n terms of the values that are essential to their competitive success. They should support, and listen to, causes and groups that are aligned with those values. And they should be ready to go the distance on that small number of issues where they are threatened. For example, AT&T has been attacked by the Religious Right for its inclusive employment policies. AT&T was the first major American corporation to include sexual orientation in its formal diversity policy, back in 1975. The company's diversity training includes a module on creating a productive and supportive working environment for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender employees. Many of its employees celebrate Gay Pride Month, just as they do Hispanic Heritage Month or other cultural and ethnic commemorations. All this has driven the Religious Right to distraction, causing it to accuse the company of everything from "indoctrinating" its employees in "aberrant lifestyles" to "encouraging immorality." The company re- Pay Attention to the Power of the Few 165 ceives hundreds of letters every year protesting its inclusive employ- ment practices. The Reverend Donald Wildmon of Tupelo, Mississippi, who heads the American Family Association, even backed a long-distance reseller called LifeLine, which he promoted as a "Christian alternative" to AT&T. Despite the full force of the Religious Right's indignation, the com- pany has not caved on its diversity policy. That's not because these efforts have no economic impact. In fact, AT&T has lost hundreds of thousands of customers to LifeLine and other resellers that kick back a portion of their revenue to church groups. And the company doesn't simply ignore these groups. AT&T executives have met with Reverend Wildmon and others a number of times to explain the company's posi- tion and have listened respectfully as they described theirs. But the issue here is SO fundamental to AT&T's corporate values and to its own self-interest that there is no room for compromise. To compete in an industry whose principal engine