012: Jerry Greenfield – Businesses can lead with their values

“Businesses can lead with their values and make money, too. You don’t have to simply be purely profit-driven. You can integrate social and environmental concerns into a business, be a caring business, be a generous business and still do very well financially.” – Jerry Greenfield

This was drawn by Eastfist. You can view his work at his site.

The quote is from Jerry Greenfield, one of the two co-founders of Ben and Jerry’s ice-cream. Their company needs no introduction, you have probably tasted their great tasting products before. However, you might not have known their origin story, which this comic is based on. Ben and Jerry’s were  an ardent supporter of their community. In many various ways, they collaborated with their neighbours, from artists to farmers. In the end, everyone benefited from these collaboration. Don’t take my word for it, Richard Branson wrote an article about it.

Over the years, this community spirit and generosity as a core value has grown stronger and extended its reach worldwide. This seems fitting for a company that has gone global.

I firmly believe in them and their mission. I also believe in Greenfield’s quote. Businesses truly can lead with values and still be profitable. If all businesses and business leaders follow this piece of simple advice, the World would easily be a much better place.

I’m sure many of you agree with this quote too. If you know other businesses that subscribe to good core values, why not give them a mention in the comments below?