Firms of Endearment(see my review of Firms of Endearment )

“The search for meaning is changing expectations in the marketplace and in the workplace. Indeed, we believe it is changing the very soul of capitalism.”

“Consider the words affection, love, joy, authenticity, empathy, compassion, soulfulness, and other terms of endearment. Until recently, such words had no place in business. That is changing. Today, a growing number of companies comfortably embrace such terms. That is why we coined the phrase ‘firms of endearment,’ or FoE.”

“…the best way to create value for shareholders in the long run is by consciously creating value for all stakeholders.”

“FoEs are exemplary in their focus on helping employees maximize their potential through training, development, and mentoring.”

“FoE leaders view stakeholders as partners, not as objects of exploitation or means to their financial ends. They don’t objectify stakeholders. Instead, they encourage stakeholders to collaborate with them in moving their companies forward.”

“Organizational energy is created and released when an organization’s people are emotionally and intellectually excited by the firm’s vision and values. One of the most important tasks of a leader is to mobilize this energy and focus it on the achievement of meaningful goals.”

“The most desirable energy state is the “passion zone,” which is characterized by high levels of positive energy. Employees of companies working out of this zone are full of enthusiasm and excitement, and take palpable pride and joy in their work.”

“….culture rules. Every FoE CEO knows this. Members of the executive staff of FoEs don’t cite “product superiority,” “value,” “service,” or any other mundane reason when asked about their company’s chief competitive advantage. They almost invariably say it is the company culture.”

“A new era has dawned. Fundamentalists of capitalistic theory can no longer hide with impunity behind arguments that champion corporate insulation from social concerns, contrived in the name of shareholders’ rights. It’s not a matter of morality, but of sound corporate management in the twenty-first century.”