A Note to Business Leaders from CEO
Shaun Belongie
With many years of experience at Fortune 500 companies, I've seen how the relentless pursuit of business results and profit margins can come at the expense of employees. But what if we dared to take a different approach, one that breaks away from what's become the norm in corporate America? What if we were bold enough to invest more in our people, and allow our business performance to be the outcome of that investment rather than the other way around?
New Belgium Brewing’s success story over the past 30+ years is the direct result of that bold business model. As a Human Powered Business, we invest more in our coworkers, and, in turn, they invest more of themselves in the business. We also consider our broader impact on the world around us. We’re certainly not perfect by any means, yet we know in the long run that businesses investing in the wellbeing of people and our planet show greater resilience and better long-term financial performance.
But caring for the wellbeing of people and addressing our biggest societal challenges, including our impact on the planet, is work that requires collaboration from all of us. While I’m proud of our ambition to change the way business is done here at New Belgium, I recognize this approach must extend beyond our own walls if we want to see more meaningful change.
So, my question to you is this – do you dare to join us?
Because I’ll tell you – we certainly have a hell of a lot of fun doing it this way.