Are You an Outlaw? Meet Chandra Storrusten

Who has redefined what it means to think outside the law (aka OUTLAW) and is helping each of us in the process?

Meet Chandra Storrusten. Chandra co-founded Visible Value in 2003 and since then has fostered sustainable value creation strategies to allow organizations around the globe to capitalize on pivotal opportunities during growth, transitions, and transformations. She inspires her clients to be mission, values, and purpose driven organizations that deliver superior client and employee experience and develop sustainable competitive advantages. Chandra’s clients become innovative leaders in their industry, achieve their vision, and consistently out-perform their competition.

She serves as a trusted partner to her clients advising them on the evolving opportunities and challenges they face in the areas of strategy, business continuity, organizational development, client and employee experience, and innovation and disruption.

Chandra is also Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of ourlinQ – a profit sharing platform for professional services firms that incentivizes employees to think like owners, resulting in increased employee engagement and retention and improved matter and firm profitability.

In addition, she delivers strategic keynotes for clients and regularly presents at national and regional industry conferences. Chandra obtained an Executive MBA from Duke University – Fuqua School of Business.

We asked Chandra a few questions, and her answers can be found below. Enjoy getting to know this Outlaw!

Q: What is your motto? 
A: Katherine Hepburn said, “If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.” While I may have embraced this a bit too much as a teenager, as an adult I’ve adapted it to “If you don’t challenge the status quo, you miss all the fun and opportunity” and this is a driving force behind how we serve our clients.

Q: What is your greatest fear?
A: So many leaders are afraid of the unknown especially in today’s environment, which is very understandable. However, many are so paralyzed by this fear that tough strategic decisions are not made to ensure a thriving future. They are unwilling to think differently about how they do business and my greatest fear is the potential negative impact this could have on the global economy. We are all in this together, and we need to lead, decide, and act with intention. As Stephen Covey said, “We are not a product of our circumstances but of our decisions.”

Q: What got you into working in the legal industry? 
A: When I was little, I dreamed of being an attorney and minored in law during college. However, I worked for a couple of years after graduating and then decided to go to business school instead. But that passion for the law remained and as soon as I started Visible Value, I was determined to help law firms achieve the goals they never thought possible.

Q: What is your current state of mind?
A: John Ashcroft noted that, “If necessity is the mother of invention, cooperation is the father. And we’re cooperating like never before.” We are working together with our clients to innovate and find opportunities to thrive in this new normal. This often entails uncovering opportunities to collaborate with their clients, strategic partners, government, and even their competition. This innovation, creativity, and collaboration makes me very hopeful for the future and the positive impact this will have on clients, communities, the environment, and the economy.