I’ve just read a feature piece about Unilever CEO Paul Polman from the Financial Times, publised in April. A couple of choice bits: “I do not work for the shareholder, to be honest; I work for the consumer, the customer. I discovered a long time ago that if I focus on doing the right thing [...]

culture · customers · emerging markets · excellence · gold · leadership · sustainability · Unilever · value · values

In a Forbes column last week, Shaun Rein, Managing Director of a market research and strategy consulting firm called China Market Research, writes about lessons he learned from conversations with a Chinese billionaire.  Shaun’s billionaire confidant asked to remain anonymous; Shaun calls him Mr. Chen. Mr. Chen’s fortune was apparently largely made in real estate. [...]

Apple · business · China · leadership · people · service · values · vision

Thanks to Anne Perschel for passing along this lovely post by Gwyn Teatro.  This short account, totally anonymous and not dependent on fame or fortune, is a great picture of leadership in life.  A community of family and friends looks back on a man’s life at the point of his “retirement” to recount the human [...]

community · excellence · heart · leadership · love · people · service · values · work

Vijay Govindarajan, in a blog post on Harvard Business Review Friday, drew parallels between three elements of modern business strategy, and the “spheres of influence” of the three principle Hindu gods. His parallels are as follows: Vishnu – for preserving or managing the present Shiva – for destroying or selectively abandoning the past Brahma – [...]

culture · inspiration · leadership

I was working a few years ago for a consumer goods manufacturer preparing for the launch of a new product. In a beautiful hotel overlooking the sea we sat around, enjoying the sun in our break out groups, getting to know each other better and tackling the thorny issues of the day.

The product we were launching was a new toilet paper. Not very glamourous I know but it did provide me with plenty of opportunity to question people about their attitudes toward sustainability and the environment.

consumption · profit · stewardship · sustainability

Hello, I’m Stephen Cotterell, a 53 year old father of two who has learned to become comfortable in my own skin and recognise that I am at my best when I am loving and am loved. This lesson took me a long time to learn. After graduating with an Honours Degree in Economics, I started working [...]

business · community · experience · fear · heart · hope · leadership · life · life changing · love · mind · motivation · others · people · self · service · soul · wonder · work

I have been lucky in my life to love the work I do- and to do loving work.

I spent my first few years in a small village by the shore of Lake Victoria in Tanzania. Birds of every size and colour perched on the trees surrounding our house: weaving nests in the branches; snatching insects from the air or fish from the lake. Lizards and snakes scurried through the undergrowth. Monkeys danced and chatted on the rocks and hyenas skulked and sang to each other through the night. My first friends were the children of the village: watoto kwa wasukuma.

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Hi – I’m Scott, Scott Downs.   It’s a pleasure to join Stephen and Robin in creating this blog. To introduce myself  a little, I am from the US, and live today in London.   At work, I spent nearly twenty years in investment banking, first as a capital markets banker, raising money and managing [...]

business · heart · inspiration · leadership · love · service · work