Jonathan J. Halperin
Jonathan J. Halperin
Designing Our Future. Together.

jonathan.halperin's blog

Brittle Systems: Staying Connected in the Post-Pandemic Era

My experience this week at Heathrow is a small but telling example of the global risk many businesses face: multiple systems failing simultaneously.

Putin and Trump: At War with History

I have never been to the Russian Air Base on the Eastern edge of Ukraine in Millerovo, where attack helicopters, tanks, armored personnel carriers, and ground forces have begun the Russian invasion. The last time I was in eastern Ukraine, in Luhansk (about 60 miles from Millerovo), I visited a military plant that was then converting to syringe manufacturing. I was with Yuri Shchekochikhin who represented the region as a member of Parliament.

The Black Swan of Trumpist Insurrection, Part I

Fear, collusion, and incompetence are a deadly combination. That we couldn't defend the Capitol from an insurrectionist mob was a failure not of intelligence but a failure to be intelligent.

Middlemen or Distributors?

We all now have personal experience with the collapse of supply chains: toilet paper, produce, meat, flour. They are more fragile than we knew, for many reasons.

A Vision From Farm to Fork: What A Strong Regional Supply Chain Looks Like

Following sessions with the Global Alliance for the Future of Food (NYC) and The Emerson Collective (CA), Jonathan J. Halperin addressed the audience at The Chesapeake Food Summit (DC), urging participants to let go of the myth of a “neat, clear, linear supply chain. It’s a web, a network, a system. We all need to think in systems. Systems connect silos.”

What They Talked About in Helsinki.

Helsinki was not an aberration. It is time we stopped being shocked. Trump and Putin share common goals and values: absolute need for loyalty, disdain for free and fair elections, willingness to use and discard people, and antipathy toward media.

Markers of Corporate Purpose, Part II

Purpose seems to be catching fire. Empowered by yet another horrendous school massacre, students from Parkland have changed the American conversation in a momentous way.

Phones and Nuclear Power: The Network Effect Collides with the Tragedy of the Commons

The technologies we embrace reflect social and business values. But whether they embody our personal values is another question entirely.

A Fair Chance at Work: Employment Pathways for Excluded Individuals

Jonathan Halperin (Head of External Affairs) and Mike Brady (CEO) discuss Greyston's Open Hiring model and their plans to support other companies in its adoption. (Transform Finance Investor Network Webinar, January 24, 2018)

On Purpose and Profit

Many corporate leaders still wonder both what purpose looks like operationally and whether it really generates value.

Our Work with Greyston...

When we first started working with Greyston--New York's first registered benefit corporation, a hybrid social enterprise, and a world-class bakery--its history was rich and its story powerful.

"Bottom line, fair chance hiring is about the dignity of work."

Jonathan J. Halperin at the Smart on Crime Innovations Conference at John Jay College (October 10, 2017, New York, NY)

Plenary Presentation: Greyston Bakery and Open Hiring

Jonathan J. Halperin gives Plenary Presentation at PRME Regional Meeting Agenda, College of Business and Economics, University of Guelph (October 19, 2017, Guelph, Ontario)

Businesses Doing Good (Online Registration)

Jonathan Halperin "Open Hiring at Greyston Bakery and Beyond" (October 19, 2017)

The Capitol Pressroom: A WCNY Radio Production

Jonathan J. Halperin discusses Greyston's Open Hiring (August 1, 2017)

Brownie-Makers Wanted, No Application Needed

“We don’t hire people to make brownies. We make brownies to hire people. As businesspeople, that means that we are people doing business, but the people part does have to come first.” Jonathan J. Halperin quoted in beyond (June 21, 2017)

Jonathan J. Halperin keynotes at the Fowler Center for Business as an Agent of World Benefit

Leaders, change agents and entrepreneurs from the business, academic, nonprofit and government sectors gather June 14-16 at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio

Greyston Social Enterprise — Using Inclusion to Generate Profits and Social Justice

Today is the day we each need to decide: Do we want a society that is more inclusive or more exclusive? That is the question asked and answered by this small bakery with a great, big mission. (By Mike Brady, Chief Executive Officer & Jonathan J. Halperin, Head of External Affairs)

The Impact of Diversity, Inclusion & Equity in the Workplace

Jonathan J. Halperin joins a panel to offer insights on what being an inclusive company means, why it matters and what you can do to bring diversity to your organization. (May 15; Washington, DC; Free, Registration Required)

Teach Food!

From an idea in a living room six years ago, Mundo Verde PCS has grown into a nurturing environment for 538 students in Washington, DC, with two buildings, cisterns, raised vegetable beds, and nearly 100 full-time staff. It is a school, yet so much more. Serving students from PreK – 4th grade, Mundo Verde is an Ashoka Changemaker School and recipient of the Secretary of Education’s Green Ribbon School award. I am honored to have been involved as a founding board member and now as designer and champion of the TeachFood! program.

Trust and Risk: A Key Challenge for Today’s Leaders

Five years ago today, as the consequences of the Fukushima nuclear meltdown were still emerging, The New York Times published my letter observing that “trust comes not from repeated and paternalistic proclamations of success, but rather from the humble admission of mistakes followed by demonstrable changes in behavior and attitude.”

What Does Change Look Like?

Across the American presidential campaign landscape, change might look like a neo-fascist with a toupee, a scrappy septuagenarian democratic socialist, or the familiar face of a woman who might become our first female president. Quite a spectacle we present to the world.

A Tough Year Is Ahead For Chipotle

"If Chipotle is going to continue to provide an alternative model to processed, industrial food, it needs to also be at the forefront of creating systems to support that new approach, such as offering its employees paid sick days. Chipotle and its customers are now paying the price for leadership not having made that connection for 20-years before offering paid sick-leave in 2015.” - Jonathan J. Halperin quoted in Forbes (January 6, 2016)

Monday Monday

Pondering the categories and labels that we come to accept as fixed and true.

Where’s The Pork?

Chipotle lost about one-third of its pork supply early in 2015 and signs popped-up in roughly 500 restaurants announcing that “carnitas” was unavailable. From the corporate HQ, PR Director Chris Arnold positioned his company’s handling of this supply shortfall as evidence that it stands behind its brand that promises “food with integrity.” Indeed, Chipotle did the right thing in deciding to curtail purchases from a supplier that violated its animal welfare pledges and in refusing to substitute substandard product to make up for that shortfall. But...

From Inspired Talk to Concrete Outcomes

Beginning with a presentation at the FMI/GMA Sustainability Summit in August, I’ve been engaged for months in an intense set of ongoing conversations about food: past, present, and future.

Language and Sustainability for the 21st Century Food System

The words we use reflect the extent to which our thinking is clear or muddled. Speaker after speaker at The New York Times conference at Stone Barns on Food for Tomorrow spoke to the issue of words and meaning.

Creating a 21st Century Food System

As we recover from our annual Halloween sugar binge, worth $2.4 billion to the candy industry, rumblings of change can be heard from every corner of the food system.

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Jerusalem

Jonathan Halperin has been a close colleague for more than two decades. Throughout this time, I've been impressed by his ability to navigate a range of challenging global business environments with great insight and savvy. Jonathan is the rarest of all businesspeople: a visionary thinker who knows how to put innovative ideas into practice to get results.
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Jonathan J. Halperin's Vimeo Channel

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