Transformation Principles : How to Create Enduring Change

Capitalism has long focused on generating profits, believing that positive impact should be left to non-profits and governments. But in the 2020s, positive impact and exceptional returns are inextricably tied. And this new reality needs a new set of principles - impact principles - to guide decision-making for investors, company-builders and anyone navigating a career as they venture beyond. General Catalyst CEO Hemant Taneja has developed these principles throughout his life, and they have helped General Catalyst - with 30 billion dollars in assets - fund, found and nurture some of the most exciting companies of the past two decades, while having a powerful positive impact on society. In The Impact Principles, Taneja explains in detail the nine principles behind his firm''s outsized success in investing and industry transformation. The principles will help readers: Understand the critical importance of a company''s soul; Navigate through the inevitable twists and turns when creating a new future for us; See through trends that don''t matter and focus on what truly matters for enduring success; Help build companies that solve society''s hardest problems, making capitalism a force for good; Lean into their better angels, confident that leading with curiosity and generosity results in extraordinary success. Moving forward, the most enduring successes will come from those companies whose tangible benefits to the world naturally result in compounding returns. Equipped with these nine principles, any individual or organization will be able to see through trends and short-term thinking and instead focus on long-term success that lasts for generations to come.

From the CEO of global investment and transformation company General Catalyst, this powerful, timely set of principles is an essential guide to long-term success, for business leaders, founders, and policymakers navigating a new era of technological and geopolitical change.

Capitalism has historically focused on profit generation, with positive impact left to non-profits. This system has fueled unprecedented growth, but has also generated unsustainable consequences—deepening inequality, widespread job displacement, and eroding social trust.

It’s time for a new paradigm—one that recognizes the inextricable link between positive impact and returns. Long-term profitability depends on maintaining public trust, societal wellbeing, and operating legitimacy. This new reality necessitates a new set of principles—transformation principles—to guide our decision-making as we build for growth and for good.

CEO Hemant Taneja has developed these principles throughout his life, and they have guided General Catalyst—with over $36 billion in assets—to fund, found, and nurture some of the most successful companies of the past two decades, while simultaneously having a powerful positive impact on society.

In The Transformation Principles, Taneja explains the nine principles behind the company’s outsized impact in investing and industry transformation, which will help you:

• Understand the critical importance of a company’s soul.
• Navigate through the inevitable twists and turns of building for a new future .
• See beyond trends and focus on what truly matters for enduring success.
• Help build companies that solve society’s hardest problems, making capitalism a force for good.
• Lead with curiosity, generosity, and a beginner’s mind to build long-term, continuously-evolving businesses

The Transformation Principles is a blueprint for leaders who want to create institutions that endure, drive inclusive growth, and reshape industries in ways that serve people and society while generating outsized financial value. Equipped with these nine principles, any individual or organization will be able to see beyond trends and short-term thinking and instead focus on long-term successes that last for generations to come.