(Cross-posted from http://www.thechiefgood.com/2007/05/07/the-art-of-conscious-capitalism/)

Notice that our tag line isn't "the Science of Conscious Capitalism", but rather the "the Art of...".

I like the Wikipedia entry for art that says, "There is no general agreed-upon definition of art, since defining the boundaries of ‘art' is subjective, but the impetus for art is often called human creativity."

There is certainly no agreed-upon definition for Conscious Capitalism, let alone a standards and practices model. This stuff is so new we can't even all agree what to call it! Yesterday the New York Times ran an article on for-benefit corporations...which are also called "fourth sector" companies and "B corporations"...which are related concepts to "sustainable enterprise," "social entrepreneurship," "conscious business," "good business," etc.

Here at The Chief Good, we are working on inventing some of the standards and practices for this new thing, no matter what you call it. The good news is that if you are reading this blog post and feeling both excited and confused, then you are in good company!

We envision a day soon when the most important list of companies will be the "For Benefit 100″-a list of companies that are engaging in the Art of Conscious Capitalism and helping create the practices and measurements that we can all use. If you know of companies like this drop us an email at info[at]thechiefgood.com and let us know. We are starting to build the list.

If you haven’t been following what John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, Inc. (WFMI: NASDAQ), is doing and saying about Conscious Capitalism the read this:

Conscious Capitalism: Creating a New Paradigm for Business

Also check out what he and Michael Strong are doing at FLOW.

..and what Jeff Klein is doing at Working for Good

But my admiration of Mr. Mackey isn’t solely based on his leadership in Conscious Capitalism; the fact is that I love Whole Foods.

Here’s the back story. My family is from Austin, Texas and I used to shop at Whole Foods on special occasions with my grandfather. Some days we would visit one of the stores just to browse the wonderful produce, meats, and cheese, as money was very tight back then. I remember setting a life goal to reach a level of financial freedom wherein I could shop at Whole Foods regularly. Goal achieved! Whole Foods is my grocery store of choice…but I think it is also something more. The grocery chain has become a geographic indicator of community. Where are my people? They shop at Whole Foods.

I’ve been thinking about living some place new and one of my “must haves” for a new home is access to a Whole Foods store. Not just so I can buy food, but because I expect that the market research they use to choose store locations is very similar to what I would use to find a new community. The brand is an attracter. I wonder what might happen if Whole Foods became the Welcome Wagon of the Cultural Creatives. It would be very helpful if I could pop into my new local store and get recommendations for yoga studios, housekeepers, dry cleaners, and veterinarians.

There is a longer essay to be written on values marketing and how certain brands like Whole Foods are leading the way, with the key point being that trust is critical. In a world where we are awash in a sea of information, trust relationships are becoming more and more valuable. How are you building trust with your stakeholders, employees, vendors and customers?

(Cross-posted from http://www.thechiefgood.com/2007/05/21/raising-a-business/ )

This past week I had the pleasure of dining with some great friends of mine: Brian Robertson, CEO of Ternary Software and father of Holacracy, Tom Thomison, CEO of Holacracy One, and my coach Jim Vollett. It was a transformative evening for me as we discussed not only the recent staffing challenges here at The Chief Good but also my daughter’s upcoming wedding next Sunday.

I’ve often said that building a business is a lot like becoming a parent, and in talking to Brian I found myself even more intrigued by this idea. Specifically, might a business be thought of as a single group consciousness that becomes its own unique entity by combining the traits of its founders? Let’s play with that idea.

Consider that a business is born of its parents, the founders. It is given the values of its parents and will inherently contain many of their mannerisms. For example, a new entity spawned from a bureaucratic culture will likely display its genetic heritage by having stringent rules and thick operations manuals that are heavy on process. Conversely, something formed by young movers and shakers might exhibit much looser and fast paced achievement based traits. Traits might also combine in unexpected ways, producing organizations that are proactive and innovative in some areas, while slower and more reactive in others.

Of course there is also the fact that organizations, like children, aren't exclusively a product of their genetics (nature) but also of their environment and upbringing (nurture). It is the parent’s primary responsibility to keep the little ones alive and to prepare them for life in this world. What has been birthed will develop in stages and the child (conception/research) will become a teenager (development) before it moves into the phases of adulthood (stability/growth/wealth). Nurturing at each stage takes different skills. The techniques that worked in the beginning often stop working, become inappropriate, and can even cause damage that will take years to fully heal. Unhealthy relationships between the parent and the child can form (founder’s syndrome) or even worse, death (bankruptcy) may result from parents trying to raise the child without the proper resources or skills.

This all goes to suggest that before starting a venture really consider who you are getting in bed with. Will they make good parents?  What traits will they pass along to the next generation? Will they stick around through thick and thin? Perhaps it might be worth dating around a bit more to find someone that truly embodies the qualities you want to see reflected in your new creation. Do your co-creators have the balance of feminine nurturing qualities and masculine direction to help grow a healthy business? Can they make it through the sleepless nights and weighty responsibility? Personally, I love being a parent and nothing in my life has brought me such bliss. Maybe that's one of the reasons I'm so interested in birthing new businesses! Good luck with your children!