Principled Performance: Five Questions with Dov Seidman

In a recent interview with Interbrand Chief Marketing Officer Andrea Sullivan, LRN CEO Dov Seidman talks about purpose-inspired and values-based corporate cultures, leadership and governance that can truly elevate individuals and organizations. Here are excerpts:

Andrea: What do you tell startups about the importance of beginning with a purpose-driven brand?

Dov: I tell them that it has never been more essential—and consequential—to know who you are, what your business stands for, and have both of these elements animate and inform every decision you make. Now more than ever, a company’s purpose has the power to engage and inspire employees, generate customer loyalty, and help businesses chart a course for sustainable, meaningful growth. To make use of this exceptional power, though, businesses—especially startups—and their leaders need to reflect on what their company’s purpose is, what it means to their employees, and how they can inspire others to believe in that purpose at a large scale to the point that it pervades throughout their culture.

Andrea: So how do you scale values?

Dov: Values are a fundamental reflection of our humanity. Therefore, scaling values is about creating more human organizations. Everything in business has been systematized except for the last frontier, the human operating system. We are starting to see organizations become systematic about the forces that shape, bear upon and guide, elevate and inspire behavior.

Click here for the full interview.