Companies are not so much in the business of what we buy, but the way we act.

The quality of being a great leader isn't something bestowed upon you on high; rather, it's something that you do. How you analyze, allocate, and align. Save the anointing for later.

Let's not call our wobbly progress from the brink of a global financial meltdown a "recovery." Why? Because we are doomed by our collective mindset to plunge into more financial crises as soon as we recover, says author and CEO Dov Seidman. The problem is we continue to function according to a 20th-century operating system whose catastrophic bugs have been exposed as critical flaws.

We have entered a time when how we do things is essential to our ability to succeed, says Dov Seidman. In this “Era of Behavior,” shame is a powerful social and business force and a behavior rooted in sustainable values. Shaming can even be inspirational. How? Shame is a key element of self governance and an example of a self-correcting force in a self-governing culture.

The financial and climate crises, global consumption habits, and other 21st-century challenges call for a "killer app." I think I've found it: philosophy. Philosophy can help us address the (literally) existential challenges the world currently confronts, but only if we take it off the back burner and apply it as a burning platform in business, says Dov Seidman.

Everywhere I travel, I hear the same refrains: "We need more regulation," or on the flip side, "If we hadn't deregulated, we wouldn't be in this financial mess." More regulation could be a very good thing, but we shouldn’t rush to regulation without asking whether it’s a list of prohibitive rules or something deeper, something that inspires consistent and right behavior, says LRN CEO Dov Seidman.

To many people, sustainability means solar panels, wind turbines and LEED-certified buildings. But sustainability is more than just going green or being green. It's a way of thinking about business — a mode of leadership and behavior that aims to create lasting value as opposed to piling up short-term transactional wins, says Dov Seidman.

As a CEO, I'm eager to put the recession to rest, says Dov Seidman. At the same time, how could we not take this opportunity to ask fundamental questions? Now that there are signs of recovery, there's a part of me — and I'm reluctant to admit this — that doesn't want things to get too good too fast. We could use more time to understand what went wrong with our economy.

Years ago, I heard about an unusual doughnut vendor who asked people to pay what they owed, and make change for themselves, says Dov Seidman. The practice told his customers that he trusted them to be honest. Indonesia’s cashier-free “honesty cafes” do the same thing. The best way to rebuild trust is to extend trust to others.