#46 – Half Baked Promises: When Contracts Can't Protect Culture, As Told by Ben & Jerry's

How do you protect what your company stands for – when that can't be written into a contract? This week, Gene dives into Ben & Jerry's Unilever deal – and Jerry's recent exit from the company – to unpack one of the toughest challenges in negotiation: defending values when profit and principle collide. From the ice cream brand's fight to preserve its social mission to the legal and strategic tools they tried to use to "hardwire" their culture into a corporate merger, this episode explores what happens when ideals hit the limits of a deal. If you've ever faced a negotiation where what matters most isn't on the balance sheet, this conversation will change the way you think about leverage, trust, and the true power – and limits – of a contract. Remember: negotiation is life. Mentioned in this episode: Ice Cream Social: The Struggle for the Soul of Ben & Jerry's by Brad Edmondson PennState's Berkey Creamery