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Grow with gratitude
T he Business Roundtable, a group of CEOs of nearly 200 U.S. companies, just reimagined the purpose of a corporation. The CNBC headline on August 19 read: “The CEOs of nearly 200 companies just said shareholder value is no longer their main objective.” Thankful organizations will grow with engaged employees, loyal clients, trusted partners, and supportive communities.
Greg Kanz
The statement signed by 181 CEOs said, “While each of our individual companies serves its own corporate purpose, we share a fundamental commitment to all of our stakeholders. We commit to deliver value to all of them, for the future success of our companies, our communities, and our country.” The Statement on the Purpose of a Corporation commits to: ❚ ❚ Deliver value to customers – lead the way in meeting or exceeding customer expectations. ❚ ❚ Invest in employees – help develop new skills for a rapidly changing world and foster diversity and inclusion, dignity and respect. ❚ ❚ Deal fairly and ethically with suppliers – serve as good partners to other companies large and small. ❚ ❚ Support the communities – respect people and protect their environment by embracing sustainable practices.
❚ ❚ Generate long-term value for shareholders, who provide the capital that allows companies to invest, grow, and innovate. ❚ ❚ Commit to transparency and effective engagement with shareholders. While this is a recent awakening for Wall Street, AEC companies are thankfully ahead of the curve. AEC companies have traditionally focused on adding value to clients, investing in employees, serving as ethical partners and supporting local communities with sustainable practices and donating time, talent, and treasure. But is there more we can do? A BUSINESS STRATEGY: GRATITUDE. The Business Roundtable gives you a framework to consider other ways to generate goodwill and show gratitude. According to Merriam-Webster,
See GREG KANZ, page 4
THE ZWEIG LETTER December 16, 2019, ISSUE 1324
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