This past week, I attended a Phoenix-area event, the Third Annual City of the Future 2020 Summit. The event grows out of the efforts of Arizona LeaderForce and the Collaboration for a New Century, which work to bring together nonprofit organizations with Arizona business managers so each can learn from the other.
The groups’ work is noteworthy, and I might discuss it another time. But for now, I want to tell you about the event’s keynote speaker, Brad Casper.
Casper is the youngish-looking CEO of the Dial Corp., the folks who help keep your body, your clothes and your home clean with such products as Dial soap, Right Guard antiperspirant, Renuzit air freshener and Purex bleach. Dial was purchased in early 2004 by the German-based Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, and Casper came on board as CEO about a year later. He previously had worked for Procter & Gamble and Church & Dwight (the Arm & Hammer people).
Casper detailed all the good corporate citizenship work being done by Dial and its parent company, and you can learn about that at the Henkel Web site. It includes a number of initiatives to conserve resources, make products more environmentally friendly and partner with service agencies in fields as diverse as supporting the “Lost Boys” of Sudan in Arizona, furthering science education in cooperation with the American Chemical Society and providing aid to children undergoing physical therapy in California.
His personal story illustrates the importance of top-level commitment in making corporate citizenship happen within a company. Casper graduated in 1982 with a degree in finance from Virginia Tech University. After a short stint in finance with General Electric – which he described as boring – Casper joined Procter & Gamble and soon found himself and his young family in Japan. He credits his time in Asia with teaching him what it feels like to be a minority and believes he is a stronger leader as a result.
About 20 years into his career, Casper said, he took his first Myers-Briggs test, which is used to reveal insights into personality and personal style. He learned he was an ENFJ, which in a nutshell, means he is warm, empathetic, responsive, responsible and capable of providing inspiring leadership. His fellow ENFJs include three U.S. presidents – Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama.
Casper’s experience with Myers-Briggs led him on a journey of self-awareness during which he read a book by Bob Buford called Halftime. The book challenges its readers, who usually are successful in their careers, to think about how they want to build on their success to do something significant in their world. In part, this question led him to join Dial and Henkel, which, like many European companies, has been engaged in sustainability and social responsibility initiatives for more than half a century.
In December 2008, Dial and its Scottsdale, Ariz.-based employees moved into a new building (LEED-certified, by the way). Casper said he considered giving employees a day off after the move, which demanded a lot in terms of individual packing, adjusting to new routines and the like. Instead, he declared a day of community service, and even with the holidays fast approaching, employee response was overwhelming. He plans to make this a regular event for Dial.
The point of all this is simple: Commitment to corporate citizenship really does come from the top, and thoughtful leaders see it not just as something to be checked off a list. Instead, they understand that it can energize employees, help communities and help their companies to find added significance beyond the good their products and services create.
