Ideals in Motion

What if the business of business isn't business...

Don't get me wrong. I know a company needs to have revenue and profit in order to remain viable; it needs to develop and sell its products; management needs to ensure that the systems, processes and procedures all work as well as they can. But none of this should be thought of as the business of business.

Companies are born to realize the dreams - the ideals - of their founders. The company becomes the ideal in physical form - or at least the mechanism for bringing the ideal into physical form. As such, the business of the business is the manifestation of ideals. From my point of view, to remain viable the ideals of the company can not be divorced from the ideals of the people involved and invested in bringing them into the light of day. In the beginning the ideals of the founder(s) and of the company were intimately intertwined. This marriage of ideals between the individuals in the company and the company itself is the source of passion. It must endure, must be attended to, must be nourished if the company is to thrive into the future. When the ideals of the company become confused with quarterly targets - when the business of the business becomes about business - there is a problem.

This problem can best be described as emotional disengagement (see Gallup). This is a state that's borne out of meaningless work. It's a state in which the individual is not growing; is not connected to dreams of significance; is not recognized by the system (the business) as being integral to the realization of an ideal. Paradoxically, this is the state that, in many companies, is accompanied by statements in which the employee is often described as "being our most valuable resource" or "our most valuable asset."

Resources are to be used - idle resources are an economic drag. If I am to be used what is the purpose? What ideal is served? Is it an ideal I value and can get excited about? Unless these questions are answered meaningfully I am not being used well - and I know it!

Assets are always depreciated - they have a limited useful lifespan that determines their "worth" to the business. To be depreciated...how many of us would willingly sign up for this? The very term speaks to lack of appreciation. Businesses seldom invest in their assets over the long term. The preference from an accounting point of view is to spend enough to maintain the assets long enough so that the useful life is achieved - then look for a replacement. Thinking of people as assets is a perfect receipe for disengagement.  There is much that can be done in this area.

What if the business of business is to keep its ideals and the ideals of its people in motion? How and why are the subjects of future postings.

Re-Branding...

It sneaks up on you.

Yesterday, all was sunshine and anticipation. New opportunities and new ideas to explore. Animation. Breathless and rapid conversations. The result of excitement about venturing into new territory. Excitement about reinventing what we do. 

Today, items to cross off the to-do list. Preparations for a long trip. There will be new people but similar processes and conversations. Where’s the newness that invigorates? How much of a role does the need for newness play in keeping my ideals in motion?

If I’m not experiencing some form of excitement the chances are pretty good that I’ve stopped moving. Specifically, I’ve stopped moving in a way that is bringing my ideals to life. I have to remember that ideals are to be lived into. The implication of living into something is that I’m entering spaces, places, situations that I’ve not come upon before. This is new. This will be exciting. There is challenge involved. Reflection, mindfulness and intentionality have to be part of the mix. 

When re-branding ourselves – our organizations – we are making a declaration to be free of attachment to the comfort of the known. Free of the comfort of the predictable. We as organisms – be we individuals or organizations – seek stasis; predictability; comfort. The great trap of the human condition is a striving for comfort. As managers we organize work processes to gain as much predictability as possible. We become slaves to our forecasts and plans.

To keep our ideals in motion requires a level of discomfort that many are not willing to tolerate. We view discomfort as something to be avoided. What if we viewed comfort in the same way? The Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard once wrote that “anxiety is the dizziness of freedom.” Oh, to be dizzy more often!