Conscious Capitalism: Liberating the Heroic Spirit of Business Audiobook CD – Audiobook, CD, Unabridged Author: Visit Amazon's John Mackey Page | Language: English | ISBN:
1622314409 | Format: PDF
Conscious Capitalism: Liberating the Heroic Spirit of Business Audiobook CD – Audiobook, CD, Unabridged Description
From Booklist
Mackey and Sisodia, leaders of the corporation Conscious Capitalism, describe the movement in the context of Mackey’s reflections as cofounder of Whole Foods Market. The term conscious capitalism refers to businesses that serve the interests of all major stakeholders—customers, employees, investors, communities, suppliers, and the environment. Mackey’s realization of conscious capitalism began on Memorial Day 1981, as the fledgling Whole Foods Market was basically wiped out by a flood. Unexpectedly, dozens of customers and neighbors showed up to help; employees worked for free, not knowing if the store would survive; suppliers resupplied on credit; investors stepped up, too, and the Whole Foods Market’s bank loaned it money to restock; the store reopened in 28 days. Following two introductory chapters, part 1 covers purpose; part 2 is about stakeholders; part 3, conscious leadership; and part 4, conscious culture and management. Mackey and Sisodia cite companies such as Southwest Airlines, Google, the Container Store, Whole Foods Market, and Nordstrom as embracing this sound vision of reality. A very solid examination. --Mary Whaley
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Review
Praise for the hardcover edition of Conscious Capitalism, a New York Times and Wall Street Journal Bestseller:
“Full of thoughtful insights.” — Financial Times
“Buy it. Read it. Implement it. It’s a true guide to the future.” — Forbes.com
“I highly recommend listening to what they have to say.” — Howard Schultz, chairman, president, and CEO, Starbucks
“This is the book I always wanted to write.” — Bill George, bestselling author, True North
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
See all Editorial Reviews
- Audio CD: 600 pages
- Publisher: HighBridge Company; Unabridged; 10 hours on 9 CDs edition (April 30, 2014)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1622314409
- ISBN-13: 978-1622314409
- Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
- Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
In the October 2005 issue of Reason Magazine, John Mackey, Milton Friedman, and T.J. Rogers debated whether businesses had any larger social responsibility than to maximize profits for shareholders: Mackey was the lone voice for the affirmative. 7+ years later, Conscious Capitalism can best be thought of as an extension and years-later elaboration on Mackey's argument. This book is one part spirited defense of free market capitalism and several parts description of how businesses can and should become more aware of ALL stakeholders (shareholders, workers, customers, distributors, the environment and the community.)
Before going into the how-to's, Mackey starts with a spirited but brief defense of market capitalism. Mackey recounts how he started as a co-founder of a co-op, but left largely because others' political agendas - largely, anti-market - prevented, in Mackey's judgement, the co-op from serving its customers well. Mackey built the store that would come to be Whole Foods and discovered the potential of markets and market transactions to change people's lives. (Lest we forget, markets are less about exploitation and zero-sum thinking than they are about voluntary positive-sum transactions, each party providing what the other wants.) Sadly, when most of us think of market capitalism, we tend to think of Ayn-Rand-like glorification of selfishness and greed as well as economic reductionism (reducing everything to purely economic calculation sans 'the human element.') Needless to say, this is a perception Mackey rightly wants to change.
The rest of the book - the meat and potatoes - are about Mackey's conception of "conscious capitalism" - companies who do well by doing good.
In this book, John Mackey and Raj Sisodia make a number of affirmations with which I wholly agree. For example of what they characterize as "Conscious Capitalism": for profit business initiatives "galvanized by higher purposes that serve and align the interests of all major stakeholders; businesses with conscious leaders who exist in service to the company's purpose, the people it touches, and the planet" and which conduct business "with resilient, caring cultures that make working there a source of great joy and fulfillment."
Presumably they agree with me that it is no coincidence that, each year, most of the companies ranked by Fortune magazine among the most highly admired and best to work for are also ranked among those most profitable and having the greatest cap value in their respective industry segments.
I also agree with Mackey and Sisodia concerning the process (the "HOW") by which business leadership at all levels and in all areas (including but by no means limited to the C-suite) can "liberate the heroic spirit of business." As they explain, "the sad reality is that for too long, business has [as have its leaders] been stuck in a defensive and reactive posture. Entrepreneurs and businesspeople are the heroes of our modern world, yet they have been caricatured as heartless and soulless mercenaries." That's true but what is much more significant, in my opinion, is the fact that business leaders are only now beginning to understand and [begin italics] appreciate [end italics] the importance of getting the values, hopes, dreams, and goals of workers in proper alignment with those of the given enterprise. To a significant extent, in recent decades, it has been the spirit of the workers that has needed liberation.
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