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BUSINESS IS TO MAKE MONEY.
Right?
Well, I was honored to be a member of a panel discussion this week with Amy Ross about Conscious Capitalism. The question came up: What is the purpose of business, if not to make money?
Because that seems to be the universal assumption of our economy and culture.
YOU WANT TO BE AWESOME at everything. I get that.
The problem is that the real world gets in the way!
Here’s an example: You want to attract awesome, talented employees. But your business plan also says you’re very tight on expenses.
Which means you probably can’t pay people what they’re worth. Perhaps you’ll save money on hiring less-than-top-notch people, then spend a bundle training them up.
LIZ RYAN runs a consultancy named Human Workplace. They have a whole bunch of fresh and powerful thinking about seeking employment in the job market.
One of her primary messages is around self-respect and empowerment on the job seeker’s part, so I really love her thoughtful blog posts. And her illustrations too!
She really understands the mindset of Millennials and other fresh thinkers.
THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS has been an intense time for me. I’ve been in the process of launching the largest program I’ve every done, and I’m now seeing the results of that focus and energy.
I’m incredibly grateful for the wide range of supporters and partners who have helped me on this journey. Honestly, I never would have attempted this without them.
MEDICAL CARE is going through traumatic changes in this country. You might not be aware, but primary care family physicians are disappearing rapidly – either by being gobbled up into large care groups, or going out of business.
The net effect of this is that quality of primary care is going down and options are disappearing.
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HOW HARD IS IT to find great workers?
I’m hearing this complaint a lot this year, and it’s been steadily growing over the course of 2015. With a local unemployment rate at 3.8%, the tide has definitely shifted in favor of job seekers.
Just notice all the “Now Hiring” signs as you drive around town.
But this is a challenging time for employers. It’s harder to find great people, engage them in their work, and keep them productive over the long term.
COMMUNITY FOUNDATION of Northern Colorado is a local organization which helps connects peoples’ (and companies’) charitable strategies to the causes they support.
I had never heard of such a thing, so when I talked with Ray Caraway, their President, it really opened my eyes.
Their business proposition is fairly simple:
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LAST WEEK I talked about marketing to your customers, versus actually delivering what you promise.
It turns out that this is even more critical for your employee base.
If you screw up with a customer, you can convince yourself that there’s plenty more where they came from.
COMPANIES SPEND AN INCREDIBLE amount on their marketing image. But how often do you really see a brand message that well represents what that business actually delivers?
We’re really much more interested in how they behave than how they advertise.
I had a wonderful discussion this week with a group of Christian businesspeople, and we had a chance to explore this topic.
JOHN MORRIS HAS AN AMAZING STORY.
After a devastating snowboarding accident in 2005, John went through all kinds of turmoil. He’ll be incapacitated for the rest of his life.
But that propels him into making an amazing contribution to the disabled community. Read the rest of this entry »
The Values-Based Business 