Paul Newman

The following article is from Ethics Newsline, from the Institute for Global Ethics, which I have recommended once or twice (or a dozen times) in the past. It's about Paul Newman, my favorite Bleeding-Heart Capitalist. I share it with you because toward the end of the article there is a lead I'm about to follow that will tie in nicely with the Adam Smith Award for Socially Conscious Businesses, which The Naples Institute will be unveiling quite soon. The lead is the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy. I'll report back when I've learned more.

Wall Street Journal piece recalls Newman’s involvement with activism, urges business leaders to keep giving even in tough times

NEW YORK Last month’s death of Paul Newman at age 83 promoted two proponents of corporate giving to examine the role of ethics and philanthropy in the actor’s career.

Writing in the Wall Street Journal, John C. Whitehead and Peter L. Malkin recalled: “Paul used to joke that he had to keep making movies to support all of his philanthropic projects — and that wasn’t too far from the truth. To millions he’s perhaps better known as the face of Newman’s Own food products than he is for his superb performances in ‘The Hustler,’ ‘Cool Hand Luke,’ ‘The Verdict,’ and scores of other films.”

“What many may not know,” Whitehead and Malkin note, “is that he donated 100 percent of post-tax profits and royalties from the Newman’s Own company to charities worldwide — more than $250 million to date. He was also passionate about the Hole in the Wall Camps he helped found for children with life-threatening illnesses, and he was deeply involved with a variety of other innovative nonprofit organizations including his most recent undertaking, the Safe Water Network.”

Whitehead and Malkin were among the corporate bigwigs Newman approached in 1998 to form the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy, which has grown to include more than 150 CEO members from 150 corporations and is responsible for more than $10 billion in annual corporate giving.

Whitehead and Malkin concluded the piece by urging business leaders to learn from Newman’s example and maintain or increase corporate giving programs in today’s turbulent economic times.

Customer Service and your Organization

As most of my regular readers know, I’m a customer service author and keynote speaker: it’s been said I wrote the book on customer service, but that’s only half the story. I wrote the two books on the topic. At least, my favorite two.

So imagine my surprise when I learned last Wednesday that it was customer service week. Customer service week!

Every week should be customer service week! What is wrong with people!?!

*****

I find the following rich in ironic humor.

I was reading a local paper this weekend and found a story on a local “nonprofit” (knowing how this group operates, I beg to differ) that offers coaching to the boards of other citizen sector orgs.*

Here’s the funny part, speaking of customer service: “Physician, heal thyself!”

The first thing I want to know when I hire an expert consultant is, does this person live what she teaches? If you’re a wealth advisor, are you wealthy? If you’re an ethics trainer, how ethical are you? If you’re a management consultant and teach corporate culture, how healthy is your own firm’s culture?

So if you teach boards how to function most effectively, my question for you is, how well-run is your own organization?

For instance, do you know if your executive director is seen by her peers at other influential organizations around town as unprofessionally discourteous? Are you aware that your organization’s #2 is downright surly?

Do you know that quite a number of leaders in the nonprofit community resent your organization and even have a disparaging name for it, "The Predatory Foundation," because word on the street is that your organization is quite savvy at shaking affluent donors down for money, but much less dedicated to actually helping the community you are charged to serve?

Actually, to this organization’s credit, they do know that their #2 is a Bitch with a capital B.** I spoke with last-year’s board president. She confided as much without my having to name this “lady” first. I also spoke with another board member about this, who confirmed her colleague’s assessment.

…Which of course brings me to the question, “If you know one of your staff is unpleasant and making enemies all over town, why don’t you fire her post-haste?”

I'm not timid, so I actually asked both board members that very question. The former president said, "She'll be retiring in two years."

Okay, guys, give her early retirement!

That is today’s leadership, culture, and customer service lesson. If you have jerks representing your organization, fire them. Don’t feel bad about it, because we all choose our attitude, and jerks can choose to be nice if they like. So can them, right away: today. No warning - we learn to be nice before grade school; we shouldn't need a warning! - just get it done.

Only then should you advise others on how they can run their own organization.

The Predatory Foundation lacks authenticity. Steer clear, at least until they get their own house in order.


*There are a number of groups around town that do that, so hopefully I’m being vague enough that this group won’t feel implicated. In fact, their leaders will probably read this and cluck-cluck-cluck at the “other” organization I’m writing about.

**If she were a man, I would call her a Dick, so please don’t come down on me as sexist.