Changing Business From the Inside Out by Timothy J. Mohin - Book review

Changing Business from the Inside Out

A Tree-Hugger's Guide to Working in Corporations

By: Timothy J. Mohin

Published: July 2, 2012
Format: Paperback, 264 pages
ISBN-10: 9781609946401
ISBN-13: 978-1609946401
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers










"The reality is that the corporate responsibility movement is real and expanding at a rapid rate throughout the world economy", writes long time corporate responsibility practitioner Timothy j. Mohin in his visionary and very tangible results oriented book Changing Business from the Inside Out: A Tree-Hugger's Guide to Working in Corporations. The author describes how working in corporate responsibility, within a large corporate structure, is the most effective means of making a difference in the world.

Timothy Mohin recognizes that there are only a very limited number of corporate responsibility (CR) jobs available in the corporate world. The author points out, however, that the number of corporate responsibility based positions is increasing in this emerging and ever more important role. For Timothy Mohin, CR offers a person the opportunity to combine an altruistic desire to make a real difference in the world with the chance to make a good living. Even without the official CR titled job, the author demonstrates how the dedicated individual can pursue environmental and socially responsible goals elsewhere within the company.

Timothy J. Mohin (photo left) understands that the market economy is the dominant institution of contemporary society. As a result, the author considers that very dominance as the key to effecting real change in terms of environmental sustainability, social change, and corporate responsibility. Timothy Mohin presents the empowering concept that leadership for change can take place from wherever the person stands within the company. Leadership doesn't require a title. Leaders simply need the drive to act, and then taking the necessary steps to make the desired change.

Timothy Mohin offers a complete and hands on guide to finding a job in corporate responsibility within a large corporation. Along with the techniques necessary to locate and land a CR position, the author shares the leadership skills to not only facilitate change within one's own scope of influence, but also how to transform the entire company culture to one of corporate responsibility. The author presents the following principles:

* The department of good works
* Skills for success in corporate responsibility
* Setting the strategy
* Running a data-driven program
* Environmental sustainability
* Supplier responsibility: Establishing the program
* Supplier responsibility: The four essential program elements
* Communicate: Talking about corporate responsibility
* Communicate: The corporate responsibility report and beyond
* Stakeholders and investors
* Employee engagement
* Diversity, governance, and ethics
* Recognitions, awards, and rankings
* Match your passion to your profession

For me, the power of the book is how Timothy J. Mohin combines a solid theoretical framework for the importance of working within the corporate world to facilitate corporate responsibility, with the practical steps to land a CR job, and to lead effectively within that role. The author provides a complete overview of the dominant importance of business in modern society. With that in mind, he demonstrates how to work for societal change and environmental sustainability from within the corporation.

The book contains the strategies and tools for not only doing the ethical and right thing, but also for making a good living as well. Timothy Mohin shows people how they can leave a legacy of both a successful career and having made a real difference in the world. In many ways, this book is more than about sustainability, but is also a book about developing as a leader. The author shares advice for not only developing one's own leadership skills, regardless of the job title, but also for putting those new skills to work for changing the company culture, and also the world.

I highly recommend the inspirational and indispensable book Changing Business from the Inside Out: A Tree-Hugger's Guide to Working in Corporations by Timothy J. Mohin, to anyone at any stage of their career who has a deep commitment to making a real difference in the world, and is seeking an opportunity to lead change from within a company. This book offers advocates of corporate responsibility and environmental sustainability with an opportunity to not only do the right thing for the world, but to make a good live by doing so as well.