Acknowledgments

I never set out to write a book.

The idea first emerged because after 15 years of leading this program, I yearned for some time to clear my head. The Rockefeller Foundation granted me a fellowship at the Bellagio Center to think about what we at the Aspen Institute Business and Society Program had learned about influencing business in pursuit of better societal and environmental outcomes. They had never hosted a fellow who worked with business, and the four weeks I spent there in late fall 2013 were nothing short of magical. I am tremendously grateful to the foundation, and to Pilar Palacia for her warm welcome and keen interest in the fellows.

It still would not have become a book without Betty Sue Flowers. We first met in Aspen in 2000 and have been collaborators on the quest to support environmentally sound and socially useful business decisions ever since. We shared a sandwich the week before I left for Bellagio, and Betty Sue asked what the book was about. As I struggled to pretend that I actually planned to write one, she interrupted with very good advice: “Don’t research,” she said, “just write.” Her guidance then, and since, has been a true gift. She communicated a confidence that kept me moving and an uncanny ability to say just what I needed, when I needed it, to get back on the horse. Betty Sue, you are amazing.

And why it actually is a book is thanks to Steve Piersanti at Berrett-Koehler. We met at a conference to memorialize Lynn Stout. He was her editor and became mine. He discerned what I was trying to say, gave me a homework assignment, and wrangled an outline that put me on the right path. Thank you, Steve. And to Johanna Vondeling, who visited me a decade earlier to pitch me on writing a book then, and to all of the dedicated staff at BK, and to the reviewers who read the manuscript and offered comments, thanks.

I have already written about the importance of Lynn Stout, to whom the book is dedicated. Lynn was part of a network of thinkers and doers who shaped my passion for tackling shareholder primacy and honed our strategy across 23 years of dialogue about how to reduce the barriers to better outcomes from business.

Leo Strine’s contributions to our work at the Business and Society Program are immeasurable. Bill Budinger, Sally Blount, Marty Lipton, Ira Millstein, David Langstaff, Pat Gross, Tierney Remick, Damon Silvers, Elliot Gerson, Buzz Zaino, Sam di Piazza, John Olson. Lara Warner and Krishen Mehta each have shaped my thinking and helped me, and my wonderful colleagues at Aspen BSP, to build the bridges between theory and practice that are instrumental to real change.

The countless business executives and business scholars who have offered their time and advice in pursuit of our vision have my deep thanks. My belief in business is a function of the access I have enjoyed to hundreds of teachers, researchers, managers and executives, and internal and external agents who have helped me see more clearly the pressures and tensions that hold us back and the best leverage points for change. Their candor, energy, optimism, and integrity are why I have stayed committed to this path. One individual I want to single out is Hank Schacht, who during his service as a Ford Foundation trustee and since has taught me a great deal about decision-making in public companies. He always made time for me.

I have many friends and colleagues, both from my time at the Ford Foundation and as a grantee of this remarkable institution, who provided good counsel and encouragement. Michele Kahane, who started down this road with me in 1995, and Jan Jaffe, Barry Gaberman, Frank DeGiovanni, Hilary Pennington, and Darren Walker all deserve my thanks.

And then there is Susan Berresford, who gets her own paragraph. Susan told me to move forward when others expressed caution or concern—and then backed me up. Her friendship and mentorship over many years mean the world to me.

Lorraine Smith and Ann Graham have my deep gratitude. Their careful reading of the entire manuscript, sound critique, and clear suggestions and provocations became my bible in the editing process. Thank you. And to all of you who offered suggestions and course corrections, especially Elissa Rabellino, thank you.

To all of my colleagues and friends from the Aspen Institute and especially my fellow travelers at the Business and Society Program, this book is for you. The work that we create together is a testament to the institute’s commitment to the art of dialogue and the development of leaders across sectors. I have learned, laughed, cried, and stressed out with too many of you to add all of your names here, including BSP staff who moved on to other pastures but made remarkable contributions during their tenure. You have my deepest gratitude. Dana Caryl, Nancy McGaw, Miguel Padró, Claire Preisser—thank you for the unique and specific ways that you have each enriched this journey. I hope you are as proud of what we have built together as I am, and that the book is of use.

And last, but assuredly not least, to my family—especially my husband, Vic, who has weathered way too many vacations and early mornings committed to writing, and whose unconditional support enabled me to keep swimming hard. Babe, after 36 years of marriage you can still make me laugh; you mean the world to me. And to my children, Sarah and Anna, and son-in-law Chris; my siblings and nieces; and especially my sister-in-law Beth, who was my biggest cheerleader from the very beginning. I can’t thank you all enough for your love and patience and support.