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RECENTLY I WAS TALKING with a colleague this week at a Conscious Capitalism meeting. We were exploring why customers should even care about the character of your business.
It’s a great question, and an area which is shifting.
Customers look for the best deal, right? So they’re not going to let you get away with even two percent higher prices just because you think you’re the “good guy” in the industry. But there are many, many counter-examples.
Here we are, staring down the barrel of a new year. Fresh and shiny and unspoiled like the newfallen snow.
I find it really helpful to focus on the opportunity, to use this as a chance to be optimistic. If that leads you toward making resolutions or reviewing your plan, wonderful!
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IT STARTED WITH A WORLD backpacking trip.
Newlyweds Kelly Belknap and Matilda Sandström discovered the joy of generosity when they filled their pack at a local market, then passed out food as they met needy people during the day.
So they decided to launch a company!
A FEW YEARS AGO, Simon Sinek explained a framework he called Why-How-What. He was drawing a distinction between the way we usually market to customers, and a much more effective method of capturing the emotion and inspiration first.
I have a link to his TED talk at the end; it’s quite good.
I’ve noticed that the same process works remarkably well with engaging and inspiring employees.
HOW OBVIOUS is your company’s mission?
Is it so compelling that customers can tell you what it is, in their own words?
Is it so clear that your employees are thinking about it in some way every day?
RECENTLY I WAS READING an interview with Jay Gould, CEO of Interface Corp. He has wonderful experience leading a variety of companies, large and small.
He described a trend he’s noticed called “purpose-washing.” He uses it to describe companies that slap a message of purpose on their outreach to employees because they’ve heard that Millennials want that kind of thing.
That’s like declaring “New and Improved!!!!” because you want something to say on the box that looks exciting.
WINDSONG MEMORY CARE is a great new facility in Fort Collins, part of the new growing field of applying Montessori methods to help dementia patients.
They call their approach the Montessori Inspired Lifestyle®, and it’s revolutionary.
We all have fears when it comes to our declining years. For me, the idea of losing my memory and thinking is unbelievably scary.
UNCERTAINTY CAN DRIVE you nuts!
The market is shifting. Regulations are up in the air. Partners can be unpredictable. Employees are, well, human.
As a business owner, your job is to create some stability despite all this shifting sand. Sorry to give you the bad news, but it’s the only way you’ll make progress.
THIS WHOLE UNIVERSE SHOULDN’T EXIST.
How improbable is it that we’re here, that we have a wonderful existence with over 7 billion sharing a single planet?
Yet here we are.
YOU’RE VERY PASSIONATE about your mission. I get that. I wish everyone had that level of engagement with their business and job.
The dark side of that passion is that it can easily disconnect you from your customers.
How so?
The Values-Based Business 