6: Inspiring Organizational Value

Anthony Guerrero grew up in a poor community, but there was something about the spirit of the place that he loved. By age 10 he was pretty darn good at his job. He had an early morning paper route, he knew his customers (and they knew him), and he had developed a technique for flinging the papers from his bike so that they would skip once then land on the porch. He didn't miss. As his skill grew, so did his confidence, and his desire to find ways to be more effective at his job. He enlisted his dad, mom, and sister. His mom and sister rolled the papers and his dad helped collect the money. He did this not because he didn't want to do the work but because the more efficient he was, the more he could recruit additional customers, and the more time he could spend with his friends after his route was done for the day. At the ripe old age of 10 he had built a collaborative system, with the right people in the right places helping to get work done. His customers loved his entrepreneurial spirit and he loved being a trusted part of his community's daily routine. His connection to community went beyond his paper route. After school he played baseball as often as he could for as long as he could. He was with his friends playing with other friends on neighboring teams. The game would stop, even in the middle of a play, when the local burrito food truck drove up. Kids from both teams would run to the truck. The owner gave them all free burritos that were “so warm and so good,” contributing to a sense of community camaraderie. The game was forgotten. The generosity of that burrito truck owner no doubt affected his profits since they had their own ecosystem of suppliers to pay. But profitability wasn't the point. Societal value was. Talking to Anthony today (he is Chairman of the International Future Living Institute and Vice President of Workplace Strategies and Real Estate at Earth Justice) you can't help but smile as he shares his childhood stories. His family, his friends and the burrito truck driver all demonstrated a generosity of spirit that united everyone. That same spirit permeates his work to this day, and it exemplifies the qualities of the best performing companies that generate organizational value.²