Conscious Capitalism: Liberating the Heroic Spirit of Business
Mackey and Sisodia, leaders of the corporation Conscious Capitalism, describe the movement in the context of Mackey’s reflections as cofounder of Whole Foods Market. The term conscious capitalism refers to businesses that serve the interests of all major stakeholders—customers, employees, investors, communities, suppliers, and the environment. Mackey’s realization of conscious capitalism began on Memorial Day 1981, as the fledgling Whole Foods Market was basically wiped out by a flood. Unexpectedly, dozens of customers and neighbors showed up to help; employees worked for free, not knowing if the store would survive; suppliers resupplied on credit; investors stepped up, too, and the Whole Foods Market’s bank loaned it money to restock; the store reopened in 28 days. Following two introductory chapters, part 1 covers purpose; part 2 is about stakeholders; part 3, conscious leadership; and part 4, conscious culture and management. Mackey and Sisodia cite companies such as Southwest Airlines, Google, the Container Store, Whole Foods Market, and Nordstrom as embracing this sound vision of reality. A very solid examination. --Mary Whaley