Steve Jobs

The new Steve Jobs biopic is a travesty, says his ex. Cold? Ruthless? Obsessive? No, he was FAR worse than that.

Fear and Midwestern Matter-of-Fact-ness

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears has not been perfected in love.  - St. John, the Evangelist (I John 4:18)

Having grown up in the Midwest, I developed a unique regional personality trait: simply being open, honest, and personable with others. Some call it Midwestern matter-of-fact-ness! And since leaving the North in my early twenties, I've lived in the South, the East, and the West, and I've visited just about every place in between. Some places I've liked more than others, but it's usually the people that tell me a lot about a place. Some places like the South, people are slower paced, polite, and respectful. Other places like the East, people are hurried, cold, and aloof. Out in the West, I've found people friendly, but self-absorbed and stand-off-ish.

I think the regional social differences in the U.S. have a lot to do with how crowded a place is, how cosmopolitan a place is (or the racial and ethnic makeup of the area), the climate, the economy, and many other factors. But deep down I think regional social differences have more to do with fear and insecurity.

Early in my career I took a position as a field service engineer which required me to have a lot of social interaction with customers and colleagues. I stumbled quite a bit in the beginning because I had erected many self-preserving barriers. I wanted to keep people at arms length in order to keep them from hurting me. What I had to learn the hard way is that doesn't work well in sales and service. To be successful in business, you've really got to be more open and honest with others as it's easier to do business with friends and acquaintances than it is with enemies and strangers. At the very least, you have to give customers the impression you're being open and honest with them, but I've found being authentic worked the best for me as customers aren't stupid and they can tell if a sales or service provider is being disingenuous.

Digging deep into my soul, I rediscovered my Midwestern matter-of-factness and started opening up more to others and being more authentic. Eventually, I became one of the most successful field service engineers in my company; by the time I quit, my annual sales revenue were twice the national average, and my customer satisfaction rate was 98% in a business that demands only 80%. But I think more telling than this is that I've stayed acquainted with many of my customers and colleagues since leaving that job.

I realize that being introverted inhibits many people from developing their own Midwestern matter-of-fact-ness. I too am an introvert, and surprisingly you'll discover that many other success people are introverts as well. Being introverted just means you've got to try a lot harder than extroverts do as you've got more social fears and insecurities to overcome.

Fear is what keeps most people from truly being successful in their chosen work. Most of your colleagues are on par with you as far as technical knowledge and business skills. So the difference is how open, honest, and personable you are. By confronting your own fears and insecurities, you too can become more successful in business and in life by developing a more open, honest, and personable style or Midwestern matter-of-factness.

EXPERT: DISNEY REWARDS EMPLOYEES FOR RECORD PROFITS BY REPLACING THEM WITH CHEAPER FOREIGN WORKERS

Pope Francis' Speeches During His Visit to the U.S.A.

Here are links to the speeches Pope Francis gave during his visit to the U.S.A.:

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2015, 9:15 a.m.: Pope Francis' speech at the White House with President Obama in DC

Thursday, September 24th, 2015, 9:20 a.m.: Pope Francis' address to joint session of the U.S. Congress in DC

Friday, September 25th, 2015, 8:30 a.m.: Pope Francis' address to the U.N. General Assembly in NYC

Friday, September 25th, 2015, 11:30 a.m.: Pope Francis' speech at the 9/11 Memorial in NYC

Doing the Right Thing

There's an old maxim that many try to live their lives by, "If you do the right things...for the right reasons...the right things will eventually happen."

I learned this life-long lesson early in my career. Back in the early 1990s the economy was in a serious recession, the first Gulf War had just ended, and after more than a decade of heavy defense spending under Reagan and Bush 41, the government was cutting back. Many experienced engineers found themselves unemployed and had to take humiliating jobs working at Radio Shack; so I was lucky just to get the low-paying engineering job that I did.

The company I went to work for - LORAL - was notoriously one of the worst in the defense industry. They were cheap-skates! Nevertheless, the job was interesting and challenging, and I had one of the best managers I've ever worked for. I learned a lot in that job, but I had a family to support and left for a better paying job after a year-and-a-half.

About a year after leaving LORAL, I got a call from a lawyer asking me questions about my old boss. After I left LORAL, the company tried to hire my replacement. An experienced African-American engineer applied, but the company's managers blatantly discriminated against him. My old boss rightfully tried to expose their wrongdoing internally and they retaliated against him by firing him. Eventually, his lawsuit against LORAL for wrongful termination was settled out-of-court, and the case was dismissed with prejudice by the judge. My old boss just couldn't afford the legal battle with LORAL.

I'd like to tell you that the story of my old boss losing his job for doing the right thing had a happy ending. Unfortunately, he never really recovered professionally from his setback. But I can assure you that he has treasures stored up in heaven, and he made a lasting impression on me about doing the right thing regardless of the consequences. Years later, I too had to make a choice similar to his that cost me my job with another company.

Often times when we try to do the right thing...for the right reasons...the right things don't always happen. More often than not, the world doesn't reward us for doing the right thing. But I can assure you that God will reward us: if not in this life then in the next.

Working in a Den of Thieves by Allen Laudenslager and Bryan Neva (2005)

In the Kenny Rogers song “The Gambler” there’s a line in the chorus that says, “you’ve got to know when to hold them, know when to fold them, know when to walk away, and know when to run.”  Of course, the song is about The Gambler’s strategy for playing high-stakes poker games, but metaphorically the song is about the strategy of the game of life.  By knowing what battles in life to fight, we can live to fight another day, and survive the entire war. 

Often times in our working lives, there’s little or nothing we can personally do to make a bad situation better.  Regardless of our personal belief system, if we’re working in a den of thieves it’s easy to be overcome by evil.  So we must know when to tough it out and endure it, when to quietly leave, and when to burn our bridges behind us.  Having the street smarts to out-maneuver, out-fight, or out-run our opponents will give us the endurance to continue fighting the war to stop dishonest, unethical, and immoral behavior at work and in business.

We cannot force or coerce others into behaving honestly, ethically, and morally.  We’re responsible for our actions, and they’re responsible for theirs.  After all, companies are human organizations, and when each person in the organization starts to act honorably and ethically eventually it’ll make a difference.  But if each person perpetuates the cycle of unethical behavior, conflicts, hatred, revenge, dishonesty, and immorality then things will only get worse.  As business stakeholders, we can ask ourselves what we’re doing today, tomorrow, next week, next month, or next year to satisfy the needs of all the other stakeholders? 

Business owners who set unrealistic expectations on their managers will drive them to make unethical, immoral, or unfair decisions that harm the other stakeholders especially the employees.  On the other hand, if business owners set realistic goals and ensured their managers are treating their customers, employees, suppliers, and distributors the way they’d want to be treated, their business will thrive and everyone will benefit.

Investors who put money into profitable yet unethical companies just because they offer a high return on investment (ROI) are rewarding unethical behavior.  On the other hand, if each private investor decided only to invest in honest and ethical companies, in the long run, they’d earn higher dividends than ever imagined, and it would encourage the unethical companies to clean up their acts.  But it all starts with one investor making a choice to invest in companies that are honest, ethical, just, and fair with their customers, employees, suppliers, and distributors. 

Managers who are dishonest, unfair, or habitually mistreat their customers, employees, suppliers, and distributors will only perpetuate this ethical crisis in business.  On the other hand, if managers acted as servants to those who work for them they’d become much better stewards to the owners and investors of the business, and they would earn the respect and admiration of their employees.  Paying workers just and fair wages, ensuring a safe and friendly work environment, and being honest and fair in every decision will go a long way towards making companies better places to work.

Workers who don’t give an honest-days-work for an honest-days-pay are not only hurting their employers, they’re hurting themselves and their families, and they’re sabotaging their own livelihoods.  On the other hand, if workers do the best job they’re capable of doing each day they’ll help their companies become more successful.  By working smarter and harder, improving our skills, getting along with others, showing up on time, and not leaving early will pay enormous benefits.

To a certain degree, each of us is responsible for the impressions others have of us.  What others think of us is a reaction to what we say and do.  If there’s a difference between what we say and what we do, people will naturally believe what we do.  If companies do not publicly praise and reward workers who do the right thing, then they’ll discourage others from doing the right thing.  A lot of companies protect powerful and unethical managers at the expense of honest and hardworking employees.  Rather than standing up for what’s right, they choose the more expedient alternative of looking the other way. 

Shooting the messenger ensures that no one else will ever report that something’s wrong.  When honest and hardworking employees see good people sacrificed for unethical managers, they’ll learn not to stick their necks out.  And when employees stop reporting problems, companies eventually get into bigger trouble.  When employees start quitting in droves, maybe it’s an indication there’s something wrong with the management.  Nevertheless, you should always do your part to keep your company’s actions honest and ethical, and sometimes that includes reporting unethical behavior. 

It’s sad that some companies encourage their employees to report safety violations but not other forms of wrongdoing.  If you find yourself working for a company that consistently punishes employees for reporting wrongdoing, you’re working for an unethical company.  This is not to say that all reports of wrongdoing are founded.  Sometimes there are misunderstandings when people take things out of context or don’t know all the facts.  In these cases, an honest and ethical company will make sure that every employee knows that it’s better to report problems and discover it’s a misunderstanding than to allow real wrongdoing to go unreported.  At some point it will be clear from how your company treats people who report problems whether or not you are working for a company that truly believes in honest and ethical behavior or if they’re just paying lip service to it. 

Unless you’re highly placed within the organization, there’s probably little you can do to improve a bad situation and you’ll need to decide whether or not you should stay with that company.  For some managers and workers, the issues may be important enough to put their careers on the line; however, we can both tell you from hard-learned personal experience that we don’t recommend it.  In most cases, it’s better to just quietly leave and find another job than to suffer the emotional and financial turmoil of fighting the system. 

How much do you really owe a company that has demonstrated that you will have to commit professional suicide to solve problems?  And, how much do you owe your coworkers balanced against meeting your family’s needs?  At some point, senior management is being willfully ignorant, so if you’re caught in a situation like this, run—do not walk—to the nearest exit!

At your exit interview, resist the temptation to blast them.  Just say that you were ready for a change, smile, and walk away.  Nothing you do at this point will make the slightest bit of difference for those left behind.  Getting ground up by the corporate machine won’t do your former coworkers any good and may ruin your future with a new ethical company.

Deciding to make a difference in the world takes genuine courage.  It’s far easier to keep a low profile and go with the flow than to stick your neck out.  But there are subtler ways to make a difference such as working hard and being honest and ethical in everything you do.  Sometimes this is very difficult when you find yourself working in a den of thieves. 

Given Allen’s German heritage and Bryan’s Scottish heritage, it has always come naturally for us to speak our minds.  But you may not have our genetic predispositions, so only you can decide how far you want to stick your neck out.  The old adage, you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar really apply here.  Oftentimes you can do more to positively influence others just by doing the little things like working honestly and ethically, and treating others the way you want to be treated. 

Lou Holtz offers great advise for life, success, and happiness.

Whether you have a spiritual side to your life or not, these are words to model your life after. It will put a thought in your mind and a smile on your face.

"If you take away religion you can't hire enough police" - Clayton Christensen, Ph.D., Harvard Business School

Workmanship by Allen Laudenslager and Bryan Neva (2005)

Workmanship

This following article entitled “People are the key value in a business enterprise!” was published from Rimini, Italy in September 2003 about the French entrepreneur François Michelin and the influence of his Christian faith in his business:

François Michelin, for 51 years head of the Michelin Group, highlighted the importance of Catholic culture in valuing the person, who he said is fundamental to success in business.  Addressing last week's "Meeting for Friendship Among Peoples," organized by the Communion and Liberation movement, the French entrepreneur revealed the secrets of his tire-making enterprise, demonstrating that a Christian can successfully apply evangelical teachings in the production process and in the market.  Michelin, now his firm's honorary president, explained that "a true businessman responds to the client, and this is why he is always looking for a product of better quality that can be offered, while controlling the price."  Vital for a well-functioning business is the ability "to bring out into the light the diamond that is in each person," he said.  In this connection, Michelin said that one of the people who contributed most to the development of tires was a worker who had been hired as a printer. Eventually, the personnel office realized that he had many other qualities, such as imagination and the ability to do research.  Referring to the importance of people, Michelin emphasized the specific contribution of Catholic culture and recalled the work of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who valued even the most seemingly miserable life.  "Every human being is unique, irrepeatable," Michelin said.  "Functions and labels don't count, the person does."  "Both in the factory as well as in society, life is possible only if we listen to and understand the other's reasons," he added.  "To love is to see in people what they are."

Christians believe that the ultimate purpose of business is to satisfy the needs of people rather than to increase profit, power, or material possessions for the owners, investors, and managers of a business.  Profit is only a byproduct of a successfully run business.  Part of running a successful business is recognizing the contributions of the employees through effective leadership and management.  But these can only take a company so far; workers must do their part in order for a business to succeed.

Christians believe that honest work gives each of us meaning and purpose in our lives, as we help contribute to God’s continued work of creation.  All of us have a duty to work, as this is how we satisfy our needs and the needs of those dependent on us.  “If anyone will not work, let him not eat,” St. Paul wrote in 2^nd Thessalonians 3.10.  Work also gives us honor and glorifies God when we use our gifts and talents to help others.  Work can also be redemptive as we endure the hardships of work throughout our lives it helps build character, and we grow in our love for God, our families, and others.

Work encompasses a large part of our lives, but it’s not the-end-all-and-be-all of our existence.  There’s a cycle to life: a time to be born, to grow, to develop, to learn, to love, to hate, to laugh, to cry, to work, to play, to eat, to sleep, to create, to mature, to rest, and finally to die.  But there are some who believe that life’s a bitch and then we die!  They’ve lost their hope in life, and they take no pleasure in their work.  There are others who believe they work for the weekend!  Rather than trying to live up to their full potential, they work to accumulate material possessions and satisfy their sensual cravings.  In both these cases, work is meaningless and a form of slavery.  But it doesn’t have to be that way. 

Some years back, there was a documentary on public television about people who’d won multi-million dollar lotteries.  After the euphoria was over, they felt something missing in their lives.  Their expensive homes, cars, material possessions, exotic vacations, and country club memberships no longer fulfilled their needs.  One man who’d been a long-haul truck driver before winning the lottery actually wanted to start driving a truck again because he was so bored with his life.

The lives of many popular entertainers are the subject of newspapers, magazines, and television shows, and most of us are shocked by their ostentatious, immoral, and self-indulgent lifestyles.  It’s fairly obvious that their wealth and material possessions have not satisfied their innermost needs for meaning and purpose in their lives.

From these examples we’re reminded that money won’t buy us happiness.  Part of the way we can satisfy our needs for meaning and purpose is through honest work.  Work not only helps meet our physical needs, but it helps meet our emotional, mental, social, and spiritual needs as well.

The world does not owe us a living!  We must take responsibility for earning our own way in life.  But, many workers sabotage their own livelihoods through poor work habits.  Some years back, the major automobile manufacturers in Detroit, Michigan began to hire poor, chronically unemployed people from the inner city to work on their assembly lines.  Most people would have thought the lure of a well paying automobile assembly line job would have motivated these people to get to work on time…unfortunately, it didn’t!  As a result, these companies actually purchased alarm clocks for these people and gave them classes to teach them responsible work habits.  Ultimately, the social experiment failed miserably because many of these workers were unable to learn responsible work habits like simply showing up to work on time. 

Many people who were once good workers end up unemployed due to poor performance and their inability to get along with others.  Some may have had personal setbacks such as a divorce, a death in the family, or a major illness, but others simply got complacent.  Excuses run the gamete why employees don’t put forth their best effort at work, but it really comes down to personal integrity.  If an employer, a colleague, or a customer doesn’t treat us right, it doesn’t excuse poor workmanship.  It’s scandalous and poor stewardship for a manager to cause their employees to be less productive; nevertheless, it’s still wrong for employees not to do their best at work.

If we find ourselves in a difficult working environment, it’s all right to honestly try to improve things or to just quit.  Unfortunately, most people choose instead to silently protest through poor workmanship and passive aggressive behavior.  In his letter to the Ephesians (excerpted from 6.5-9, NIV), St. Paul wrote:

[Workers], obey [those in authority over you] with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.  Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like [workers] of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.  Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does…  And [managers], treat your [workers] in the same way.  Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their [Lord] and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with [God].

Labor or work is a necessary ingredient for producing and selling a product or service.  The other ingredients are: Capital such as money, tools, equipment, vehicles, machinery, buildings, schools, power plants, technology, animals, etcetera; Natural Resources such as land, water, minerals, or anything provided by nature; and Entrepreneurial Know How which is the people who mix these ingredients together to produce a product or service.  Economists call these ingredients or resources of production Labor, Capital, Land, and Entrepreneurship respectively. 

Christians believe that God created the world and all its natural resources for our benefit; then He gave us the job to work and subdue the earth and everything in it.  Consequently, Christians have always believed that human Labor takes precedence over Land and Capital.  Regardless of our position or status in this life, we can all only sell our time and our talents to the marketplace, so no one should be ashamed of how they make a living.  Regardless if we labor in the hot fields harvesting produce, move furniture, sweep floors, dig ditches, design rockets, or perform brain surgery, God commends all honest work.  Since God does not play favorites, we shouldn’t either!

Businesses are challenged to find a balance between the various competing needs of all the stakeholders.  Therefore, all the resources of production—Labor, Capital, Land and Entrepreneurship—must cooperate with one another if they want to produce goods and services.  Yet the needs of workers, or Labor, should always take precedence over Capital, and Land. 

Each ingredient of production cannot produce goods and services by themselves.  How can a carpenter build a house without trees or a saw?  How can a nurse treat the sick without medicine or a hospital?  How can an entrepreneur start a business without money or workers?  Yet, different goods and services require different combinations of these ingredients.  Some businesses are almost all Labor such as a hair salon or a computer software company.  Some businesses are almost all Capital such as a finance company or a steel plant.  And other businesses are almost all Land such as a farm, an oil company, or an iron or coal mine.  But, it’s the Entrepreneur—a person who works or Labors—who combines these ingredients to produce goods or services, which proves that Labor always takes precedence over Capital and Land.

A corollary to this principal of the primacy of work or Labor over the other ingredients of production is our right to own property.  Our basic human right to own Capital or Land is necessary so we can provide for ourselves and those dependent on us.  For example, how could we live without food to eat, clothing to wear, a house to live in, or transportation to get us to work?  Or, how could we be psychologically balanced if we didn’t have pastimes and hobbies?

Our right to own private property also includes technology, skills, know-how, and other intangible assets.  For example, a physician must invest about twelve years and hundreds of thousands of dollars to earn the right to practice medicine and surgery.  Consequently, they should have the right to fully profit from their intellectual investment to practice medicine and surgery.  A person who writes a best selling novel owns the copyright for publishing that book.  They deserve to profit from their intellectual labor for writing that book.  A person who invents a popular device deserves to fully profit from the sales of their invention.  And a movie or record company deserves to profit from the movies or records they produce.

Futurists have predicted that work will eventually evolve into something akin to George Jetson solely arriving at Spacely Sprockets and pushing one button to start the machines and robots that actually do the work of production.  The implication is that technology will eventually displace jobs and cause greater unemployment.  We on the other hand are not inclined to believe this scenario of the future where jobs and careers will disappear.  

Although it’s true that the nature of work has evolved over the centuries and many tasks are now performed more efficiently by technology, it’s not likely that work or labor will ever go away.  For example, fifty years ago office documents were reproduced by dozens of secretaries working in a huge manual typing room.  Today, one administrative assistant can produce as much using a computer word processor, a printer, and a copy machine.  So technology has eliminated some jobs, but it has created even more jobs in engineering, computer programming, manufacturing, and electronic repair.  

Another reason we’re not pessimistic about the future of work is that God established work for our benefit.  Work is sacred.  Although technology has altered the way we work, it has not altered our basic humanity.  Times change, things change, but people basically don’t change.  So as long as there are human needs and wants, there will always be work regardless of the technology that helps to satisfy them.

With the exception of very few people, all of us must work for a living.  Unfortunately, even homeless people have to eke out a meager living for themselves.  All honest work is commendable, and a big part of applying Judeo-Christian business principals is getting up and going to work everyday.  And doing our best at work everyday—despite obstacles and impediments—shows moral maturity and genuine love for God and others.  It’s easy to criticize poor leadership and management; it’s harder to be critical of our own poor workmanship.  Before we criticize others, we should honestly look at our own work habits. 

Investors by Allen Laudenslager & Bryan Neva (2005)

With all the turmoil in the stock market this past week, I thought I'd post an article my writing partner Allen and I wrote over ten years ago about business investors.

_________*_________

Investors

Investors supply the capital (money, buildings, or machinery) an entrepreneur needs to start a business. Given the high risk of failure for new companies, investors typically demand a very high rate of return (RoR) on loans or a significant equity ownership stake in the business. If the company is not yet publicly traded, the stock is purchased directly from the company and the money is used either as startup or operating capital. In these cases, the investor generally has some relationship with the founder or someone involved in the day-to-day operation of the business. If the stock is publicly traded the investor is less likely to know the founder or any of the people operating the business.

Investors have perhaps the simplest needs of any of the divers groups of business stakeholders because their involvement is mostly financial. This is not to say that the investors don't care what the business is or what it's business practices are, but first and foremost the investors want a return on their investment (ROI). Money hidden under a mattress actually loses money because a dollar today is worth more than a dollar a year from now which why interest is typically paid for the use of that dollar. So money is generally put to work so that it generates more money and doesn't lose its value. We all work hard for our money, so it's only fair that our money work hard for us. Once the investor is satisfied with the ROI then they need to be satisfied with the kind of product or service supplied and how the business is managed.

Warren Buffet (nicknamed the "Oracle of Omaha") is probably the most famous investor today. Starting in 1957, he amassed a multi-billion dollar fortune from very astute, long-term investments through his investment partnership company Berkshire Hathaway. Typically, his company makes investments in undervalued companies that are frugally managed and have good long-term growth potential. Berkshire Hathaway has outperformed the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average for over forty years. Buffet is a graduate of the University of Nebraska and also has a Masters in Economics from Columbia University. His father was a stockbroker and U.S. Congressman from Nebraska.

Buffet has been very successful because he looks at the big picture and invests for the long-term. When Buffet buys a privately held company, he'll remind the owners that the company isn't worth a cent more after sale than it was before the sale. His involvement after he buys a company is to hire the top managers and establish their compensation package. Usually his top managers work for relatively small base salaries (around $100,000 per year) and a significant share of the profits. If their companies earn a good profit, the managers can earn millions, but if they don't earn a profit, the managers only earn their base salaries. Needless to say, his managers could lose their jobs if their companies consistently lose money. Buffet's most famous quote is, "If a business does well, the stock eventually follows!"

Where the investor looks beyond the ROI there are many non-monetary needs to fill. For example, some investors will buy stock in a company that operates pornographic websites if the ROI is high enough; others will not invest in that type of business, no mater what the return. Beyond the simple decision to invest in a certain type of business, other investors will look at management practices. The most obvious example is the investor who seeks out businesses that try to minimize their impact on the environment such as “green” mutual funds that only invest in environmentally friendly companies. There are other investors that only invest in companies which practice social justice.

Father Claude Lenehan, O.F.M. (a simple Franciscan Friar who resides at St. Anthony Friary in Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey) has spent the better part of his professional life advocating corporate responsibility and social justice. Under the umbrella of a socially conscience, religious advocacy organization that promotes corporate business responsibility through its members (The Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, www.iccr.org; the organization includes most of all the major Protestant Christian denominations and over 270 Catholic Christian religious orders and diocese) he has tirelessly worked to influence multinational corporations into behaving ethically and responsibly especially with people in developing nations. He's done this mainly through an active role as a proxy at shareholder meetings that make decisions on corporate governance. Father Claude believes we all should use some of our investment dollars to help the poor in underdeveloped countries rather than exploiting them.

For Father Claude, being a good investor means being a good steward of our investment capital: finding a balance between the practical and the charitable; that is, the practical side of investing would be going after the highest yield with the lowest risk and the charitable side of investing would be perpetuating the condition of the poor and fostering dependency. In his unpublished essay titled Roman Catholic Rationale For Alternative Investments, Father Claude writes: 

Generally, alternative investments use their resources in low interest, long-term loans for development projects, leading to self-reliance, social justice and people’s participation in their own economic growth. Capital is thus used in response to poverty and under-development. Furthermore, it would challenge us to examine our unquestioning investment in the multi-national corporations and commercial banks, which can be exploitive in their pursuit of profit. Alternative investments would be “good news for the poor” and a sign of the times in accord with the challenge Pope John Paul II addressed to American Catholics on the use of our (financial) resources: “Nowhere does Christ condemn the mere possession of earthly goods as such. Instead, he pronounces very harsh words against those who use their possessions in a selfish way, without paying attention to the needs of others. Christ demands openness from the rich, the affluent, the economically advanced; openness to the poor, the underdeveloped and the disadvantaged. Christ demands an openness that is more than benign attention, more than token action or half-hearted efforts that leave the poor as destitute as before or even more so (Pope John Paul II, October 2, 1979, New York, NY).” 

_________*_________
As investors, we all have to be cognizant of our important role in business and the good our investment dollars are doing.