cover image Good Company: How to Build a Business Without Losing Your Values

Good Company: How to Build a Business Without Losing Your Values

Julietta Dexter. Atlantic, $17.95 trade paper (272p) ISBN 978-1-78649-722-2

“Never waste a crisis,” warns Dexter, founder of the PR firm The Communications Store, in her impassioned if familiar debut. Between the pandemic, the crashing economy, and her growing understanding of social justice as the Black Lives Matter movement gained traction across the U.S., Dexter explains how she refocused her energy on ensuring that her business is a force for good. Central to her perspective is that changes are afoot in the business world, as CEOs are being forced out for misbehavior and companies are losing significant work hours and productivity to employee stress. To help businesses focus on doing good while succeeding, she presents a number of tried-and-true tips, such as “encourage failure” and “be open to criticism.” She also advises on ways to revamp a company’s culture, craft a mission statement (“A core values statement is only as good as a company’s willingness to live up to it”), improve communication (tell the truth and be kind), and recruit strong teams (hire with diversity in mind). While she’s encouraging with her mission to “work hard, do good, stay humble,” nothing here hasn’t been said before, many times over. While the ideas are sound, this mostly feels like a missed opportunity. (Nov.)