The Golden Rule Alliance was formed to promote the application of this ancient, non-denominational secular wisdom that applies to business and life: do on to others as you would have them do on to you.
We get it. People don’t understand the term stakeholder capitalism. Once explained, people from most political sides approve. It’s the application of the Golden Rule to business. Many business people understand it when likened to total quality management applied to people, but for most that’s too technical to fully grasp.
The Golden Rule simplifies the concept. It’s all about the concept of “shared values,” “mutuality,” “conscious” or “inclusive” capitalism: the focus on creating value to expand the pie rather than extracting value to create a virtuous circle proven by extensive research to create the basis for enhanced performance and returns. Do on to your stakeholders and shareholders as you would wish done on to you.
The EEA is a business organization but these principles also apply to our personal lives and all aspects of society.
Stakeholder capitalism is based on the ethical concepts of the ancient universal concept of the Golden Rule. The concept of treating others as you wish to be treated exists in almost all religions and cultures and, while largely accepted when explained, is largely overlooked today as a guiding standard principle.
The Enterprise Engagement Alliance is a secular, non-partisan alliance whose purpose is to promote the application of the Golden Rule to capitalism through the development of standards of conduct consistent with its principle: do on to others as you would have done on to yourself. That applies to investors, customers, employees, distribution and supply chain partners, communities, and the environment.
It is no coincidence it is called the Golden Rule. Extensive research supports the hypothesis that organizations that have harmonized the interests of investors and all stakeholders in their purpose, goals, objectives, and values have an advantage over organizations that don’t.
Our mission is to help restore the Golden Rule as a universal standard of conduct through
education and promotion of people and organizations that exemplify its principles around the world in society, business, and government.
We will be launching a web site in 2025 providing a complete resource center on the Golden Rule for use in business and at home.
What’s a Golden Rule leader or organization. Being a Golden Rule leader or organization doesn’t mean you are a saint or never hurt people: tradeoffs are inevitable in life and business, starting in child rearing. Golden Rule leaders do their best to put their feet in the shoes of everyone, but cannot guarantee that those feet won’t have to walk through dark days or make bad decisions along the way.
Click here for an article with more details about the origins of the Golden Rule and its application to business.
Golden Rule organizational and leadership designations. To start establishing a
paradigm for Golden Rule, the EEA has started singling out organizations and leaders on Linkedin and Facebook we believe are doing their best to practice the Golden Rule. Click here for a growing list. The first organization honored is JUST Capital, a not-for-profit dedicated to promoting stakeholder capitalism–enhancing returns for investors only by creating value for customers, employees, distribution and supply chain partners, communities, and the environment.
The second is Costco, one of the world’s most popular and successful retailers despite paying all employees well above the minimum wage. Its stock price has significantly outpaced the S&P 500 over the last five years. The third is Joe Hinrichs, CEO of CSX, who is steering the railroad company through challenging times through a strategic focus on aligning the interests of all stakeholders toward a common purpose.
We have cited R. Edward Freeman, Professor at the Darden School at the University of Virginia, whose seminar work, Strategic Management: A Stakeholder Approach comes as close to any as the foundational work on the concept that companies do not need to sacrifice people or planet to optimize returns to investors.
To nominate companies and leaders whose actions embody the Golden Rule, feel free
to post a short video or case study in our Facebook or Linkedin communities.
Or, if your organization is committed to the Golden Rule, feel free to copy and paste the appropriate logo and place it on your own web site. Know that this will create a standard with which you will be held accountable for on social media and with all stakeholders.
Our upcoming services include more free information, customizable templates for use at home and the office, public speaking on the subject of the Golden Rule in business and society and fun engaging exercises to help instill a greater understanding of the Golden Rule. Click here for our speaking and meeting facilitation services, which include sessions on how to use the Golden Rule as a guiding principle for resetting your organization’s purpose, goals, and objectives.
Background
- In many countries, society is losing its guideposts. Disagreements about
politics, social issues, religions, and the very nature of facts, have undermined a consensus around basic conduct to help create a more loving, equitable society. - There is a pressing need for a North Star principle that bridges all cultures, religions, including atheists and agnostics; business leaders, political parties.
- Given such growing divisions, the possibility of arriving at a new standard of conduct based on ancient non-secular or political concepts provides the potential for a widely accepted North Star in society.
The Premise
The Golden Rule is a nearly universal principle largely agreed upon when explained but
inconsistently applied around the world. There is no need to build a consensus around the basic principle and its application, but rather a need to focus on its application.
Purpose of The Golden Rule Alliance
Establish the Golden Rule as a North Star in business, government, and societal conduct around the world. It can be used by any organization to develop a clear purpose, goals, objectives, and values.
Goals
- Encourage an international, non-partisan, non-denominational discussion about
the wisdom of the Golden Rule, its practical meaning in different cultures, and how its basic principles can be applied in business, government, and society to create a more wholesome society for all. - Promote its use to objectively evaluate actions and communications against a widely accepted standard.
- Benefit from the fact that there are no legal or other constraints on the promotion of the Golden Rule, since it is a secular, non-partisan concept.
- Use the Golden Rule to objectively evaluate social, business and government policies. How do these practices measure up against the Golden Rule?
Objectives
Promote a clearer model of acceptable conduct in business, government, and society which can be used to help create a paradigm for leadership in all areas of society, including in business, government, and society.- Measure success by the enthusiasm with which business, government, and educational leaders embrace the importance of the Golden Rule as a practical paradigm for conduct, as well as by grass roots activities that share the tools in their business, government, schools, and any organizations that can benefit.
- Use promotion of the Golden Rule as a means to help local not-for-profits raise money for their own causes.
Services
Based on the unifying, secular yet spiritual elements of the Golden Rule, the EEA has created a meeting format any organization can use to update its purpose, goals, objectives and values in a way that harmonizes the interests of all stakeholders critical to success. It turns the traditional meeting format on its head, putting the focus on fostering collaboration and breaking down silos to address the organization’s top priorities. It includes optional authentic experiences to help cement lasting memories and emotional impact. Click here for more information on EEA’s speaking and facilitation services based on the principles of the Golden Rule.
For more information: Bruce Bolger; 914-591-7600, ext. 230; Bolger@TheEEA.org.