THE NOBLE ENTERPRISE - BUSINESS FOR GOOD!

THE NOBLE ENTERPRISE - BUSINESS FOR GOOD!

The Continuum

Imagine a commercial and political world where the very first, authentic agenda on the decision tree for the leaders of the most powerful commercial and regulatory organisations was “how can we do the greatest good with the resources we have available?”? This then should be followed with “How can we serve that purpose for good profitably, so others seek to support us, invest in us, align with us and allow us to continue to do the most good possible in ever expanding ways?”

These organisations would sit at the right hand side of a contribution continuum.

This is in stark contrast with the first questions some leaders at the most senior levels wrestle with.? These questions are more akin to “How can we increase our profit?? How can we lift our share price?? How can we get a higher return on investment?? How can we ensure we get re-elected?? How can we retain control of the industry?

Driven by self-serving needs, these organisations sit at the consumption end of the continuum.

The difference between the two is as fundamental as the difference between night and day!? The first line of questions are based on service and the innate human tendency to want to do good for others, the world and, as a consequence, themselves.

The second line of questions are based on the perceived need to seize power, market share, income, resources, or the hearts and minds of others!

This is the real difference between a business for good versus a business for gain!? The difference between being driven by the need to serve as opposed to the need to seize!

The Noble Enterprise

In a business driven to serve there is nobility in the notion of undertaking commercial or political activity, in order to make a difference and to impact lives positively.? These are the Noble Enterprises that are prepared to stand up against the common dialogue of profit at any cost!

In these noble, services-focused enterprises the cause is front and centre.? The story starts with why the business matters, the difference we can make with the resources and capability we have available to us.? What we do and how we do it, always follow the dialogue about why we do it. A meaningful why is always about contribution. It defines why we should deserve to have people invest in and trust us, against all other alternatives!

In less noble, siege-focused enterprises, the conversation starts with us, what we do, how we do it and how we get the most from it.? The dialogue is a consumption based argument.??

How can we get more money out of the market - consumption!?

How can we get more out of our people - consumption!?

How can we get more from the government - consumption!??

Any time the dialogue starts with “How can we get more ... “ it is a consumption based argument.??

When a conversation starts with “How can we make a difference to ...” it is a contribution based argument!

Serve or seize, contribute or consume!? These are the key differences between the Nobel Enterprise that understands business for good versus the ignoble enterprise that only understands business for gain!

The Noble Enterprise And Profit

Let’s be clear, no part of this notion of business for good suggests business without profit.? In fact quite the opposite is true.? A Noble Enterprise, a business for good, must be self-reliant, sustainable and profitable and those taking the risks to create the business must be rewarded.??

There must be incentive to those who invest the belief, energy and resources in the business to want to keep doing so.??

However, at the core, the majority among us want to see people who have good intentions and do good, be rewarded, more than those who have selfish intentions and do greed.??

How much more successful might a sales team be, if part of their incentive was to be able to sponsor a new project for the needy everytime a sales target is hit???

How much more engaged would a workforce be if they had a shared project to contribute to a non-commercial but extremely worthwhile need for others and time was available to do this in the workplace, as long as the commercial needs of the enterprise are successfully co-existing???

What if the first time we put an employee in charge of a project the project was a non-commercial project for good and the recipients of the project were very visible to the project leader?? How much more effective might that project management training be, compared to a “business project”?

More importantly, how much more engaged might the customers of such an organisation be with that organisation?? How much more engaged might the employees of that organisation be? How much more considerate might regulators be towards such an organisation? How much more willing might the authentic, high-quality investors be to support such a Noble Enterprise?

Is It Possible?

The Noble Enterprise, the business for good is defined by the active choices it makes!? The choice to serve instead of seize, to contribute instead of consume, to support good over greed!?

I can hear the wheels turning!? Is this all just a hypothetical discussion?? Could it even work in the “real business world”?

The reality is that leading a truly Noble Enterprise is likely to be much harder than just driving profit at any cost.? However, the challenge is on leadership worldwide today to make active choices about the types of organisations they want to lead.

The market will ALWAYS buy more willingly from companies and people that they like, trust, respect and believe!

Being more noble might not just be a novel idea.? It may actually be a genuine competitive advantage!

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