Flying Thoughts- Business Isn’t Business; It’s Humanity
My flying thought for today: Business isn’t business; it’s humanity.
You’ll hear the phrase, ‘It’s just business, it’s nothing personal,’ far too often if you have anything to do with business. And you’ll likely hear it more so after some underhand tactic meant to make money at the expense of other people. It saddens me to think that there are people out there who are primarily concerned with accumulating insurmountable wealth, when they have the platform and capacity to better the lives of many.
I am by no means suggesting that I am a saint, but I do what I can, both in my personal life and in business, to support those around me. People talk about business like it’s a necessary evil. Like it excuses behaviours that, under any other circumstances, would be considered morally inept. Not all is fair in love and war, nor is it in business. A deal is a deal. A handshake is a contract. Business and humanity should go hand in hand, not be diametrically opposed. Is the world of business too far gone or can humanity be brought back into the equation?
It is said that money makes the world go round, but this is fundamentally flawed. People make the world go round. Big businesses don’t make money out of thin air (or maybe some of them do, but that’s a blog post for another day) there always must be a consumer. A regular person who buys or uses a product the company sells. Without people, money is redundant. So why, then, don’t more businesses put people at the heart of what they do? My hot take on this is that because a lot of business is done over the internet nowadays, it can be easy to forget that the decisions you make impact people. That’s why you’ll always find me milling around with both clients and colleagues, the people that are truly impacted by the businesses I am a part of.
It starts small and simple – are your employees, colleagues and consumers being treated well? Are you transparent with your offerings? Are they treated with respect and dignity? Do they gain something from being part of your business? Fair pay, equal opportunities, personal and professional development and a positive work environment are all things that should come as standard in a humanity-centred business. But it is also far wider than that…
Business and humanity cannot (or should not) be separated. Where you have a business, you should also have humanity. Where you have humanity, you should find moral fibre. I’m a big believer in ‘do no harm’ but I’d like to think that the businesses I’ve been a part of over the years have gone above and beyond that. Instead of ‘do no harm’, how about we focus upon ‘doing good’? Considering the impact you can have on the world as a whole, on poverty, on climate change, on diversity and inclusion, and using your platform to take a stand – demonstrating a commitment to doing good for the world, in whatever ways you are able to, should, surely, be a focus.
Of course, businesses must make money. If they don’t make money, they don’t survive and therefore they can’t do good. But by placing humanity at the core of your corporate values, treating both employees and consumers, with compassion, ensures that you can meet both an ethical obligation, while also running a successful business. You might feel that this is reductionist, and you’re right. There are so many facets that go into running a successful business that it would be impossible to lay them all out here.
I do my best to lead by example. How leaders in business treat their employees, those ‘beneath them on the totem pole’ sets a precedent for the company’s morals and values. A little bit of respect and dignity go a long way. ‘It’s just business’ is never, ever an excuse for treating people poorly. Sometimes, business leaders must make difficult decisions that impact the lives of others. It’s an unfortunate truth, but putting people first means that you do your best to do the least damage possible. You do everything in your power to ensure that those in your employ are taken care of. That they have the tools and experience to succeed, and that you are a supportive figure, not somebody breathing down their necks looking at numbers and statistics.
If I get on my soapbox, as I so often do, this is the message I want to put out there…
A business without humanity doesn’t belong in the world. A business without humanity, does more harm than good. If you take care of people, people take care of you.