If the reason for a company's existence is just profit, they won't be very profitable. Eventually the company probably won't even exist. The dollar sign isn't a cause. It doesn't stir the soul. Operating margins and returns on investment don't excite and inspire. As an ultimate objective on its own, the pursuit of profits is hollow and unsatisfying. Such naked greed is one-dimensional. It comes from, and leads to, the naked selfishness of "what's in it for me?"

Few people today want to buy from, work for, or partner with a company that's only out for itself. That's like taking a set of elaborate architectural drawings for a huge, luxurious dream home into your team or organization and saying, "if you all work real hard, someday this will be all mine." A few years ago we came across a mixed up manufacturer that had produced a slick little logo and published this mission statement