All companies’ customers, partners, owners, shareholders and employees are human beings.
Regardless of how good your business model is, how great the products and services you deliver are, how efficient your communication or sales are, one rules applies to all companies:
If you do not understand people, you do not understand business.
If you want to run fast, it is a pretty huge advantage to use both legs. This is something not all companies take advantage of yet. You will still be able to find fairly classic approaches to and understandings of what it is to be a company. Here, an imbalance focused on profit maximization reigns, which is a very important leg, but it does not come to full fruition without its other, at least as important one, which focuses on the overriding problem you seek to resolve and the people who need to find these solutions.
If you consistently put your focus into helping your entire company with focusing on one central problem, guided by clear and inspiring principles, it will also reflect in products, services and the way the company fares on the market. It radically changes the relevance of the company and embraces both the commercial as well as the human aspects that naturally co-exist in all modern businesses.
The way the most inspiring and impactful companies do business always ensures that everyone runs using two legs so that the balance between profit and purpose impact is ensured. You make sure that the company is designed for people, taking into account at least the following four factors:
Belonging
All human beings are social and need to belong, which is quite consciously and consistently woven into modern companies’ DNA. If not, everyone is aware of why they walk through the company door in the morning, suggesting an unawareness of the opportunity to be part of an inspiring community, the business is, simply put, worse off than others.
Mastery
It is crucial to have a clear notion of being able to contribute and improve over time. The need for mastery is ingrained within all of us and if you ensure all leaders and employees experience this feeling, it will reflect positively in the spreadsheets and the commitment to the organisation. Everyone should spend more of their time on what they are good at and enjoy, in alignment with what good looks like in the company.
Autonomy
If you believe you can run a business with the greatest talents without freedom and flexibility, you are heading towards serious issues. Work has been changed forever, which is a good thing because we are potentially headed towards companies that are designed for humans. The classic top-down hierarchy works; however, not well enough if you want to be relevant for longer than the next upcoming quarters. There is no one better way than when everyone works together, which is why the mobilization of a large crowd of committed people will always stand stronger together.
Purpose
All people are driven by meaning in their own unique way, which is why one cannot have a relevant company without its purpose playing a crucial part in everything you do. If you have not put a clear and inspiring path into place, it is impossible to move.
