What do Bloomberg, Chrysler and Owens Corning have in common with
Unilever, PUMA and Seventh Generation? They are all paving new paths
with sustainability by betting on the talent and culture of their
organizations.
In his new book, A CULTURE OF PURPOSE (Jossey-Bass, 978-1-118-81456-7,
April 2014), Christoph Lueneburger, founder of the Sustainability
Practice at Egon Zehnder, demonstrates that choosing the right people is
as important as knowing how to make them choose your organization.
Forward-thinking, sustainable companies will need smart, creative, and
passionate leaders who cultivate and thrive in a “culture of purpose.”
"Being sustainable is a statement about the DNA of your organization
rather than about trees or solar power. Sustainability is not a
description of a set of problems. It's a solution to them. It forges
cultures, it inspires. The very best people don’t want window-dressing
policies about composting and charitable giving. They do want to see the
meaning in their work all around them, from the C-suite to the break
room,” says Lueneburger.
Egon Zehnder, the leading global privately owned executive search and
talent management consultancy, has partnered with clients on over six
hundred sustainability assignments globally. Having conducted more than
thirty-two thousand in-depth management appraisals, from line managers
to CEOs, the firm has comprehensive insight into what cultures of
purpose have in common.
The book deconstructs cultures of purpose into
three sets of building blocks:
Competencies: quantifiable characteristics of a person that
differentiate performance in a specific role. Competencies predict who
is good at a particular job. A culture of purpose values change
leadership, influencing, results delivery, commercial drive, and
strategic orientation.
Traits: innate personality attributes that describe the ability
of a person to grow and handle responsibilities of greater scale and
scope. Traits predict who is likely to develop and succeed in the
future. Cultures of purpose require engagement, determination, insight,
and curiosity.
Cultural attributes: behaviors of the collective whole that shape
how people relate to one another and strive for what would be out of
reach to them individually. The cultural attributes at the core of a
culture of purpose are energy, resilience, and openess.
“What strikes me most is the passion and intent of those in cultures of
purpose, the trust among them, and the conspicuous absence of cynicism,”
says Lueneburger. “Ours is a time to be confident.”
A CULTURE OF PURPOSE features a range of insights and strategies from
CEOs, C-suite sustainability leaders, and board chairmen. Highlights
include success stories from: Frank O'Brien-Bernini, Chief
Sustainability Officer of Owens Corning; John Replogle, CEO of Seventh
Generation; Jochen Zeitz, former CEO of PUMA; and Bob Kidder, chairman
of Chrysler.
For leaders ready to build and strengthen a winning business, A CULTURE
OF PURPOSE is an education, a revelation, and an invitation to the next
generation of success. See www.cultureofpurpose.com
for additional information.
Wiley
Melissa Torra, 201-748-6834
Publicist
mtorra@wiley.com