As a business leader or entrepreneur, what is really important to you? Are you in business just to see your bank balance grow or is there more to it than that for you? Henry Ford (1863 – 1947), the American industrialist said that "A business that makes nothing but money is a poor kind of business." So, what drives you? What do you love about running your business or working in the corporate world that gets you out of bed every morning and ready to make a difference on the economic stage? Are you in business to serve your clients and meet them at their level of want? Are you offering the same level of heartfelt service to those who may become your clients or just seeing these as prospects or "peeps" that you have to sell to whatever you offer or is not a good fit for them or not? In a rapidly changing marketplace, the greed of a few corporate giants has been spectacularly exposed bringing into question the ethos and integrity of the business world. Is not it time to take stock and ask ourselves an honest question: Where do we each sit in respect of our values?
Is greed driving us to become another 'Gordon Gekko' like in the movie, "Wall Street" or is there alignment between what we say and what we do and how we do it? Have we the courage to cut through the web of greed where this has infiltrated our business? Values such as honesty, openness, respect, trust and the myriad of others proudly displayed in the reception areas of business environments around the globe need to be internalized, not just espoused from the lips of those purporting to follow them. They need to be coming from the hearts of those living them who really want to and can, make a difference. The world needs us as business people to internalize our values and embed these into the fabric of our being as we interact and connect together as business communities. The world needs the business community. It wants business leaders and entrepreneurs who are authentic and operate from their heart, who come from a place of integrity deep within themselves and reach out and serve with the intent of making a genuine difference in peoples' lives through the products and services they offer, whether locally or globally.
There are many wonderful, authentic business leaders and entrepreneurs already operating in the world and shining brightly in the sea of service who strive daily to make our world a better place to live in. Many more are needed to step up and upgrade their game, to awaken to their purpose, to know the contribution they are here to make, to play bigger, take action and DO it. Values based business, delivered from our hearts has the power to change our world. Living our values authentically will enable our planet to be a place where all can learn and grow and become the best we can be as our individual and corporate businesses generate new wealth that seeds renewed energy and commitment to operate from our integrity. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968), the US Baptist civil-rights leader said that "If we are to go forward, we must go back and rediscover those precious values - that all reality hinges on moral foundations and that all reality has spiritual control."
Putting our values to work in our businesses means we can go forward in trust and collaborate more with one another. Values based business will enable us to let go of the fear that drives us to compete against each other at any price but which yields a hefty premium as we deplete our creative energy and squander our valuable resources. Coming from our values allows us to put down our marker in the world of economics and commerce and to grow our business authentically in service to our clients and those who come to us looking for solutions to their problems. Values are the DNA we share in common as business people. Let us each keep the strands of business life strong as we stand up and be counted and live out our values in heartfelt service to our clients, one another and to the global community around us.
© Pauline McEvoy-Williams
