Hello CCSD Community

Here is our bi-weekly Conscious Capitalism content share. We hope you find it informative and inspirational.

In the news

It is no secret that the apparel industry has a huge environmental and social footprint.  There are several newer, more environmental and ethically friendly apparel organizations popping up. However, four older brands, like Fruit of the Loom and Hanes, have also committed to revamp their strategies to reduce their negative impact on the world and support their consumer demands.

Impact

As the head of Heineken USA and Heineken Mexico, Dolf van der Brink has learned to use the power of people and purpose to apply smart, impactful, and profitable practices. “By letting go of fear and stereotypes, something van den Brink has had to do multiple times in his career, he says, he has learned an important lesson “A big part of humanity is suppressed in organizations and bureaucracies. But when you can find a way to tap in that, and appeal to people’s passions and unleash their energies, amazing things can be done.” Read more about specific examples here in this FastCo article. 

Informative Read

Get Your Head Out of Your Bottom Line: And Build Your Brand on Purpose, by Bethany Andell. This book explores what could happen if executives shift their focus from solely improving the bottom line to the company’s long-term health and non-monetary impact on the world. And how to do it!

In Practice

Branch Out Market is a curated social impact market. They partner with nonprofits who are teaching a skill, working with women, young artisans, or refugees to help create economic opportunities and income streams for their projects. By partnering with these organizations they hope to help them focus on their missions and help in creating a stable and reliable access to market. Please read their stories online and browse through the market as if you were walking the streets of Guatemala, Tanzania, South Africa, India, and more combined!

From the founder:
“I am a strong believer in capitalism as a resourceful and efficient way to solve the worlds challenges. Don’t get me wrong, we need charity, but we also need jobs. After working with farmers in South Africa for a few years I saw how their sense of purpose was critical to their success and happiness. My job was to bridge the gap to market, with each opportunity our farmers worked harder and were able to improve their skills and resourcefulness. I joined Conscious Capitalism because I knew that in order for Branch Out Market to be successful I needed to meet and collaborate with like-minded individuals. This is how we will make the world a better place!” – Rachel McKinney

Hello CCSD Community

Here is our bi-weekly Conscious Capitalism content share. We hope you find it informative and inspirational.

In the news

Conscious Capitalism is all about elevating humanity through business. Our fellow Arizona Chapter President, Brian Mohr, got to experience this first hand with his visit to Televerde’s Perryville call-center. What makes this unique? Besides their intensive training, development and investment in their people, this call center is located in the Arizona Department of Corrections in Perryville. 70% of Telverde’s workforce are inmates. After his visit Brian believes Televerde to be “THE BEST EXAMPLE OF CAPITALISM THAT I’VE SEEN. IT’S WHAT CAPITALISM CAN ASPIRE TO DO AND BE. THE COMPANY IS THE ULTIMATE EXAMPLE OF BUSINESS AS A FORCE FOR GOOD.” Learn more about his experience here. 

Impact

GoCheck Kids is the first iPhone app registered with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to screen young children for correctable vision impairment with a simple photo. This replaces the need for a $20,000 screening device and can be also be used on kids under 6 years old. They have raised  $20 million in funding so far and have screened over 900,000 kids with the goal of 20 million by 2020.

Informative Read

Simon Sinek, author of Leaders Eat Last and Start With Why, is releasing his next book, The Infinite Game, on June 4th. You can pre-order your copy today. Learn to embrace an infinite mindset and why that is key to building stronger, more innovative, more inspiring organizations.

Hello CCSD Community

Here is our bi-weekly Conscious Capitalism content share. We hope you find it informative and inspirational.

In the news

The annual World Economic Forum is currently taking place in Davos, Switzerland. U2 singer, Bono, was one of the many speakers, thinkers, and leaders present. He shares, “Capitalism is not immoral – it’s amoral. It requires our instruction…Capitalism has taken more people out of poverty than any other ‘ism’. But it is a wild beast that, if not tamed, can chew up a lot of people along the way.” Conscious Capitalism and it’s tenets, we believe, is a way that can “tame the beast” and continue to serve all our stakeholders.

Impact

Forbes released The Just 100 companies in the US list.  The criteria they considered about 890 of America’s largest publicly-traded companies include: pay workers fairly; treat customers well and protect their privacy; produce quality products; minimize their environmental impact; give back to the communities they operate in; commit to ethical and diverse leadership; and create abundant job opportunities.

San Diego’s ResMed came in #18 on this list.

Informative Read

Founder & CEO of PayActiv, Safwan Shah, is the first author to publish a book through Conscious Capitalism Press. His book, About TIME: How Businesses Can Save the World (One Worker at a Time), shares how we came to pay workers in this country and how practices positioned to ‘help’ the poor amid crises have resulted in massive financial stress, loss of happiness, and productivity. It also takes a look at the role “time” plays in our society today and how the speed of life is changing, challenging company leaders to step into their heroic nature.

Get on the pre-sale list here. Learn more about PayActiv and how they are transforming the underserved and underbanked workforce.

Hello CCSD Community

Here is our bi-weekly Conscious Capitalism content share. We hope you find it informative and inspirational.

In the news

Paul Tudor Jones’ Just Capital company listing and metrics will be used to create a new Goldman Sachs Exchange Traded Fund. The metrics are something Mr. Jones has been working on since 2012 (the inspiration for this is in the article) . He, himself was “taken aback when he realized how a company’s stock performance correlated with how responsibly it behaved. “I couldn’t believe it,” he said. The results were sufficiently profound to make him rethink his own business.”

Impact

Sometimes what you think is going on, or what you intend to happen, really isn’t what is actually occurring in your company. As a leader it is vital that your actions support your intentions. This is a lesson serial entrepreneur Pete Gombert learned during his third venture. And what inspired his fourth venture, GoodWell – a company dedicated to helping companies be aligned to their values.

Informative Read

It’s no longer good enough to just do what you do. You need to be more conscious and strategic about HOW you do it. If curious about why how you do things matters most, check out Dov Seidman’s book, How: Why How We Do Anything Means Everything.

Hello CCSD Community

Here is our bi-weekly Conscious Capitalism content share. We hope you find it informative and inspirational.

In the news

The Washington Examiner published an article written by Young Voices executive director, Casey Given, titled “This group might restore capitalism’s good name.” He shared about his experience at the 2018 Conscious Capitalism conference last month.

Impact

Former Massachusetts Governor, Deval Patrick shared on stage at the Conscious Capitalism conference last month what it means to be a Conscious Capitalist. Fortune editor, Ellen McGirt shares the highlights of their conversation here.  This sums it up nicely – “It takes time to learn to see. We all will make serious mistakes. But making space for others to grow is one of the most important acts of kindness we can offer in this work. “The woke need to make room for the still waking,” he says, because we’re all still waking up to some degree. “We all need that grace.”

Informative Read

What would a sustainable, universally beneficial economy look like? This is the question Oxford economist Kate Raworth discusses in her TED Talk. Hint, growth is not always the answer.

Hello CCSD Community

Here is our bi-weekly Conscious Capitalism content share. We hope you find it informative and inspirational.

In the news

When we think of Lego, it often conjures up fun childhood memories, or the worst foot pain you’ve experienced. We likely don’t think of them as being a sustainable and innovative materials company. They are committed to changing that. Lego shared that they have started their first line of Lego elements created from sustainable, plant-based material. Their goal is to use sustainable material in core products and packaging by 2030. Now you can create lego plants from legos actually made from plants.

Impact

Is it possible to bring your whole heart to work? What impact could that have on you, your colleagues, your customers, and other stakeholders? This video is a great case on how a healthcare system turned their engagement and performance around by simply bringing their hearts to work.

Informative Read/View

Last month we shared that the Conscious Capitalism Field Guide will be released in April. If you can’t wait till April to get a taste of what will be included in the field guide, a FREE excerpt is now available for anyone to download. Enjoy!

Hello CCSD Community

Here is our bi-weekly Conscious Capitalism content share. We hope you find it informative and inspirational. Hope everyone affected by the Southern California fires are safe. HERE and HERE are some ideas on how to support those in need. 

In the news

This recent Economist article further supports the trend that people are seriously investing in responsible companies. Millennials are at the helm of this. A Morgan Stanley study shows that 75% of millennials agreed that their investments could influence climate change. This pressure and demand is being felt elsewhere as well. Read more HERE.   

Impact

One of the first known business how-to books was written in 1458. Written by an Italian merchant, The Book of the Art of Trade, received its first English translation. When you read his advice, you will notice his focus on ethics and values, not profits. We can likely learn a lot from our Renaissance business counterparts.  

Informative Read/View

What does a former lawyer and chocolate have in common? They are both part of the story of Meaningful Work: A Quest to Do Great Business,Find Your Calling, and Feed Your Soul. The Founder of Askinosie Chocolate shares visioning tools to create a work life that is inspired and fulfilling. 

Hello CCSD Community

Check out this week’s content below. We hope you find it informative and inspirational.

In the news

Have you tried The California Fruit Wine Co. yet? Maybe you tried a sip or two at one of our previous events. This Carlsbad-based company is creating a tasty and conscious niche within the wine industry. Learn more about how founders, Brian and Alan Haghighi, got in to the business, entrepreneurial lessons learned, and why they plan to give a significant percentage of profits to startups. Be sure to read their Social Mission as well! 

Impact

Van Jones, a environmental and human rights activist, shares inspiring words at the CCSD Bay Area Chapter’s HigherPurpose17 conference. His main message, business leaders and businesses with a higher purpose, with the intent to create change that works for more people, is our hope for our future humanity.  

Informative Read/View

Linda Alverez’s, Discovering Agreements, will help you look at your legal agreements and relationships differently, better. “Discovering Agreement is a powerful alternative for those who are disenchanted with the old-style adversarial model.  This new framework is ideal for socially responsible businesses already on the cutting edge of shifting business paradigms and those who avoid entering legal contracts because of the fear and mistrust inherent in the old model.” 

Hello CCSD Community

Check out this week’s content below. We hope you find it informative and inspirational.

In the news

This Triple Pundit article makes a great case for why Capitalism needs Conscious Leaders and how the Conscious Capitalism movement is leading the way in this. Conscious Capitalism is “holistic approach that puts people and moral conscience at the center of business practices.”

Impact

Sometimes companies put practices and strategies in place because they simply support their values and also makes business sense. And sometimes these organizations or leaders do not fit what some would consider typically conscious, or socially-minded, or environmental-minded, or mission-driven, etc. The point being, not all “conscious” business might look the same on the outside but when you dig a little deeper and are open to discovering what they are all about, alignment partnerships, innovation, and change can happen.

Informative Read/View

We are often told to focus on our strengths. Companies love hearing about these in interviews and often spend money to enhance them. But, what if your perceived weakness/uniqueness/weirdness could be the very thing(s) that make you exceptional? Author and comedian, David Rendall believes so. If you are curious how your inner weird could actually be a positive, check out his book. The Freak Factor: Discovering Uniqueness by Flaunting Weakness.

Hello CCSD Community

Check out this week’s content below. We hope you find it informative and inspirational.

In the news

LEGO Group is one of those great turnaround stories. Over the past decade they rebuilt (pun intended) to be focused, profitable, and a brand we continue to love. Their CEO, Jørgen Vig Knudstorp contributes a lot of this to their understanding and desire to add value to their stakeholders – customers, suppliers, and employees. Read or watch BCG’s interview with Vig Knudstorp HERE.  

Impact

“Solving human and environmental problems with investment portfolios builds a better world—and can yield higher income and profits too,” says Paul Herman, of HIP Investors. No wonder 71% of people prefer this type of portfolio focus. Learn more why this is so in this Corporate Responsibility Magazine article.  

Informative Read/View

CCSD is a local chapter of a bigger, international Conscious Capitalism movement lead by an organization we call, Conscious Capitalism, Inc. We work together to Elevate Humanity Through Business. CC, Inc. released their first Annual Report this past week. If you are curious where CC bubbled up from, what CC, Inc. and local chapters have been up to, and who is involved, take 10 minutes to review the report.