Honest Business

Over the last several months I have given a lot of thought to the constructs of business and if honest business was a real thing or not. Some part of me is surprisingly nihilistic and jaded thinking there is no such thing and that the core of business destroys the meaning and good intention of it. The core being money, will drive people to say and do just about anything to make it, most times being dishonest while smiling the entire time. Aside from the cliché ill intent bad guy, most are not intentional with their dishonest business, it's something that just seems to happen. The fork in the road when things go wrong and you have a choice, to face the truth or bend it for your benefit. Though it's never this cut and dry, it would be hard to depict a scenario where the end result couldn’t be deduced to the fork in the road. Honest business borders on the threshold of charity, when sometimes the best business is not always making the most but doing the right thing. It seems the days of the hand shake are all but gone and the rigid contract has taken its place leaving little room for, “You have my word” to be spoken. Its very easy to arrive at the conclusion that business is war and those who win are the ones with the money, but I beg to differ. Yes, there will always be that dark underbelly of business where those that position themselves to win will cut down anyone and anything that gets in their way. And of course, we all fumble and lose our way at times, even those of us that mean well but make poor decisions. Honest business is not something that’s extinct, it is alive and thriving throughout this country. Those who choose to be upstanding will most often have more resistance than those who choose to take the path of least resistance. It's easy to lie and cheat, but it's very hard at times to speak the truth and to do the right thing. I suppose for some both ways come easy but for the majority of us it’s a challenge. Transparency is crucial when doing business but the bad elements cloud the view. The real core of business is not money nor the gears that keep it moving robotic, its made up of flesh and blood, heart and soul. Its people that do business and its people that do it honestly or not. So my conclusion to this thought experiment is that doing good business is a choice that not everyone will make the same. I need to remember that the partnerships we have with other people’s business comes with a risk, they might not really share the same vision or values. Holding myself accountable for the decisions I make with the business I conduct is paramount and choosing wisely with the way I conduct that business will reflect on all those who do it with me. Don’t lose hope and become jaded thinking that most business is dishonest, it's easy to do the further you advance in your career.

It’s a shark eat world at the top but the truth is that the shark is nothing more than an opportunist waiting to take and steal, kill or bribe for what it has. Surround yourself with people that do honest business and keep the light of hope alive and well in you. If you find yourself in a situation where you’re a party to lesser values then its important to trust your instincts and find something new.

Good honest business is the only sustainable form of business we have, all other forms are short term and the cost of doing such business is expensive. No matter what, the way you do business is a direct representation of who you are and that reputation will get there before you arrive and stay behind when you leave. ?