I've recently come in contact with Mats Lederhausen, a former McDonald's leader who has some very interesting, inspiring, and provocative positions on the future, specifically about business but, to me, applicable to our world beyond. I didn't intend to share anything about him today, and don't expect to come back to him in the future.

But this comment, found here, is just plain worth sharing...

“My ultimate dream is to manage a set of businesses that all are born out of a purpose bigger than their product. I believe that is what my particular journey is about. I am somewhat tired of going to meetings where spiritual people talk about how the world can be a better place but with very little evidence of any tangible outcome. Maybe I'm impatient, maybe I'm intolerant, but I like to see things change in front of me. I want to see physical manifestations of spiritual intent. My greatest sense of spirituality or connectedness is when I'm with people who come together for a cause much larger than themselves and do great work. In fact, I probably prefer action with only partially good intentions over intentions only partially acted upon. And the best way I know how to do that is to keep identifying, managing, supporting, and helping businesses that have a purpose bigger than their product. I believe wholeheartedly that a new form of capitalism is emerging. More stakeholders (customers, employees, shareholders, and the larger community) want their businesses to think, to act, to feel, and to be connected with a larger context. That is spirituality in action. And that is what I am about.”

It is no small statement to suggest that a new form of capitalism is unfolding, and, to me, it carries quite a lot of weight coming from a captain of industry. I don't know if he's right, and I don't know if I believe he could be right. But I sure hope he is.