The world is in shambles. There is a perfect storm of poverty, income inequality, greed, corruption, racial and ethnic segregation, tribalism. The coronavirus pandemic is creating huge levels of infection, death and depression. People are divided rather than united. The planet is dangerously heating up. Business leadership seems largely preoccupied with profits, not social issues. Government is dysfunctional and if anything, showing authoritarian tendencies. Is there any way to bring order and happiness back into this dysfunctional world?

There are many “fix society” books. This is one of the best that I have read. I was pleased when the authors, Ira Kaufman and Velimir Srića, invited me to write the Foreword. My own answers to these multiple crises proposed building better systems of capitalism and democracy, all moved by the spirit of the Common Good. But Kaufman and Srića  went much deeper with their analysis of why societies break down. They contacted citizens, reformers, businesses, nonprofits and government agencies who showed care and who proposed and experimented
with innovative solutions on a micro and in some cases on a macro scale. The authors expand on Heimans and Timms model of Old Power into New Power. They say “Old Power favors exclusivity, competition, and authority, while the New Power rests on open source collaboration, sharing, and crowd wisdom. Power affects each stage of the Strategic Transformation process.”

EmPower Us! will fill you with hope, purpose and action. More people are challenging injustice and protest the mismanagement of our shared planetary resources. Young people, women, ethnic and other groups are protesting the broken world condition. You will learn about many Catalytic people and communities. The authors describe the inspiring work and values of particular companies – Starbucks, Unilever, Patagonia, Zappos, Ben & Jerry, Ikea, Nike —in running resilient, caring, and creative enterprises. The authors describe the brilliant work
of Catalytic individuals – Richard Branson, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and many others—in innovating fulfilling enterprises and enriching our standard of living.

EmPower Us! provides a wake-up call with 12 Guidelines to shape and motivate the work of caring individuals and organizations. We need to live TEST Values (Trust, Empathy, Sustainability, and Transparency) and drive them into our economic, social, and political interactions with our institutions.

The book describes what it would take to change both ourselves and our institutions to generate transformative decisions that reflect the needs of customers, employees, citizens and communities. The path for people is to collaborate more with others who are working to create a better world. Values provide the foundation and Purpose translates these values into action and drives transformation.

The book provides a roadmap to transforming the world in a more loving and caring world filled with Harmony. The authors call for “a balance between what we think (Head), what we do (Hands), what we feel (Heart), and what we Hope (Purpose and Intent).” They want to bridge the gap between generations, cultures, nations, leaders and the people they represent. They describe a set of values, models, and best practices to build an equitable economy and a sustainable future.

—Professor Philip Kotler, Father of Modern Marketing
Author of “Confronting Capitalism”, “Advancing the Common Good”