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Is Your Business a Force for Good?

I’ve been reading a fascinating book, which I have found quite inspiring, called The Necessary Revolution, by Peter Senge. You may already be familiar with it, since it was published a year ago, but I’ve just discovered it. What makes this book important for me is the confluence of two streams of thought that I’ve been chewing on for some time:

First, Senge and his co-authors weave a coherent and holistic picture out of all the disparate threats to human life and civilization–climate change, waste and toxicity, social and political unrest, and health and nutrition issues–and manage to emerge cautiously optimistic.

Second, The Necessary Revolution looks deeply at the role of commerce, particularly the role of large, global corporations, and finds reason to believe that the companies that succeed during the next phase of capitalism will be precisely those companies that are able to harness their entrepreneurial energy as force for good in the world.

Here’s what Peter Senge said in a June 2008 interview with BusinessWeek about what’s wrong with focusing on shareholder value as the exclusive guide to strategy:

You go to any MBA program, and you will be taught the theory of the firm, that the purpose of the firm is the maximization of return on invested capital. I always thought this was a kind of lunacy. A well-managed business will have a high return on invested capital. But that’s a consequence. It’s not a way to manage a business. Peter Drucker said: “Profit for a company is like oxygen for a person. If you don’t have enough of it, you’re out of the game. But if you think your life is about breathing, you’re really missing something.” The purpose [of an enterprise] is never making money. And I think a lot of the best innovators inside big companies succeed [because] they really understand the theory of their business.

When the limited liability corporation was created 140 years ago, the shareholder had to be protected. But [the emphasis on shareholder value] makes no sense any more. We live in a world that has a surplus of financial capital, and great shortages of natural capital, human capital, and, in some places, social capital. We’re optimizing around one input!

What I really like about this perspective is that it elevates the meaning and purpose of a commercial enterprise to its proper place in the hierarchy of strategic imperatives. We have known for some time that companies that have no purpose over and above making money for their shareholders often do a poor job of making money for their shareholders. This book helps to break down some of the intellectual constraints that have hobbled a lot of executives to limited ways of thinking about business strategy.

If you would like to read the whole interview, here’s the link.

And if you would like to check out the book itself, here is the Amazon link.

I’d love to know if this stuff resonates for you, and if you have any stories to share on the subject.

“For B2B businesses, Character is a powerful tool. I have used Character three times in my leader marketing roles, 2x were in B2B businesses. The Character work was the foundation of a transformation in product innovation/commercialization, rebranding, M&A, sales growth, and employee engagement. Character’s work helped us take dead brands and make them relevant again and helped us establish lesser-known brands with high share in a B2B market. What’s so unique is that you don’t create something that the ‘marketing talking heads’ think the company needs, you use the history, culture and DNA that is already part of the company to bring out the true story that is unique to only your brand. The Character team is so special, genuine, and has the perfect mix of creative and business knowledge to lead cross-functional executives through this process. ”
—Melissa Minihan, Head of Digital Commerce & Marketing, Veritiv Corporation

“Character gets to the heart of what good storytelling is all about. They’ve helped Wendy’s focus on what makes us unique, different and special and that’s helped us to get people’s attention, keep their interest and keep the business growing. We compete with much larger brands, but by being overt about how we want to attack those differences, we’ve been able to have a lot of tension and conflict in the story that we are telling. That allows us to keep the story fresh and to fuel it. The more we do that the more positive attention we get as a brand and the more the brand continues to grow, which, in turn, builds our confidence in our storytelling and keeps the courage level high.”

—Kurt  Kane, President U.S. & Chief Commercial Officer, Wendy’s Corporation

“I’ve been through Character’s story framework process four times in my career, and it has always added extraordinary value. It was a central piece of Walmart’s rebranding effort in 2006, as we sought a new articulation of our brand narrative and our purpose. It’s an equally powerful tool for us now, as Walmart defines its place in a rapidly transforming retail environment. And we are currently using it to do the same for Sam’s Club.”

—Tony Rogers, Chief Marketing Officer, Walmart

“Character’s approach to brand building is unlike any other in the business. Jim and his team use the timeless truths of human storytelling to unlock story potential and connect deeply with brand audiences. I’ve worked with Character throughout my career, and my experience with Tabasco was as fascinating, inspiring, and productive as ever. 

Character worked with our team not only to help us re-examine and re-articulate the elemental truths of our iconic global brand but also to develop and apply practical tools that make the brand story framework user-friendly for our entire organization. 

I whole-heartedly recommend Character to any brand marketer who is looking to make intuitive and durable connections with their consumer.”

Lee Susen, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer, Tabasco / McIlhenny Company