Let My People Go Surfing
My review of Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman, by Yvon Chouinard.
A lifelong Patagonia fan, I was delighted to delve more into their philosophy. No green-washing, just hardcore et pragmatical environmentalism.
Notes
“The third part of our product statement, “using business to implement and inspire solutions to the environnemental crisis”, put the responsibility of leadership directly on us. If we wish to lead corporate America by example, we have to be profitable. No company will respect us, no matter how much money we give away or how much publicity we receive for being one of the “100 Best Companies”, if we are not profitable. It is ok to be eccentric, as long as you are rich; otherwise you’re just crazy.”
“None of these benefits are particularly expensive for the company except, increasingly, health care. The child care program, with tax subsidies, pays for itself, and the cafeteria requires only a small company subsidy. Yet Patagonia is consistently included in lists of the hundred best companies to with for or for working mothers. Why on earth would anyone run a company that was hard to work for?”
"I’ve found that cure for depression is action, and action is the basis for the environmental philosophy at Patagonia."
“In surveys, 75% [of Americans] identify themselves as environmentalists. But you are what you do, not what you say you are”
"A study done of the most successful CEOS in America (not the celebrity CEOS, but those who, without fanfare and jumping jobs every few years, get the work done) found one factor they all have in common: They enjoy working with their hands. The older ones had cars that they worked on in high school (when you could still work on your own car) or had wood shops in their garages where they made furniture. When a faucet needed a washer or a door wouldn't close properly, they did it themselves. When there's a problem of any kind, these people have the confidence to think it through and solve it themselves instead of looking for a "repair- man." The longevity of a CEO's career is directly proportional to his problem-solving skills and ability to adapt and grow with the job."