NOT ALL ABOUT THE BENJAMINS
Now here’s a book for these post-boom, schizzy-market, sorry-we-blew-our-venture-capital times. In Why Pride Matters More Than Money (Crown Business), Jon Katzenbach, a former McKinsey and Co. senior partner, makes a convincing case that when the chips are down, chips alone don’t motivate employees to give their all.

Citing case studies from organizations such as the U.S. Marines, Marriott Corporation, and The Home Depot, Katzenbach contrasts the “self-serving pride” based on material gain (my SUV is bigger than yours) with the “institution-building pride” found in many successful companies.

Pride, Katzenbach stresses, is both teachable and learnable, and while it can build the bottom line, pride often precedes profitability. Contrary to the pop song, Katzenbach says that real motivation is not “all about the Benjamins,” or $100 bills. He suggests that the Marines’ slogan — “do the right thing at the right time for the right reason” — forms a more enduring basis for success.