The Responsibility Revolution (E-Book) von Jeffrey Hollender

Foreword, byPeter M. Senge xi

Preface: The Responsibility Revolution: Our Manifesto xv

The Responsibility Revolution Takes Off 1

The Company Takes on a Mission: Doing Work That Matters Matters Now More Than Ever 21

Not a Company, But a Community: A Blueprint for Summoning Peoples Potential 53

Make It Transparent: In a See-Through World, It Doesnt Pay to Be Opaque 79

Authentically Good: Building the Mission into Every Part of the Business 107

The Cooperative Company: Building Profits and Solving Problems Through Mass Collaboration 131

Beyond Responsibility: The Case for Corporate Consciousness 159

Epilogue 181

Notes 185

Acknowledgments 201

About the Authors 205

Index 207

How to create a company that not only sustains, but surpasses-that moves beyond the imperative to be "less bad" and embrace an ethos to be "all good"

From the Inspired Protagonist and Chairman of Seventh Generation, the country's leading brand of household products and a pioneering "good company," comes a one-of-a-kind book for leaders, entrepreneurs, and change agents everywhere.The Responsibility Revolution reveals the smartest ways for companies to build a better future-and hold themselves accountable for the results. Thousands of companies have pledged to act responsibly; very few have proven that they know how. This book will guide them.The Responsibility Revolution presents fresh ideas and actionable strategies to commit your company to a genuine socially and environmentally responsible business and culture, one that not only competes but wins on values.

• Points the way for innovators and influencers to generate trust by becoming transparent, elicit people's passion and creativity, turn customers into collaborators, transform critics into allies, rewrite the rules and reinvent business
• Shows how to build a socially and environmentally responsible yet genuinely good company and an authentic brand
• Drawing on groundbreaking interviews with real-world change leaders, Hollender and Breen present lessons and insights from the "good company"' parts of big companies like IBM and eBay, trailblazers like Patagonia and Timberland, and emerging dynamos like Linden Lab and Etsy

The Responsibility Revolution equips people with the tactics, models, and mind-sets they need to compete in a world where consumers nowdemand that companies contribute to the greater good.

Jeffrey Hollender (Burlington, VT), Co-founder and Chairman and for Seventh Generation, has led Seventh Generation from its humble beginnings to its current position as the nations fastest growing brand of natural home and personal care products. As the leading authority on issues related to green consumerism, he frequently addresses social and environmental responsibility at national and international venues. He co-founded and was a Director of Community Capital Bank, a New York financial institution that invests in affordable housing and community development. Currently, he serves on the Board of Directors of Greenpeace USA, Healthy Child Healthy World, Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility, the Social Venture Network, Verite, and Alloy Inc. He is currently working on a joint venture with WebMD and Healthy Child Healthy Home.

Bill Breen (Gloucester, MA) is Seventh Generation's Editorial Director and was the founding Senior Editor on the original team that launchedFast Company. He edited major sections of the magazine and helped it win numerous awards, including the coveted National Magazine Award for General Excellence, and wrote some ofFC's most talked about articles on brand building, leadership, competition, innovation, and risk. Breen speaks to business audiences throughout the country and has appeared on CNN, Fox, CBS Radio, National Public Radio, and other media outlets.

Seventh Generation is one of the country's top ten responsible businesses and the country's leading brand of environmentally-responsible home and personal care products.  It derives its name from an Iroquois quote: "In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations." It is the notion that what we do today defines tomorrow, and we believe it embodies the philosophy we must all embrace to make the world a better place.