The Spirit of a Healthy Business: Intellect, Teamwork, Innovation, Beauty, and Trust
What truly drives a business to thrive? Of course, the reliability of a product or service, top-notch customer service, and competitive pricing are crucial. But Rich Karlgaard highlights another often overlooked yet vitally important element of success, brimming with invisible potential and magic.
In his book, “The Healthy Business Has a Healthy Spirit,” Karlgaard emphasizes the significance of intangible values such as intellect, teamwork, innovation, beauty, and trust. While these concepts might seem outdated or self-evident, they play a decisive role in the contemporary business landscape. Karlgaard masterfully weaves together numerous stories, opinions, and reflections to convey this important message to readers.
The author presents a wealth of examples to support his views. Take Apple‘s story: starting with Steve Jobs’ vision of creating not just technologically advanced but also aesthetically appealing devices, their innovative spirit and drive for beauty shifted the market’s dynamics. Or consider trust — a cornerstone of Patagonia‘s success. The company’s open policies and environmental responsibility garner admiration and customer loyalty. These and many other examples make the book especially valuable for managers and entrepreneurs in practice.
Karlgaard underscores that trust, teamwork, innovation, and beauty are not just abstract concepts but real factors that can help a company endure hard times and achieve success. This realization can inspire those working in large corporations, reminding them of the importance of intangible values. For HR and PR professionals, this book serves as an elixir, affirming the significance of their roles.
As he concludes his book, Karlgaard emphasizes the universality of these principles: whether it’s a large corporation or a startup, a successful business is always built on a foundation of intangible values. Therefore, this book can serve not only as an intellectual delight over the weekend or during your subway commute, but also as a practically significant guide that can change your perspective on business development.
