Is Capitalism 'Conscious?'

You probably don't know John Mackey. 

But I bet you've eaten his food.

Whole Foods, that is.

John is the CEO and co-Founder of Whole Foods.  John's new blog post centers around creating a new paradigm for business using "conscious capitalism" as his model.

It's a long article, but worthy of your attention if you still think of corporations as "machines." 

And if you're stuck thinking that the sole purpose of business is to create money...save your time and don't bother reading John's riff.

If you been sleeping, it's time to wake up.  And John's theory on the purpose of business is the perfect alarm clock to have by your side.

For starters, John embraces:
1.  The Good  2.  The True  3.  The Beautiful  4.  The Heroic

Doesn't sound like a machine to me.   

Tom 

Can Capitalism and Spirituality Co-Exist?

Can Spirituality and Capitalism be friends?  You be the judge. 

I spent this past weekend in Garrison, New York filming the ISAW Award at the Garrison Institute.

Simply put, the ISAW Award honors organizations that are committed to nurturing and developing the human spirit. These pioneering companies are paving the way and sharing their stories to create a brighter future for all of us.

Oh...we also captured lots personal stories of these CEO's, organizational leaders and pioneers who are changing the face of corporate culture for Spiral Story. The complete set of interviews along with bonus material will be available for purchase soon.

My two cents...all capitalism is spiritual; it's just a matter of how aware and awake you are. 

Tom

"Peace Through Commerce" interviews me

 

Alina Stefanescu from Peace Through Commerce recently interviewed me as the first interview in a forthcoming series of conversations with visionary entrepreneurs.

Being a Zaadz Ambassador, I bumped into Alina through Zaadz, a site committed to "conscious capitalism."

We covered some neat ground:

• how I discovered my niche market
• the "secret sauce" for my films
  
• the two biggest challenges a corporate filmmaker tackles
• my greatest personal achievement
• how organizations use Spiral Story to inspire its workforce to create meaning and purpose in work and to enhance employee learning
• and more!
  

Thanks, Alina, for your thought-provoking questions. 

Check it out...hope you enjoy it!

 Tom  :-)
 

Is Your Johari Window "Open" or "Closed?"

(photo)                               What kind of relationship do you want to develop with your customer?  Suppliers?  Stakeholders?

I just finished reading  Tom Asacker'ss new book, A Clear Eye for Branding. 

In fact, I read it twice...it's that powerful. 

In it, Tom mentions the Johari Window.  Tom suggests using The Johari Window as a model for increasing brand effectiveness by giving ourselves fully to our customers while keeping our expectations and responsiveness open.  In other words, learn to increase the bond of trust between your company and your customer.

If you're like me and you haven't heard of this model, check it out.  While it was developed for individual and team use, it can also be used to help improve your brand, as Tom suggests.

The Johari Window is a four-quadrant model used to improve self-awareness and to describe interpersonal  communication in simple terms.  It's a model to improve understanding between individuals, especially in teams.

The Johari Window was developed by Joseph Luft and Joseph Ingham in 1955 while researching group dynamics at the University of California.  A four paned "window" divides how we interact with one another into four areas, or "panes:" open, hidden, blind and unknown.

Each quadrant represents personal information about a person and reveals information that is "open" or "closed." 

The "open" window is what is know by me and what others about me.  The "hidden" area is what I know about myself but others do not know about me.  The "blind" window is what is unknown to me but know by others.  The "unknown" area is what is unknown by me and what others do not know about me.

How "open" is your corporate film? 

Tom 

Why Push the "Play" Button?

(photo) 

"Why are you pushing the "play" button for your audience?

That one simple question will provide you and your filmmaker the 'e-Motional' DNA to make your film a success.

Of course, other questions will arise.   That's the point.

I was in a meeting this past week discussing a short film that was unique in it's approach, especially for a Fortune 500 company.  Our discussion created many ideas, many possibilities.  We were getting close to what the film should accomplish, so it was getting time to hit the bullseye. 

If you get stuck reaching your objective, remember the "3H Mantra:"  Head...Hands...Heart.

Head:  Do you want your viewer to think a certain way?  Are you changing or correcting a perception?

Hands:  What do you want your audience to do?  Call?  Write?  Share?  Log on? 

Heart:  How do you want your viewer to "feel" the moment the show ends?  Define the 'e-Motion' in one word.

The deeper you go...the better the film...the better your results.

Tom

Brand with 'e-Motion'