Behind every business person, there is a human being...

The world of business can be cut throat and the expectations of business people often don't allow for a great deal of acceptance. Acceptance that we can be vulnerable, fragile and ultimately, human.

As human beings, we all make mistakes, we all do things or say things that others disagree with and criticise. Judgement from others is one of life's inevitabilities, it's human nature to judge others and that judgement can be made with limited insight or understanding of someones situation. One thing I've learnt in my 10+ years of working, expect and accept judgement, both positive and negative, but don't let it discourage you from striving to achieve your version of success.

Success is something the majority of us strive for, especially in business, but we all define success differently. Sometimes success is measured financially, sometimes it's measured based on the positive impact we make on the lives of others, regardless of how we define it, we should all be entitled to our own definition.

Whilst there are laws, legislation, rules and regulation that must be adhered to by all businesses, there are plenty of grey areas when it comes down to how businesses and business people can and can't conduct themselves. This regularly leads to differing opinions and one persons ingenuity or creativity, is another persons bad practice. Business is not conducted on a level playing field, all businesses aren't operating with the same resources, so inevitably some businesses and their people have to come up with creative ways to compete.

I run what is essentially a start up business, a business trying to introduce a new idea/concept to an industry, and it's hard! It's hard to get an audience with the people I want to speak to, its hard to compete with companies that have greater resources and reputations than I do, but I don't let that deter me. Success, or my version of it anyway, is supposed to be hard, if it wasn't, everyone would be doing it.

I have been told...

"That's not the right way to market your product"

"You're product is not unique"

"Your presentation skills need work"

"You are wasting peoples time"

"The industry won't do things that way because of X, Y and Z"

I'm a human being and I'd be lying if I said I'm delighted when I receive criticism, I'm not, if it's constructive it's much easier to take, but it's not alway constructive. That said, after the initial disappointment, I try my very best to turn that negative into a positive and use that criticism as motivation. Not motivation to prove someone else wrong, because I'm not doing it for them, it motivates me to prove myself right!

None of us are immune to criticism and judgement, none of us are entitled to live lives void of negativity or disdain towards us or what we're doing, but we are entitled to believe in ourselves, in spite of what others might say or think.

Empathy is something I personally believe is lacking in the business community, not by everyone, but by a good number of people. I always try and remember, regardless of what my definition of success is, everyone is ultimately trying to do what they believe is best for them and the people they care about.

When I receive criticism or someone calls me a dick head or says my business is shit, I try to see things from their perspective, and soon realise I don't have full context, I don't know the pressures they are under or the challenges they are facing. I can then picture a human being, someone who is experiencing pressure like I am or facing similar challenges to me, it makes it easier to empathise.

As the cliche goes, you can't please all of the people all of the time, especially if your trying to achieve something on a large scale. Throughout history, no one who achieved anything of note did it without upsetting one or two people or attracting one or two detractors, but you don't have to abandon kindness, respect and empathy to be successful in business.

Without human beings, there are no business people!