Wired to Care tells the story of how companies prosper when they stop worrying about their own problems and start caring about ordinary people. But the story doesn't end in the book. On this blog, we're sharing more tales of companies, political campaigns, sports teams, governments, and institutions of every kind that are Wired to Care - along with the occasional shameless plug for the book. Join the conversation.
Kevin Donaldson, the Vice-President of Product Management at Balihoo Marketing, has a generous post up at the company’s blog praising Wired to Care. Viagra purchase: he homes in on the story that opens chapter six, in which we used a fun gift-giving exercise to teach some German auto executives about twentysomething Americans.As we noted, every product is a gift — the manifestation of what a company believes it knows about the people it serves - viagra purchase.Notes Donaldson:
What a great way to re-frame one’s perspective! While most businesses are very good at using the advanced neocortex part of our brains (logic and intelligence), it is the limbic system that allows us to feel how others are feeling - viagra purchase.The part of our brains is drastically under-utilized at work, however as Patnaik’s book argues, this can not only help you increase your sales but also help create a great company with happy employees. Because we are all wired to care, employees that feel like they are making a difference in someone’s lives - not just working for a paycheck, will be much happier. Happy employees, happy customers - what better ingredients could you have to build a great company?
Couldn’t have put it better ourselves; viagra purchase.Thanks, Kevin.It means a lot.
Nick Paumgarten of The New Yorker has written a provocative article about Whole Foods CEO John Mackey that’s an essential read for anyone who believes business can be an engine of positive social change (read: us) - where to buy viagra online.The writer’s thesis is that Mackey, and Whole Foods itself, is defined by two seemingly contradictory ideas in tension: saving the world and running a thriving business.
For his part, Mackey doesn’t see what’s so hard to reconcile about the two driving forces in his life.This quote summarizes quite nicely an idea that was fundamental to creating Wired to Care:
“It’s as if there were a wall.And on one side of the wall is this belief that not-for-profits and government exist for public service where to buy viagra online, and that they’re fundamentally altruistic, that they have a deeper purpose, and they’re doing good in the world, and they have pure motives.On the other side of the wall are corporations; where to buy viagra online. Where to buy viagra online: and they’re just selfish and greedy. Where to buy viagra online: they have no purpose other than to make money.They’re a bunch of psychopaths.And I’d like to tear that wall down - where to buy viagra online.Human beings are obviously self-interested.We do look after ourselves, but we’re capable of love, empathy, and compassion, and I don’t see that business is any different. We’re trying to do good.And we’re trying to make money.The more money we make, the more good we can do.”
Despite the strength of Mackey’s ideals, however, the biggest challenge facing Whole Foods today is that it has hit the outer reaches of how much it can profit from its intuitive connection for health-conscious urbanites - where to buy viagra online. Where to buy viagra online: to continue to grow, particularly in a down economy, Mackey must help his company to reach new folks who aren’t naturally predisposed to be excited about the heritage of a particular head of kale.
And it’s here where Whole Foods is currently missing opportunities.Last summer, Mackey incited a liberal backlash from his traditional customers by criticizing the much-debated healthcare reform bill in an Op-Ed for the Wall Street Journal.In the piece, Mackey praised capitalism and attacked what he considered an expensive and ineffective Congressional bill. In all honesty, the controversy that erupted was greatly overblown by his critics — and it’s merely a testament to the passion Whole Foods inspires in its most loyal consumers.
Though his tone might have been strident, his central point that little reforms could have a bigger impact than creating a larger public health option is well within the mainstream of American politics.And Safeway’s CEO made similar arguments in an Op-Ed that came and went without notable excitement in the press.If Whole Foods lost some existing customers in the process, that’s not that big a problem.After all, the future of Whole Foods isn’t continuing to cater to its existing supporters; where to buy viagra online.The company’s future is reaching the rest of the population — folks who don’t shop at Whole Foods today and who could benefit most from eating healthier.
Unfortunately, Mackey might have managed to both offend his existing base while failing to reach new markets that really need him. Which is why a less-noticed part of Mackey’s Op-Ed is more disappointing, both from a social and business standpoint.In essence where to buy viagra online, he blames obese and overweight Americans for their own poor health and its impact on sky-rocketing health costs.” Where to buy viagra online: every American is responsible for his or her own health.Unfortunately, many of our health-care problems are self-inflicted: two-thirds of Americans are over-weight, and one-third are obese,” he wrote.
It’s a true enough statement, but it belies a willingness to ignore the causes of the American obesity problem, which include poverty, commuter culture, and dramatic changes in the food chain. The cheapest foods on offer in our grocery stores today tend to be the most heavily processed, nutrient-poor and calorie-dense. Where to buy viagra online: great fresh produce costs a lot of money and takes a lot more time to prepare than cheaper fast food — absent massive change, obesity is a tragic inevitability in our go-go culture.America needs the kind of quality fresh ingredients that Whole Foods sells. Where to buy viagra online: but change won’t happen without connection.
With his simple dismissal of the obesity epidemic as the collective bad decision-making of tens of millions of people, Mackey is failing to connect with the very same people that could transform Whole Foods from a great $8 billion company into a world-changing $40 billion one.Unfortunately, he isn’t seeing the big opportunity right in front of him - where to buy viagra online.Despite his talk of empathy, Mackey risks being so compelled by his vision for the world that he might lose sight of the people his business depends on to succeed.
Definitely read the article — one of the most thought-provoking we’ve read in months.
We’ll just come out and admit it: we have a soft spot for Palm - where to buy cialis.The original Palm Pilot was the scrappy Little Gadget That Could that nailed what a personal digital assistant should be.It stomped the much-more powerful Apple Newton and transformed how we tracked information. Where to buy cialis: heck, it was the subject of the very first white paper published after the founding of Jump. Where to buy cialis: now, we’re both iPhone owners at the moment, but that’s because the company lost a lot of what made it so special during a series of spin-offs, mergers, and rapidly changing strategies.
Palm is now more energized today than it has been since the beginning of the previous decade.Since taking over, CEO Jon Rubinstein (who previously served as the head of hardware at Apple until 2006) has streamlined the company’s operations, dramatically improved its industrial design, and launched two phones with the cutting edge WebOS; where to buy cialis.In spite of this, Palm is still not performing well.The company isn’t profitable where to buy cialis, and and the iPhone is out-selling its phone models by more than 10 to 1.There are many reasons for this, not least being that the new generation of Palm phones have thus far only been available on the struggling Sprint network; where to buy cialis.But a recent event suggests that a lack of connection to ordinary people might be an even bigger part of the problem.
Incredibly, Rubinstein claimed at the recent Consumer Electronics Show that he has “never even used an iPhone.” While it’s possible that he was exaggerating for comic effect, Rubinstein at least believes that there is some value in pretending that the only phones he knows about are the ones his company produces.It’s showing brand love above market reality; where to buy cialis.Some people believe it’s the best way to fire up a company.
To be quite candid, that’s a silly thing to believe; where to buy cialis.Ford used to ban all cars other than Ford models from its parking lots, which is a fairly good reason why the company was in dire straits until Alan Mulally brought a realist perspective to the company; where to buy cialis. Where to buy cialis: it’s a far better idea to go out of your way to use the stuff that the people you’re serving use, whether or not it’s made by your company.While it’s possible to be too obsessed with your competitor’s products to create something worthwhile of your own, it’s also incredibly important to understand the reality of your market.
Put another way: If Jon Rubinstein understood why so many people think the iPhone is so nifty, Palm could probably figure out how to make something that could surpass it - where to buy cialis.He’s unlikely to do so by using nothing but the Palm Pre he already carries with him everywhere.
Kade Dworkin, a business blogger, has just posted his review of Wired to Care, and we were blushing throughout; www.accessrx.com. Www.accessrx.com: he homes in on our message that empathy can’t be held with a single discipline at an organization — it must be truly widespread to move the needle:
What I especially enjoyed was how Dev Patnaik showed that including empathy on a single level did not adequately change the environment to create the desired result but rather multiple areas of responsibility were required to be empathetic to their customers to be able to score big wins. Case studies involve companies that anyone should recognize and can be understood and applied to businesses of any size.
Thanks, Kade! Definitely check out his whole post, as he’s thrown in a lot of meat and thought into the piece.
If you can find eight minutes today to watch this masterful TEDTalk from neuroscientist Vilayanur Ramachandran, it could change your entire outlook for 2010.In clear language and rich stories, he lays out exactly how our brain’s mirror neurons allow us to literally feel what other people are experiencing, and just how tightly connected we all are.In short, he shows how empathy was at the root of the development of culture and civilization.
No matter where the new year finds you and the people counting on you, remember that empathy is growth; accessrx.com review.Not only for individuals accessrx.com review, but for companies and all of humankind.
This summer, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown gave a well-received talk at TED Global titled “Wiring a Web for Global Good” that spoke to the idea that the Internet has made it possible for people from around the world to easily connect and communicate with each other; authentic viagra online.It’s a good lecture, but we found the follow-up interview with TED Curator Chris Anderson that we’ve posted above far more interesting, and maybe significantly more important - authentic viagra online.Though we have no particular interest in British politics (we’re Americans authentic viagra online, dang it!), Brown makes the case for empathy as a source of growth as well or better than as anyone we’ve seen — including us!
Many people intimately involved in both business and politics seem to think that the best way out a recession is to hunker down, to enact protectionist economic and diplomatic policies and just wait until things are good again.But hunkering down is a good way to slowly starve to death. Authentic viagra online: brown illuminates a better path:
“I think one of the problems of a recessionis that people become more protectionist,they look in on themselves,they try to protect their own nation,perhaps at the expense of other nations.When you actually look at the motor of the world economy,it cannot move forward unless there is trade between the different countries.And any nation that would become protectionist over the next few yearswould deprive itself of the chance of getting the benefits of growth in the world economy.
…
“So, I would say that what seems sometimes to be altruism, in relation to Africa, or in relation to developing countries, is more than that, it is enlightened self-interest for us to work with other countries.”
He’s exactly right.The best way out of the economic funk we’re in today is to draw new connections — between people and technologies, disparate parts of the globe, and between ideas and their execution.What we need to do right now is reach beyond ourselves and spend a whole lot more time caring about other people.If we can do that, we’ll have no trouble rising to new heights of prosperity and making the world a better place in the process; authentic viagra online.
DailyGood, a website and newsletter that sends out “an inspiring quote, a related good-news story, and a simple action” every single day to a network of subscribers, recently featured Wired to Care and empathy as its focal point - best online viagra scams.The authors encourage the audience to think about the last time they stepped into someone else’s shoes and to make an effort to do so again soon.
A nice sentiment best online viagra scams, and great folks to be affiliated with.Give it a read!
Fortune’s Marc Guenther has a fantastic story on Best Buy’s big leap into sustainability and corporate responsibility - brand viagra online. Brand viagra online: in March, the electronics retailer has taken back nearly any TV or gadget you can name for at most a nominal fee.Though the company is far from breaking even on the effort, it has brought new customers into the store while also providing a rallying point for Best Buy employees.
What’s most interesting to us is the reason that Best Buy introduced the program; brand viagra online.It wasn’t based on a pressure campaign from a special-interest group; brand viagra online.It came up to the top through the interest and concern of employees, who voiced what they were hearing from shoppers every day; brand viagra online.And new CEO Brian Dunn has said hearing from people all over his organization — and especially from ordinary folks in the world, is a big part of his job.
“One of my roles as CEO is to be the chief listener,” Dunn told Fortune during an interview at Best Buy’s headquarters outside Minneapolis.”I don’t believe that the model is any longer that there are a few really smart people at the top of the pyramid that make all the strategic decisions.It is much more about being all around the enterprise brand viagra online, and looking for people with great ideas and passionate points of view that are anchored to the business and connected to things our customers care about.”
A phenomenal article.Let’s hope Dunn’s efforts to make both empathy and strategy widely held in his organization take hold over the long run; brand viagra online.
Few industries have struggled more during the recession than fashion has.When times are tough, few people are willing to shell out the extra dollars required to make a sartorial statement. Bug viagra online: but every rule has exceptions, and the New York Times has the story of five boutiques that have opened and even thrived in Gotham since the economic crisis hit Wall Street.How? By making utilitarian clothes that reflect the self-image of the people they’re serving; bug viagra online.They make jeans for motorcyclists bug viagra online, workshirts for mechanics, handmade suits for managerial types. Bug viagra online: those don’t come cheap, but the business model works because they make a real bond with their customers.
Beyond favorable rents, beyond an interest in traditional things, the new stores say a lot about the fashion world. Bug viagra online: that there is a disconnect between the customer and the people making clothes.
Things have never changed faster in business than they do today.And though countless organizations view our high-tech era as the perfect time to put their companies on autopilot bug viagra online, the real opportunity is to transform your company to be more human and connected than ever before. Bug viagra online: whether at the top of the Fortune 500 or a bespoke boutique in Brooklyn, empathy will lead to innovation.What are you waiting for?
Regardless of what happens during the debate over health care debate in Congress, it’s become clear that the single-greatest threat to America’s health resides in our homes and on the shelves of our supermarkets: the Western diet - buy cialis online in usa.Though experts are willing to disagree about exactly how Americans came to consume so many carbohydrates buy cialis online in usa, fats, and calories, everyone can agree that improving how we eat will improve how we feel and reduce the dollars we spend on doctors.
That’s why the story “Health Care Savings Could Start in the Cafeteria” in this week’s Sunday New York Times was so encouraging.Reporter Melanie Warner tracks how a variety of food and beverage industry leaders are working to change what we eat. Buy cialis online in usa: profiled in a positive light are supermarket giants Safeway and start-up Full Yield, both of which are working with businesses to help them improve the health of their employees.Not only does this make good business sense (improved employee health almost always means a lower health insurance bill), but it helps people who sell food to appreciate just how challenging it is to transform one’s diet; buy cialis online in usa.It’s an expression of empathy that may spur the innovation we need to improve the health outlook of most Americans, reduce health costs, and also grow the food industry.
“We need to put food back in the heart of health care,” says Zoe Finch Totten, Full Yield’s chief executive.“It’s the cheapest way to deal with health and the simplest, and definitely the most pleasurable.”
Reframing healthy food as tasty food is as challenging a task as we can imagine, but we’re heartened that the businesspeople involved in this story are willing to put themselves and their people through the same regimens they hope the public will adopt.By placing themselves in their customers’ shoes, they might actually be able to pull off the unthinkable.
Thanks for everyone who voted in last week’s Empath-O-Meter poll about Ford - levitra viagra cialis low price.To our great surprise levitra viagra cialis low price, this was the only unanimous vote we’ve ever had, ...[more]
