Hmmm. B-schools might want to start studying non-profits
The head of corporate social responsibility over at British Telecom Americas, Kevin Moss, blogs here about what business managers can learn from non-profit organizations. His comments are based on a talk he attended by Gail McGovern, President and CEO of the American Red Cross (whose corporate credentials includes past jobs at AT&T and Fidelity).
If you think about it, direct donors to a charity are exactly the same thing as a shareholder. The main difference is that charities usually have a much more maniacal focus on their mission. As more consumers and employees begin to hold businesses to higher ethical and environmental standards, it seems to me that we have a lot to learn from this sector. Maybe the next keynote speaker at your annual sales meeting should be someone with a non-profit point of view?
The video of McGovern's speech at the National Press Club is posted at this link.
This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com