The first gathering of a newly formed group of self-described “conscious capitalists” had to happen in a trendy, upscale venue. Thus it was that early last December a diverse group of more than 200 professionals gathered at the Duncan Miller Gallery in Bergamot Station to celebrate the launch of Conscious Capitalism LA (CCLA). Sipping wine and organic cocktails, nibbling tasty hors d’oeuvres from Border Grill, attendees mingled and were inspired by CEO Doug Rauch, former president of Trader Joe’s.
The organization, well established in other metropolitan areas, is based on four pillars: higher purpose, stakeholder orientation, conscious leadership and conscious culture. Abby Allen, founder of branding and marketing firm Neon Butterfly, is working with the new branch to make those four principles tangible in the Southland.
“A lot of people go to work and don’t feel a sense of connection to what they’re doing,” Allen notes. “They’re just going through the motions. One of the pillars is about infusing a sense of purpose into the workplace, helping people to either find purpose in what they’re doing or realize they don’t feel a sense of purpose and perhaps should do something else.” So for business owners, as important as it is to make a profit, “It’s [also] about figuring out how to instill that sense of purpose in employees.”
Stakeholder orientation refers to “everyone who’s affected and touched by the company,” says Allen, not just employees but also the surrounding community. Conscious Capitalism teaches businesses how to involve employees and evaluate impact on neighbors and the environment as they plan business models and growth strategies.
The organization’s target goals for Los Angeles? “We want to be about empowering businesses, teaching businesses how to be more conscious, how to take their employees into consideration more often, how to give more back to the community, and how to infuse this kind of thinking from the ground up,” says Allen. CCLA hopes to involve a diverse community and create an environment in which businesses can exchange information about what’s working and what’s not.
To that end, CCLA is actively seeking input from the public in co-creating their venture. Sign up at www.consciouscapitalismla.org or visit Conscious Capitalism LA on Facebook.
This article is a part of the February/March 2015 issue of Whole Life Times.