Let my people go surfing. The education of a reluctant businessman (by Yvon Chouinard)
Read: January 2021
Founder of Patagonia details the beginnings of the company, how they grew and what the considerations were at all steps of the way. It’s a very nicely comprehensive book of how to try to lead an as good company as possible, in terms of sustainability, work ethics, employer happiness and product quality. Also about the hurdles on the way and the problems of combining growth and production with environmental consciousness. Lots in there to aspire to, and it makes want to never work for a company that does not agree with these values. I didn’t take as many notes as I wanted to, since I rarely had a pen nearby, but I will probably read the book again in the future. Some take away messages: Change is good, embrace it, don’t stand still. It’s more important to get people who share the philosophy than people who have a lot of knowledge (e.g. rather hiring a surfer to train them in accounting, than an accountant who would never ever surf). The best leadership is by example. Not buying a product in the first place is best for the environment. But if you buy one, use it as long as possible, repair it.
If we could al come to see our customer products as tools that help us live our real lives - rather than as substitutes and surrogates for that life - we would need many fewer products to be happy. And we would keep the ones we already have for longer. (Naomi Klein) pXI
When a problem comes up, the effective CEO does not immediately hire a consultant. Outsiders don’t know your business the way you do, and anyway, I’ve found that most consultants come from a failed business. Only by confronting the problems and trying to solve them yourself will you prevent them from happening again in another form. p172
New employees coming into the company with a strong culture and values may think that they shouldn’t rock the boat and shouldn’t challenge the status quo. On the contrary, while values should never change, every organization, business, government, or religion must be adaptive and resilient and constantly embrace new ideas and methods of operation.
Anyone who thinks you can have infinite growth on a finite planet is either a madman or an economist - Kenneth Boulding. p175
I’m pessimistic because I see no will in society to do enough about the impending doom. Yet there’s no difference between a pessimist who says “It’s all over, don’t bother trying to do anything, forget about voting, it won’t make a difference” and an optimist who says “Relax, everything is going to turn out fine.”. Either way the results are the same. Nothing gets done. p175