Back in November of 2004 I read a great book called “On Value and Values” by Douglas K. Smith. Although I believe it delivers a very powerful message that is important for anyone in business today, it does face a challenge in that it is difficult to “sound bite” the book (unlike most business books!). Fortunately, Smith just authored two articles that summarize many of the ideas presented in the book:

The first article is focused on corporate leadership and how the change from the “World of Places” to a “World of Purposes”.

The second article seems to be focused more on a non-profit audience (it is written for UUWorld – a Unitarian Church organization) and how these organizations can contribute more in today’s world of purposes.

Since I read quite a few books I often gauge their importance on how often I find myself referring back to the ideas they contain and for how long. “On Value and Values” has proven very lasting and worthy for me – I view my world in a new way since reading the book and I refer to it often when thinking about my work and social life. It ranks up there with “Good to Great” by Jim Collins as one of the most influential business books I have ever read.