Conscious Capitalism

Liberating the Heroic Spirit of Business

By: John Mackey, Raj Sisodia, Bill George

Narrated by: Grover Gardner

Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

In this New York Times and Wall Street Journal best seller, Whole Foods Market cofounder John Mackey and professor and Conscious Capitalism, Inc. cofounder Raj Sisodia argue for the inherent good of both business and capitalism. Featuring some of today's best-known and most-successful companies, they illustrate how these two forces can - and do - work most powerfully to create value for all stakeholders, including customers, employees, suppliers, investors, society, and the environment.

Conscious Capitalism helps us better understand how companies such as Southwest Airlines, Costco, UPS, Panera, Patagonia, Google, The Container Store, and many others, use four specific tenets - higher purpose, stakeholder integration, conscious leadership, and conscious culture and management - to build strong businesses, advance capitalism toward its highest potential, and foster a more positive environment for all of us.

©2013 Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation. Recorded by arrangement with Harvard Business Review Press. (P)2014 HighBridge Company

Amongst top leadership and management books!

If you could sum up Conscious Capitalism in three words, what would they be?

Great conceptual approach to balanced management.

What did you like best about this story?

Although my initial motivation to listen to this book was to learn more about Whole Foods and about John Mackey from investment standpoint in the company's stock, this book could be closely compared to "Good to Great", in fact John Mackey references it at some point, particularly the time aspect and how long it takes to build a conscious company. Similar to many other books including "Good to Great", it is hard to ignore the fact that the theories presented are not bulletproof and still subject to many other economic, regulatory and industry headwinds, the book, nevertheless portrays a very well structured approach to balanced management. Although based on Whole Foods example, it doesn't overly fixate on Whole Foods rather uses Whole Foods as an example to support the conceptual theories that should be considered as a part of balanced management approach by leaders in general. The book addresses important key elements of culture, employee relations, transparency, strategic initiatives and more. Certainly one of the best Leadership and Management books I've come across as well as an easy read.

Reaches the core of how a business should be run.

Would you listen to Conscious Capitalism again? Why?

The only reason I would hesitate to listen to this again would be the narrator. I just don't like his voice but there's nothing that can be done about that so, yes, I would have to listen to it again as there are so many valuable lessons here. You have to feel what it means to have a conscious business. It can't be faked.

What other book might you compare Conscious Capitalism to and why?

Uncontained, Start with Why, Leaders eat last, Delivering Happiness

Would you be willing to try another one of Grover Gardner’s performances?

No. I don't like the man's voice.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes, the part where they had the flood and how the community reacted.

Any additional comments?

I hope everyone runs their business this way in the coming years. I know I will.

Just a GREAT book

Paraphrasing Obi Wan Kenobi (from the legend Star Wars) this book is an “Elegant Weapon for a More Civilized Age”. A ‘must read’ book for all state of the art Entrepreneurs

Interesting

Any additional comments?

The narration felt monotonous and I found myself having a hard time staying focused at times. The story, while centered on Whole Foods, was supportive of the theme. Initially, I was skeptical of the premise, but warmed up as I listened and found that there were a number of core principles that are very much in alignment with my beliefs.

Read It or Weep!

My marketing, branding, and culture work helped my clients create a combined total of $7 billion in new revenue.

They always stopped short of going the distance and heeding my admonitions to do the culture work and treat customers, staff, suppliers, sales people, and others in ways similarly outlined in this book. They just wanted the money and the success now!

Ultimately, due to their shortcuts and short sightedness, they all paid a painful price when their growth phase was cut short, their sales dropped rapidly, and their competitors gobbled the spillover.

I no longer will help a company grow that doesn't want to apply these values. I've read hundreds of books and this one is now required reading for any new client. It gives us common language and a measure of proof that the old days and ways of doing business in the 20th Century are as outdated as a rotary phone.

If you care about your business you'll read this book or weep when you lose it to others who apply the principles. Doubt it to your detriment or embrace it to your long-term success.

Extremely flawed perspective

Mackey has a serious case of tunnel vision. This book is the quintessential instruction manual for businesses that ‘greenwash’ their image.
It should be called ‘Barely Conscious Capitalism’ because if people embrace the advice in this little manifesto of Mackey’s, they will allow for the National Socialist (NAZI) corporations like Amazon continue to get away with the same unregulated, irresponsible, psychopathic growth that has destroyed the middle class and made billionaires out of a handful of these banal egocentric maniacs!
Who wants to live in a world filled with underpaid, over stressed, desperate ‘employees’(slaves)?
This will be the legacy of these monster companies that proclaim ‘democratic socialism is evil’ as they take massive bailouts from the government they control. They have no place in democracies if they are allowed to subvert the democratic process. No amount of ‘win win win’ can gloss over that.

AMAZING

if u want to make money and make a difference this is the book for u

Great listen

Great listen for those in starting or running their own business. I personally didn’t believe businesses could be conscious and this book has single handed lay changed my mind and has given me hope when it comes to capitalism in America and around the world.

Great insight to the mindset of Whole Foods

I really enjoyed hearing the perspective of the CEO and understanding the motives behind so many decisions. It is refreshing to hear someone so forthcoming.

A must read

If you are in business, you must read this book. I have always said that Crony Capitalism has nothing at all to do with Capitalism. I couldn’t find the words to describe what I meant by that. This book puts those feelings into precise context.

An new classic

An essential for anyone wanting to run an ethical and sustainable business long term. This book is invaluable fascinating and supportive of life in a business capacity. In fact if more businesses were run using the tenets mentioned within, we would undoubtedly all be much better off.

Alright but not recommended

Okay but sounded like typical corporate spin. Read fine but I ended up skipping half the book

An excellent glance at Whole foods business model

The book reveals and describe a future view on capitalism. As the title reveals conscious capitalism should be the key point of major companies focused on sustained longterm business model. Very similar to Yvon Chouinard’s private company Patagonia and his books “Let my people go surfing” Whole foods CEO John Mackey delivers an excellent view of the company philosophy and business thinking. Without exaggerating the book easily could be called a “classic”.