Conscious, Capable, and Ready to Contribute

What if companies made developing their people’s capabilities core to their mission?

And what if equipping people with the intellectual, emotional, and social capabilities they need to thrive and contribute in the world was a recognized and incentivized form of social contribution? Leadership development experts Ed Offterdinger and Catherine Allen know from years of professional experience that higher profits, happy, engaged, and productive employees, better relationships away from work, and a better world are the result when companies put people development at the center of their strategy.

And now more than ever, employers and employees know that embracing continuous learning and development is the single most important way to adapt and succeed in a fast-changing, complex, and technically driven world. But the challenge for leaders is how to change their organization’s culture and practices to support more conscious people development in the flow of everyday work. This book is the inspiration to change and a practical guide to show you how to connect all the dots and make real culture change happen at your organization. Your team is already spending more time at work than just about anywhere else—why not harness that time for the betterment of your company, people, community, and world?

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Ed Offterdinger is a catalyst and leader who has brought Conscious Capitalism to our nation’s capital at a time when we all have desperately needed it! I deeply admire his perspective, and recommend his and Catherine’s work here for your personal and professional development.

—David Gardner, Cochairman, The Motley Fool

Developing consciousness at work is the work of our time. Ed and Catherine remind us of the potential of human development at work and how it will soon transform business as we know it.

—Bryan Ungard, Chief Purpose Officer at the Decurion Corporation, Cofounder of the Decurion Institute for Wholeness and Development

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The scene: What if you woke up one day to find your award-winning company crumbling? Andrew Hyde experiences just this kind of wakeup call, and in the face of an attempted takeover of the company he started with his partner, Patricia Carter, he dares to ask bigger questions: since most workers spend more time at work than they do with friends or family, what would happen if companies used the time to develop the capabilities their people need to thrive in today’s modern world? What if employers consciously invested in creating the conditions that develop their employees’ full potential and encouraged them to use those capabilities to contribute to their communities, families, and the world? Andrew discovers that consciously developing his employees is more than just good business; it is a way companies can make the most difference in our world. Working closely with a diverse group of team members in his company, Andrew fights the odds (and the forces conspiring to make him fail) to save the company and truly empower his team.

In Conscious, Capable, and Ready to Contribute: A Fable: How Employee Development Can Become the Highest Form of Social Contribution, Ed Offterdinger and Catherine Allen explore what it means to create a true people development culture—designed to grow the potential of everyone every day. Using a business fable brimming with tension and compelling characters, paired with practical advice, they show you how to transform your company’s culture and your workforce into a happy and highly productive group ready to make huge contributions to your organization, community, and the world.

ED OFFTERDINGER is a strategic advisor and leadership coach with more than twenty-five years of leadership and client service experience as managing partner and CEO of large advisory companies. As cofounder and chairman of AO People Partners, a leadership development and people strategies firm, Ed spends much of his time helping leaders improve their performance and do what's best for their team, their business, and society. As cofounder and chair of the Washington, DC, chapter of Conscious Capitalism, Ed has been helping spread the message about the power of business to do good. He also helped grow the DC chapter into the largest chapter in the US.

CATHERINE ALLEN is a leadership coach and the cofounder and CEO of AO People Partners, a company that helps transform organizations so they can take their people and their business to the next level of growth. Bringing over twenty-five years of industry, government, and nonprofit experience to the table, Catherine has a master's degree in conflict analysis and resolution as well as extensive experience in communications, leadership and team development, change management, strategic planning, and intergenerational workforce matters. Catherine is a Founder's Circle Member of the Washington, DC, chapter of Conscious Capitalism, and she advocates for businesses interested in doing good in the world.