What happens when business schools continue teaching the same shareholder capitalism model that's driving our planet toward environmental collapse and social inequality? Professor Andy Hoffman, holding joint appointments at University of Michigan's Ross School of Business and School for Environment and Sustainability, takes us on a profound journey examining the broken state of business education and its potential for transformation.

Business schools were originally conceived to teach commerce leaders to serve society—similar to how we train doctors for the public good. But today's curriculum focuses narrowly on maximizing shareholder returns while merely adding elective sustainability courses that fail to address fundamental issues. Professor Hoffman challenges this approach, arguing that business education must evolve to prepare students not just for financial success but for meaningful careers addressing our most pressing challenges.

The most powerful insight from our conversation comes when Professor Hoffman asks what legacy today's business leaders want to leave. Will your obituary celebrate your contribution to society or simply your accumulation of wealth? This question crystallizes why business education matters so deeply. Students increasingly seek purpose, not just profit, and business schools must rise to meet this changing mindset.

Professor Hoffman's multidisciplinary perspective reveals how true innovation happens at the intersection of fields—not within siloed business disciplines. He encourages students to break free from prescribed paths, designing their own education by attending lectures outside their departments, organizing conferences, and pursuing independent studies. The market, Professor Hoffman reminds us, is the most powerful orienting force on Earth. By redirecting it toward addressing climate change and inequality, we unlock its transformative potential.

Ready to rethink how business can serve society? Listen now and discover how your career might contribute to solving our greatest challenges rather than perpetuating them. What kind of leader will you choose to become?

Link to Prof Hoffman's latest book: Business School and the Noble Purpose of the Market: Correcting the Systemic Failures of Shareholder Capitalism

Please visit our website, www.businessandsociety.net, for more inspiration.