I think above all they set out to make great products, period. Yvon seemed to put money second, or at least realized that it was a side-effect of doing the right thing.

There was internal debate about "Don't Buy This Jacket." I heard some of it, and it was an amazing show of cultural strength that won out loud and clear above the concerns. It was a re-commitment to Patagonia's roots and values, and they really believed in it. There was not really a concern that it was going to fail, nor did it matter for them. They're a private company for a reason; they can do things like that for a greater purpose beyond short-term shareholder value, and because of that it makes a sort of self-perpetuating positive feedback cycle of value internally. The company believes in what it does, and does what it believes is right, and it's no accident that that genuineness and authenticity resonates with a market seeking quality.

The realization that may be relevant to your business is that authenticity and genuine value and quality are all different names for the same thing. When they all line up, there's no gambling—there's just a clear vision of what's right for the customer, the company, the employees, and ultimately, the world. There aren't actually trade-offs if you don't create them.

It may sound lofty, but getting all those things to line up really is the answer to many elusive and complex problems in business. Your market needs to both know about and understand your company and the value it provides in the most honest way possible. Likewise, you need to understand and respect your market as close to reality as possible, and balance leading and following it. At the same time, your employees need to understand that same value and be enabled to provide it proudly and without barriers, which is what most companies call 'culture' and find by accident or not at all. Be brave with the truth, and your customers, employees, and the world will respect you for it.

I think that's why Patagonia launched this campaign so proudly. There was never really any risk involved, since it was simply an external projection of what they already believed strongly: the principles and values and most importantly knowledge that were already extremely in sync internally. Since they knew their internal representation of the world was the right one (a human truth, larger than themselves), they were proud to share it with their customers. Find those things that are bravely true and that you're proud to share with the world, and even when other companies with less knowledge and less confidence might think it risky, you'll know better.

That said, there's a lot that needs to happen before that. Patagonia wasn't taking a giant risk with that campaign because it was already ingrained in their culture and way of business. They had something they believed in strongly, that they had proven and trusted over thirty years, and they just articulated it in a new way to new people.

Two pieces. First, build your culture toward something you, your employees, and your customers can believe in strongly and truthfully. Understand your value and make it tangible. Second, look deeper: see your company, your customers, and your employees as a complex system that needs profound human leadership toward a common goal to reach a confidence that makes the big leaps into easy and confident single steps.