Taisiya had led a fortunate and sheltered life. Her self-made father doted on her at their estate home, and was proud to send her to Moscow to study. But Taisiya’s heart was to be broken by twin tragedies.
First, she lost her husband in a hunting accident, which left her to raise their five children with only the help of her sister. Second, by the time Alex was twelve, the Soviet state had seized her family’s land, turning it into a collective farm.
Together with her children, and especially bright young Alex, Taisiya knew that learning would bring freedom from destitution. For Alex, this conviction led to a strong academic career in mathematics, philosophy and literature. But his childhood had also stoked in Alex a rebellious fire of independence.
In 1945, Alex penned a letter to his friend, critical of “the whiskered one.” He was accused of anti-Sovietism for speaking ill of Joseph Stalin, and sentenced to an eight-year term of forced labour in the camps of northern Siberia.
It was here, though, that the strength of Alex’s character began to shine. His autobiographical tale of his time in the camps became one of the most celebrated and revered works in all of the 20th century—even endorsed by Nikita Kruschev.
It would be the first of many politically charged works for Alex. His life continued to be filled with turbulence, expulsions and illness. But the Nobel-winning voice of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was the clarion conscience both of east and west until it went quiet forever on August 3, 2008.
Doing the Right Thing
Solzhenitsyn endured the very worst of experiences. But those experiences also gave him the perspective to risk imprisonment, and the perseverance to suffer expulsion from the USSR, his beloved home.
In our lives in business, doing the right thing can often fly in the face of doing the profitable thing. Certainly, in cases like Worldcom and Enron, lines have been crossed that should never be approached. But even in the day-to-day affairs of business, that for which we and our customers are passionate can compete with the profits we seek.
Take, for example, the experience of Tom Katzenmeyer, vice-president of investor relations at Limited Brands, a $10.1B American apparel firm, and owner of Victoria’s Secret. In 2004, Limited Brands had been the target of ForestEthics, an advocacy group, which called on it (in a powerful PR campaign) to print its 400m catalogues a year on paper from more sustainable sources.
Katzenmeyer was smart enough to recognize they were right, and the two organizations have been working together ever since.
The 21st Century organization faces unprecedented scrutiny. No longer is it enough simply to deliver profits; now social and environmental challenges are paramount public concerns, and the public is holding companies to account for their actions.
Smart corporations are embracing activists’ perspectives (which are increasingly the viewpoints of the general public), and working with their critics to adapt their businesses to a new reality. Limited Brands is but one example. Ikea and WWF is another. Build-a-Bear is one more.
These partnerships are not about charity or philanthropy. They’re about adapting for-profit businesses to a rapidly evolving new reality: Businesses today cannot hide from the scrutiny of an increasingly aware public. Leading businesses are finding authentic, value-building ways distinguish themselves as good citizens. They’re hedging financial risk by anticipating what will become regulated in the future, and stepping ahead of the legal curve.
And they’re earning loyal customers in the process.
Like Solzhenitsyn, great brands will do what is right, confident that they will reap the rewards in the end.
Smart brands are forging partnerships with cause-driven organizations for their mutual gain. Choosing the right partner can mean the difference between a reputation for charity (which is fine) or an authentic connection with a well-aligned cause (which is better). Octopus is working to unite a number of organizations to forge such alliances, driven by our AVID System. Contact us to learn more.
Octopus Strategies Vancouver | London