A Real Global Power for Good

Hey, Elon Musk, Google, and Starbucks.  You've got something going: you project an image of conscientiousness as corporate entities.  A couple simple thoughts from an outsider:

1. It's good for business, I think. I doubt those actions, in themselves drive away a statistically significant number of customers.  I suspect that it does attract a significant number of customers.  It certainly impresses me and makes me feel better being a patron (not that I'm in a Tesla yet, but if that were my bracket, I might be).  So, it's good for the bottom line.
2. I can't tell if it's a net increase in profit.  But you should know (and if you don't you should measure it with enough rigor so that you do), and when you do know, you should share that with the world.  If it costs you more (insofar as it's measurable), it will either help spread the practices or demonstrate real commitment, and improve your global image, which is everything, isn't it?
3. Your continual movement while maintaining your core vision/business is impressive and good luck continuing.

So here's the suggestion.  Like Gates' attempt to induce other billionaires to pledge to find concrete world-improving ways to spend their excess, why not create a simple array of principles that companies could join that balances out sustainable business with sustainability, integrity, and improving the world -- especially for the most in need.  

One major component is transparency regarding your fundamental business.  The way Google makes their search frequency and data available to a great extent.  The way Tesla opened its patents.  And the deliberate shift to really help and empower all employees.  Like Starbucks' attempt to help employees finish college degrees.  The way Google relaxed its college degree requirements for its software engineers.

What got me thinking about this was imagining the graphs of Starbucks drinks sold by time of day while reading the Atlantic article about Starbucks college benefits, and wondering how interesting it would be to see how different variables (location, time of year, season, holidays, etc.) affect sales.  I understand that traditional business wisdom might suggest the proprietary nature of this type of data could be valuable and ought to be held close to the vest, but in the spirit of universal enlightenment, and being able to satisfy curiosity and inspire new thinking, how awesome it would be for Starbucks to broadcast some of these types of analyses that surely they do for their own business purposes.  And do so for the mere sake of adding to the the understanding of humanity, even at the expense of competitors using that information for personal gain.  But how cool would an attitude of "Game On!" be, when now you're challenging the world to do it better.  Sure, you could hold back, but you would be upping your game, too, by ensuring you were giving your team the opportunity to optimize your own use of data to better serve your customers.  Again, I think the people who took note of your doing so would further increase their loyalty and patronage.  Especially as you continue to push your service and product quality and value.

So, the idea that a company make the overall edification of the world a meaningful and substantive part of its business plan, particularly those who they serve, employ, or somehow interact with, though I believe moving to aide others outside that bubble is great, too, if not a little arbitrary and perhaps suboptimizing compared to doing something more aligned with the core business competency(ies), would be a great club to be part of.  Like being a member of the BBB, its not everything, but it's something and if companies made it a habit to expend some of their time and energy creating increasingly important ways to serve humanity both through its business and additional ancillary ways, for real and not as a PR or promo gimmick, and if it created a bandwagon that companies could jump on, the potential to change culture could snowball into something astounding.

So some CEOs of the top global corporations who are already making waves in this area got together and drew up some guidelines to be "One of Us", and established a team to certify companies, and the could add another superscripted symbol to their names (like tm or copyright), with that symbol on their homepage bringing them to a link of the description of their humanitarian program...  Well, the possibilities are broad and abundant.  Do it, guys!

This goes beyond the Ford Foundation, which does some laudable things.  It's not setting aside a percentage of profits for philanthropic purposes.  It's building this idea of service leadership and service living into the company norm.  Visibly, transparently, and deeply.  This could be done and it could make the world more than just a little better.

Vets

I'm celebrating Veteran's Day's Eve by watching American Sniper.  Just so you know, other than the little bit of risk in flying itself, I've never been in real harm's way.  My service happened between the first and second Gulf wars, so other than a very little surveillance in a relatively quiescent Iraq and normal Persian Gulf Ops in the 90s, I never faced live combat.  But watching these cinematic accounts without my filters (Black Hawk Down, Lone Survivor, Saving Private Ryan, et al.), it clarifies a few simple, excruciating truths.

1. We pay dearly for war.  It's our last, worst (and sometimes necessary) option.
2. The families pay. With every soldier, sailor, or airman who suffers loss of limb, life, emotional health, their people suffer just the same.
3. We are all a family, and when you take care of your own family, you're on the front lines of keeping our country strong.  When you take care of others, by whichever vehicle you choose, you're serving a greater good as well.  Thank the good Lord we don't all have to take up arms.  It's intense, damaging, sacrificial and courageous.  But you can do your fair share.  Not by clicking on something, but by actually engaging in real ways.  Get out of your seat, out of your comfort zone, and find your own path to giving in support of the greater good.  Find at least one way to take up your own cause and give until it hurts you enough to feel it, and know it's a small act compared to those who have given it all, or at least the best of themselves in support of the rest of us.

American fighting men live with modest pay (look here), frequently away from their loved ones, and often with severe risk.  We owe it to them to find a way to support them.  Even if you don't directly support a military organization or one of the many nonprofits helping them out, do yourself a huge favor and get some skin in the game.  You will NOT regret it.  Below are a few off the top of my head that deserve a piece of your productivity and some of your family's fortune -- after all, the signatories of The Declaration of Independence, our civic ancestors, made this pledge: "We mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor." With that sentiment, they created our country and way of life.  As inheritors of this legacy, we at least can afford a portion of our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.

Here are just a few ways you can participate in a real way to be part of the solution:
Contribute volunteer time or money to the USO, Support Our Troops, AMVETS, Wounded Warrior Project, The American Red Cross - Support our Military Families, or go to Charity Navigator and find a cause that resonates with you and meshes with your lifestyle and values.  And hey, bring your kids along for the ride, or even let them help you pick the beneficiaries of your efforts.  They learn from what you do more than anything else in the beloved world.  Your actions will be their pole stars.