recommended reading

This book is the sum total of all the observations and learnings my business partner and I have made about humans and organisations in the 10-plus years we’ve been together. And indeed, from all 40 years of my working life in the marketing industry.

Every theory, system, method and mantra I’ve shared with you has been tested in the real world, with real companies and real humans. That’s very important to us, coming as we do from an industry that’s notorious for making promises on behalf of brands that then fail to deliver on them. But we can’t take all the credit. Much of the initial spark for our procedures came from people more insightful than us.

Here’s a list of the authors and filmmakers who’ve influenced us and their key work in this area.

Conscious Capitalism by John Mackey & Raj Sisodia

This is the more practical, case study bible for anyone interested in running a purpose-driven business. It shares the experiences of many companies, but particularly of Whole Foods Market, the organic produce brand that grew from one store to more than 400 and who at the time of writing had just been acquired by Amazon for $18 billion. It’s the quintessential story of the commercial viability of pursuing an authentic motive in business.

Discover Your Authentic Leadership and Discover Your True North by Bill George

Although George’s background is in leading large corporations, the lessons here are invaluable to anyone who wants to be a CEO. Even if it’s the CEO of ...

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