and collaboration about their understanding of desirable leadership characteristics to be a continuous process to improve their own desirable leadership characteristics and practical approaches and implications when relating with all the stakeholders in the organization, is a testimony of leaders who want to build the right culture in a PSF. The findings in this study provide insightful information to help professional services firms’ leaders, business students, and practitioners with valuable insights in knowledge to promote desirable leadership characteristics in PSFs, thus fostering the development and retention of leaders for sustainability with legacy. This is accordance with the biblical leadership model given by Jesus with character, knowledge, creativity, drive, courage, caring, and discipline. 21st CENTURY DESIRABLE LEADERSHIP CHARACTERISTICS FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FIRMS IN NORTH AMERICAN METROPOLISES by Ralph Baeza Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Business Administration Liberty University August 2018 ___________________________________________________ Date: ____________ Dr. Gene Sullivan, Dissertation Chair ___________________________________________________ Date: ____________ Dr. Keith Mathis, Dissertation Committee Member ___________________________________________________ Date: ____________ Dr. Gene Sullivan, DBA Program Director ___________________________________________________ Date: ____________ Dr. David Calland, Interim Dean School of Business Remembering Brett McKinstry, PE, LEED AP Remembering Brett McKinstry, PE, LEED AP, TLC Engineering for Architecture, Inc., Chief Operating Officer, for his dedication and commitment as an authentic, servant, and transformational leader in his family, organization, and community.  He was someone who exhibited a behavior with self-awareness, internalized moral perspective, balance the processing of ideas and relational transparency.  He was someone who developed the self-knowledge through an active, continuous disposition of self-examination regarding own actions and listening to others when receiving information about the self.  He applied the process of teaching others to lead.  He was a person who had an attitude of service by being authentic, vulnerable, accepting, present, and useful. Thus, placed the good of followers over their own self-interest and emphasized follower development.  He accepted one another as a leader as opposed to being self-empowered as a single leader.  He was someone who engaged with others and created a connection that raised the level of motivation in the leader and the follower. Brett McKinstry was a great leader in TLC Engineering for Architecture, Inc., by fostering a culture of sustainability with legacy that developed and retained organizational leaders, for the present and future of this organization, by practicing authentic, servant, and transformational leadership behaviors.