Be in the People Business

One of my favorite things to do over the holidays is to watch the move A Christmas Carol.  The film is based off of the Charles Dickens classic novel by the same name.  The movie has been reproduced many times over the years.  In my opinion, the absolute best version of them all was made in 1984 and stars George C. Scott as Ebenezer Scrooge.  I am not a big movie guy, but this is one of those films that I can watch over and over again.  It never gets old.

If you have never seen the film, or read the book, you are missing out on one of the great master pieces of our time. A Christmas Carol is a fictional tale about a man named Ebenezer Scrooge.  Scrooge is an old man who is tremendously wealthy yet also cold, uncaring, and bitter towards others.  On Christmas Eve, he is visited by several ghosts who teach him about compassion, giving, and the value of relationships.  Through his interactions with these ghosts, Scrooge goes through a redemptive and transformational change that leaves him a better man and an asset to society.

 The very first ghost that Scrooge encounters is the spirit of his old business partner Jacob Marley.  Marley, like Scrooge, was totally focused on “business” and gave no attention to making any other type of contribution to the world around him.  Marley dies in this self-focused state and is condemned to walk the earth in his ghostly form until his penitence is paid.  The ghost of Marley pays a visit to Scrooge to serve as a warning so that Ebenezer might avoid a similar fate. 

One of the best pieces of the dialog exchange that occurs between Ebenezer Scrooge and the ghost of Jacob Marley is as follows:

Marley:  My spirit never walked beyond our counting house, in life, my spirit never roved beyond the narrow limits of our money changing hole!

Scrooge:  No doubt of that, you always were a good man of business.

Marley:  Business?  Mankind was my business, the common welfare was my business, charity, mercy, forbearance and benevolence were all my business!  The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!

If you have ever seen this clip, you know how powerful the exchange between Marley and Scrooge is. Jacob Marley’s message to Ebenezer Scrooge is simple and direct.  Marley is telling Scrooge that the values Scrooge is practicing don’t work – all they produce is isolation, bitterness and death.  At the same time, Marley is telling Scrooge the values that produce meaning, fulfillment and life (selflessness, charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence). 

Jacob Marley is calling Scrooge up. He is calling him to be better than he is.  He is calling him to become all that he was meant to be.  Marley's message isn’t exclusive to Ebenezer Scrooge.  His words call out to each of us.  Marley is calling us up.  Marley is calling us to be better than we are.  Marley is calling us to be all that we are meant to be.  Jacob Marley is telling us that when we practice selflessness, charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence we find meaning, fulfillment and life.  He is also telling us that when we practice anything else it only leads to isolation, bitterness, and death.  I have certainty found this to be true in my life.

 In A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge gets a new lease on life.  After his encounter with Jacob Marley and the other ghosts he becomes a man filled with passion, giving, caring and love.  After adopting these new values, Scrooge experiences ‘true wealth’ for the first time.  And this newly found ‘true wealth’ only comes from living a life that puts the needs of other above our own.  

Like Scrooge, we too have the opportunity to take a new lease out on life. 2016 is well under way, yet it remains filled with possibilities.  If you don’t like where you are right now, all you have to do is change your direction.  Many times this starts by placing a new emphasis on the values that we know work.  Values like selflessness, charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence are universal.  These are also the values we desire to see in others.  

Moving forward, let’s make sure that we not only display excellence in our business affairs, but that we also display excellence in our people affairs as well. For at the end of the day, no matter what business we are in, we are all ultimately in the people business. 

I challenge all of us (mostly me) to hear and follow Jacob Marley's advice and rise higher than ever!  

Rise Above - all the best!