Partridge - People over profit: break the system, live with purpose, be more successful

PRAISE FOR PEOPLE OVER PROFIT

People Over Profit is a fresh look at timeless and important values that have always inspired leaders in the marketplace. Dales work may challenge you to completely rethink your business.

SCOTT HARRISON, CEO AND FOUNDER, CHARITY: WATER

Leaders like Dale are changing the very definition of the word entrepreneur. Ive spent years personally learning the lessons inside this book from Dale. Im glad youll have the same chance now too!

JON ACUFF, NEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELLING AUTHOR OF START

Dale recognized that to fix big problems we need to ask big questions. His solutions are not only exciting but practical and powerful. This is a must read for every aspiring entrepreneur.

ADAM BRAUN, NEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELLING AUTHOR AND FOUNDER OF PENCILS OF PROMISE

People Over Profit espouses the biggest, best idea of our generation: we need a new breed of entrepreneuran honest, loving, generous, and authentic one. This book shows us how to get there.

CLAIRE DIA ORTIZ, MANAGER OF SOCIAL INNOVATION AT TWITTER

People Over Profit is not just a big idea; its the only idea. And while everyone is searching for a quick fix for their business, Dale has outlined a true fix. Value people and you will win.

JASON RUSSEL, FOUNDER OF INVISIBLE CHILDREN

No marketing strategy or business tactic will ever surpass the power of caring for people. What Dale uncovers here is the secret to every outrageously successful company.

JOHNNY EARLE, FOUNDER OF JOHNNY CUPCAKES

People Over Profit uncovers the true fabric that separates good and bad, greed and giving, and selfish and selfless. These words should be the backbone of every business leader in our world.

MIKE FOSTER, FOUNDER OF PEOPLE OF THE SECOND CHANCE

Entrepreneurs... listen up. Stop chasing tactics and strategies and start leading with heart and empathy. Its the findings here in Dales philosophy that will surely become your secret weapon.

LEWIS HOWES, FOUNDER OF THE SCHOOL OF GREATNESS PODCAST

2015 by Dale Partridge

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Nelson Books, an imprint of Thomas Nelson. Nelson Books and Thomas Nelson are registered trademarks of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.

Author is represented by literary agent Christopher Ferebee, 2834 Hamner Avenue, Suite 456, Norco, California 92860.

Thomas Nelson, Inc., titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail SpecialMarkets@ThomasNelson.com.

IE: 978-0-7180-3620-1

ISBN 978-0-7180-2175-7 (eBook)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Partridge, Dale, 1985

People over profit : break the system, live with purpose, be more successful / Dale Partridge.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 978-0-7180-2174-0

1. Management--Social aspects. 2. Corporate culture. 3. Organizational behavior. 4. Business ethics. 5. Social responsibility of business. I. Title.

HD31.P3135 2015

658.4'08--dc23

2014032495

15 16 17 18 19 RRD 6 5 4 3 2 1

TO VERONICA,
MY WIFE, MY FRIEND, MY ROCK.
YOUR NEVER-ENDING SUPPORT OF MY DREAMS
CAPTURES MY HEART AND MAKES ME WHOLE.

CONTENTS

by Blake Mycoskie

15. EVEN GOOD CAN GO BAD

In todays ever-changing business world, the idea of people over profit might be one of the easiest things to say but one of the hardest things to actually do. Yet in the right hands and from the right heartsuch as Dalesthe words in this book can become incredibly powerful and galvanizing. They can inspire employees and customers and communities to join together and not only want more out of their professional and personal lives but want to do more. And when that happens, people can change the world.

Still, to have real impact and to make a lasting impression in hearts, minds, and bottom lines, all businesses, whether theyre cause-based or not, must go beyond words and have their ideals and ideas turned into constant, passionate, and relentless action. I believe Dale has proven his ability to lead such a movement, and this certainly has been shown through his recent entrepreneurial efforts. But the idea of conscious capitalism, and the democracy of that idea, proves that it can do so much more.

The beauty and brilliance of what Dale strives to achieve day in and day out, and what he has written about here, combine some of the most powerful and time-resistant business ethossuch as quality, authenticity, and transparencywith other essentials that resonate much deeper. Truth, generosity, and courage are not and cannot simply be buzzwords in todays business world. They must be at the core. And they must be sent forth into the world by people who passionately believe in these ideals.

Much like TOMS, what Dale is encouraging is unique to our time and place and generation. Thanks to technology, many of the old rules of business no longer apply, or are being rewritten daily, weekly, and monthly. Whats amazing to see is that more often than not, todays countless social entrepreneurs are sidestepping them altogether. They are people, after all, and their influence is immense.

Its an exciting time. Its real, its not going away, and its only going to get bigger, braver, and better with people like Dale Partridge helping to lead the way.

Carpe diem.

Blake Mycoskie

Founder of TOMS Shoes

New York Times best-selling author of Start Something That Matters

In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.

George Orwell

#PeopleOverProfit

Ive seen the same physician in Southern California for more than a decade, but somehow this visit felt different. Walking into the waiting room, I was greeted by a sterile scent and silence. Knowing the drill, I wrote my name on a clipboard with a plastic pen stamped with the name of a cholesterol pill. The receptionist didnt look up to acknowledge my presence, so after a few awkward moments trying to catch her eye, I took a seat.

Like most doctors offices, there wasnt much to occupy ones attention. I could either stare at the tacky wallpaper or thumb through germ-covered magazines from 2009.

Squeezed into a stained, cloth chair and confined by eighteen sniffling and snotty people, I opted for the latter.

Three outdated magazines later, I looked at my watch to realize that I was forty-five minutes past my scheduled appointment time. My foot tapped nervously, and I shifted in my seat. Finally, a nurse popped her head out of the door: Mr. Partridge. I rose and followed her down the hallway where she recorded my weight and temperature before dropping me off in a bleak room.

I waited again. This time, without even the benefit of a Readers Digest. Finally, at one hour and twelve minutes past my appointment time, the physician arrived.

Hello, Mr. Partridge, he said without looking up from my chart. What can I help you with?

I wanted to say he could help me by making me feel like I actually mattered, but I chose instead to explain that I had a killer case of heartburn.