The Breakthrough Challenge: 10 Ways to Connect Today's Profits With Tomorrow's Bottom Line

Richard Branson · John Elkington · Jochen Zeitz

Jan 2022 · Gildan Media · Narrated by Stephen Hoye

About this audiobook

Businesses today need to balance the pursuit of profit with the needs of growing numbers of people on a planet under pressure. While sustainability programs, government action, and nonprofits are all parts of the solution, a growing contingent of forward-looking leaders recognizes the real challenge: a fundamental shift in the nature of commerce. CEOs and other leaders must focus the practice of business on social, environmental, and economic benefitnot only because it will make the world a better place, but because it will ensure lasting profitability and success in the business climate of tomorrow. The Breakthrough Challenge is an inspiring call-to-action and guide for this transformation, based on the work of the B Team, a major initiative uniting leaders in sustainability. As founding members of the B Team, John Elkington and Jochen Zeitz map out their agenda for change. The most important goal for businesses must be redefining the bottom line to account for true long-term costs throughout the supply chain. To achieve this, leaders must rethink everything: what counts on balance sheets, how to incentive performance, who does what in the C-suite, and even what inspires us. The Breakthrough Challenge draws on over 100 exclusive interviews to show this shift in action, sharing the pioneering work of leaders such as Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever; Arianna Huffington, founder and CEO of The Huffington Post; Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, chairman of the Nestle Group; Linda Fisher, pioneering Chief Sustainability Officer at DuPont; among many others. Change-as-usual strategies are not enough to move business from breakdowns to breakthroughs. The Breakthrough Challenge shows leaders how to achieve a true transformation and refocus the definition of profitability on the lasting wellbeing of people and planetfor the lasting success of their business.

About the author

Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson (born 18 July 1950) is an English business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. He is best known as the founder of Virgin Group, which comprises more than 400 companies. Sir Richard is the author of a number of books, Losing My Virginity: How I've Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way. (Virgin Books 1998), Screw It, Let's Do It. (Virgin Books 2006), Business Stripped Bare. (Virgin Books 2008), Reach for the Skies: Ballooning, Birdmen and Blasting Into Space. (2010), Screw Business as Usual. Portfolio/Penguin (2011), Like a Virgin: Secrets They Won't Teach You at Business School (2013), The Virgin Way: How to Listen, Learn, Laugh and Lead (2014), all published by Virgin Books.