Recently, a Web site caught my eye because it’s about a topic that interests me: the power of apologies, says HOW contributor Dov Seidman. The site, Apology Center, enables visitors to post stories about things they have done wrong and then seek forgiveness from the online community. The site may be fun, but is it effective? No, because a true apology, in the simplest terms, goes all the way.
More »
HOW Online contributor
General Electric is one of the most important companies in America — and its reputation for management excellence means that its ideas spread widely. GE’s recent release of its citizenship report demonstrates that the $183-billion company is becoming not just cleaner and greener, but more open and transparent to its stakeholders, says HOW contributor Marc Gunther.
More »Like many of you, I have followed the recent headlines related to Pope Benedict XVI's call for a "return to ethics in the global economy." I've been seeing this thinking in many arenas — and we cover it regularly on HOW Online — and I was meaningfully struck by his desire to see business reconnect with values in these troubled times, says HOW contributor Dov Seidman.
More »"'Conspicuous consumption' is now being replaced by 'conspicuous expression' as the driver of identity."
The growth of social networks indicates a fundamental shift in patterns of human behavior. The unsustainable practice of ever-increasing consumption of physical goods is being replaced by consumption of virtual goods through virtual channels, says HOW contributors Stephen Linaweaver, Brad Bate and Michael Keating. And this is good news for the sustainability of our economy.
More »Mellon Bank Corp, British band Radiohead and my company, LRN, have all been on a “TRIP” — an acronym for how Trust enables Risk, which propels Innovation and, ultimately, leads to Progress. The recession now provides a valuable opportunity for companies to adapt to the dynamics of 21st century business by going on a TRIP.
More »
HOW Online contributor
"With all the news coverage today on financial mismanagement, I can tell you from first-hand experience that there is one company that continues to prosper amid all the chaos — and I think it is worth trying to understand why," says HOW Online contributor Mats Lederhausen. The company? McDonald's, where he spent much of his career.
More »
HOW Online contributor
What will General Motors' bankruptcy filing mean to the environmental community? asks HOW contributor Joel Makower. While it will take some time to see whether and how "The New GM" will survive, there are rays of hope. And while the cynics may deride this new GM as "Government Motors," in the coming years, it actually could stand for "Greener Mobility."
More »"Do not underestimate what seeds can get planted when American leaders don’t just propagate their values, but visibly live them."
— Thomas Friedman
A recent interview between Pulitzer Prize winning New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman and President Obama, detailed in a column, provides a lesson in something we talk about often at HOW Online: inspirational leadership. Namely, that engaging an audience in a truthful, transparent manner can build trust when leaders live their values.
More »"CSR belongs in every company. But every company must face reality. You have to make money first to give it away."
—Jack Welch and Suzy Welch
"Tough economic conditions underscore a blunt reality: A company's foremost responsibility is to do well," say former GE CEO Jack Welch and his wife, Suzy, in a BusinessWeek column. That’s why corporate social responsibility needs to adapt to the present reality, they say. Philanthropy must continue, but it likely has to decrease and be recalibrated.
More »"[A strong culture] informs all stakeholders about what to expect."
— Selena Maranjian,
The Motley Fool
A company’s corporate culture is so important because it "reflects a firm's identity in the world … [and] reassures employees and informs prospective employees," says Selena Maranjian in a recent Motley Fool column. And especially today, a strong culture is valuable to those inside, and outside, the company doors.
More »