This is exactly how I ended up running the company. Through college, I thought business and capitalism was the reason the world sucked. Not much has changed. :) With degrees in chemistry and geological engineering, my youthful goal was the clean up the world. I fell into the family business because I needed a job and at some point realized that one of the best areas to affect change was from within. Which launched my successful career as a chemist, rise up through the ranks, to now run the company. Family business, lots of opportunity offered that I took. Why tell you all this? Because I agree that we must have meaning over money. Wall Street and private equity will always lean towards shareholder value over all over values. But what will sustain us as cogs is having meaning and holding on to that, even when we see behind the curtain. Sure, my youthful intentions took a turn but with the right company, great strides can be made and seen if your meaning is to see greener and more sustainable products. Yes, it's a very tall task in the chemical industry and absolutely, shareholder value wins at the moment. But tides are turning. Might not happen fast enough or sustainability might not go as deep as we want in this single year but tough ripples are flowing through the industry as end use markets are demanding of better. I'm optimistic and believe society will lean more to greater sustainability, through innovation and technology we will solve big problems of today, and I can see the change in big and small company leadership that there is more than just shareholder value. At least I'll get to the end of my life and think well of it because I held on to my "why."
I feel like the longer you do something, the more you see both sides of it. Even the seemingly noblest professions have good and bad aspects. Your point on sustainability and who defines it is spot-on. I think society at large will move toward better sustainability, but only under great duress that manages to overcome the "shareholder value" mantra.
This is exactly how I ended up running the company. Through college, I thought business and capitalism was the reason the world sucked. Not much has changed. :) With degrees in chemistry and geological engineering, my youthful goal was the clean up the world. I fell into the family business because I needed a job and at some point realized that one of the best areas to affect change was from within. Which launched my successful career as a chemist, rise up through the ranks, to now run the company. Family business, lots of opportunity offered that I took. Why tell you all this? Because I agree that we must have meaning over money. Wall Street and private equity will always lean towards shareholder value over all over values. But what will sustain us as cogs is having meaning and holding on to that, even when we see behind the curtain. Sure, my youthful intentions took a turn but with the right company, great strides can be made and seen if your meaning is to see greener and more sustainable products. Yes, it's a very tall task in the chemical industry and absolutely, shareholder value wins at the moment. But tides are turning. Might not happen fast enough or sustainability might not go as deep as we want in this single year but tough ripples are flowing through the industry as end use markets are demanding of better. I'm optimistic and believe society will lean more to greater sustainability, through innovation and technology we will solve big problems of today, and I can see the change in big and small company leadership that there is more than just shareholder value. At least I'll get to the end of my life and think well of it because I held on to my "why."
Thank you for all time and thoughts spent writing this blog.
I feel like the longer you do something, the more you see both sides of it. Even the seemingly noblest professions have good and bad aspects. Your point on sustainability and who defines it is spot-on. I think society at large will move toward better sustainability, but only under great duress that manages to overcome the "shareholder value" mantra.