The search for GOD and Guiness - A book review.

"The Search for GOD and Guinness" by Stephen Mansfield.
I was impressed with Mr. Mansfield's coverage of the history of the Guinness brewery and the Guinness clan. From its start in the 1700's until its merger with Grand metropolitan in 1997, Guinness was a leader in corporate life and culture.

The first Arthur Guinness started the Guinness brewery in 1759 by leasing property in Dublin at the ST. James Gate. From the very start Guinness did things differently, this lease of the ST. James gate property was written for nine thousand years. As his wealth increased, Arthur Guinness started the first Sunday Schools in Ireland, fought against dueling and chaired the board of a hospital for the poor. In 1800 Guinness was the largest brewery in the world. The head of the Guinness company was the richest man in England. During this time, the Guinness employees were the best paid workers in the country. The Guinness brewery had a staff of nurses and a doctor that regularly made visits to employees home to insure that the living conditions were such that illness was reduced.

In the 1920s, the Guinness employee enjoyed full medical and dental coverage, a reading room in the plant, a massage service, meal service, company funded pension, educational benefits and a guarantee of two pints of Guinness a day. During World War I, any employee who served in uniform was guaranteed that their job would be waiting for them when they returned and in addition, Guinness continued to pay half their regular salary so that their families could live while the men folk were away at war. During World War II Guinness guaranteed that each English solder would receive a pint of stout to drink with his Christmas meal.Throughout the Guinness history, one in ten decedents of Arthur Guinness would become a preacher or missionary of some sort.

The Guinness way of corporate management was founded on five principals:
1. Discern the Ways of God for life and business.
2. Think in terms of generations yet to come.
3. Whatever you do, do at least one thing very well.
4. Master the facts before you act.
5. Invest in those you would have invest in you.

If only companies and boards would read this book and take away the same ideals. This book should be required reading in every business school in the country. I am amazed at the effort the Guinness family put into the treatment of their employees. During a time in history when the under class was being taken advantage of, the Guinness family went out of their way to treat their people well and to know their employees by name.

Stephen Mansfield does a wonderful job of detailing the history of brewing. His detail of the Guinness family including those who choose to leave the brewery trade. Along with the story of thew Guinness families, he also details how Guinness enables his employees to serve their fellow man and their country.