Skip to content

Business Quote by Brian de Haaff

“There are many ways to earn the love of employees. Hamdi Ulukaya, founder of multi-billion dollar yogurt maker Chobani, made headlines when he awarded his two thousand full-time employees stock worth up to 10 percent of the company’s value when it goes public or is sold. Ulukaya said in a letter…” quote by Brian de Haaff
Download Open image
““There are many ways to earn the love of employees. Hamdi Ulukaya, founder of multi-billion dollar yogurt maker Chobani, made headlines when he awarded his two thousand full-time employees stock worth up to 10 percent of the company’s value when it goes public or is sold. Ulukaya said in a letter to staff, “This isn’t a gift. It’s a mutual promise to work together with a shared purpose and responsibility. To continue to create something special and of lasting value.”3 Apart from making instant global news, the stock award was also a shrewd business move. Research from The University of Pennsylvania shows that employee-owned companies — even ones in which employees are minority owners — outperform their competitors.4 It is true that Ulukaya now has a slightly smaller stake in Chobani. But it is likely worth a lot more, especially when you consider this research and how employee owners are incentivized to work harder toward the success of the business.””

Brian de Haaff

About This Quote

Source Speech: Letter to Chobani staff, 2020

Sharing ownership aligns employee incentives with company success, fostering purpose and higher performance.

In simple terms: Employee ownership boosts motivation and results.

Key Takeaway

Give employees equity to build shared purpose.

Themes

leadership ownership motivation performance purpose

Mood

inspirational pragmatic

Type

leadership business strategy

When to use this quote

  • company meetings
  • HR policies
  • employee onboarding
  • performance reviews

Key Concepts

stakeholder theory incentive alignment shared value

Questions to Reflect On

  • How does equity affect employee engagement?
  • What risks arise from widespread employee ownership?
A Different Perspective

Equity can dilute founder control and may not suit all business models.

2.3 out of 5 (7 ratings)

More by Brian de Haaff

Explore all 29 Brian de Haaff quotes

More Business quotes

Browse all 39,016 Business quotes