In 2011, the Huffington Post reported the following. “Howard Schultz is calling on his fellow CEOs—and
other would-be donors—to boycott all campaign contributions to either party
until the nation's elected leaders put aside their political posturing and find
some common ground on long-term fiscal issues. Schultz wrote in a widely
distributed email dated Monday that, like ‘so many common-sense Americans,’ he
wants elected leaders to consider ‘all options, from entitlement programs to
taxes,’ and reach a wide-ranging budget deal ‘long before the deadline arrives
this fall.’ Schultz concluded with a promise: ‘We today pledge to withhold any
further campaign contributions to the President and all members of Congress
until a fair, bipartisan deal is reached that sets our nation on stronger
long-term fiscal footing.’”[1]
The CEO was essentially preaching his political ideology wherein “partisan and
ideological purity” are not permitted to trump the “well-being of the people.” James
Madison would have been proud, though perhaps a bit confounded as to why the
CEO of a large company would venture out of his daily routine to make a sort of
campaign speech. In a positive sense, the business executive’s vision was one
of “collective confidence in each other” and “in our ability to solve problems
together.”[2]
This is a good example of a leadership vision being applied to the societal
level by an organizational leader. This intangible asset comes, however, with
its own risks and difficulties, which the aspiring business leader is well
advised to consider.
This diagram comes out of my dissertation, which formulates the theory and applies it to cases cross-culturally. (Image Source: S. Worden)
Material from this essay has been incorporated into The Essence of Leadership: A Cross-Cultural Foundation, which is available in print and as an ebook at Amazon.
Material from this essay has been incorporated into The Essence of Leadership: A Cross-Cultural Foundation, which is available in print and as an ebook at Amazon.
1. Froomkin,
D. “Starbucks CEO
Howard Schultz Calls For Boycott on Campaign Contributions,” The
Huffington Post, August 15, 2011.
2. Ibid.
