Business is F*ing Personal
I have heard it a lot. Also recently. One of the few sentences that really gets to me.
A sentence hammered into iconic status by Michael in Godfather in 1972.
A sentence that I believe is so fundamentally wrong and out of sync with trends, research, consumer needs and wants, you name it.
It comes in different varieties and is often said after or before something inconsiderate, offensive or something that is against our values and beliefs.
And it is still being said today. In 2016.
It goes something like this.
It’s nothing personal. It is just business.
The other day, I heard another variation from someone asking me:
Why are you taking it so personal? It is just business.
Why am I taking it personal? Simple. I believe that business IS personal.
This is not an original idea — a simple google search shows many people, bloggers, media, researchers taking a swing at this sentence, and this is my tiny contribution to the conversation. A conversation I think we should have.
Personally, I get up in the morning and spend 10–15 hours per day doing what I love. Moving things, companies and people forward. And yes, I love it. I take 10–15 hours per day away from my daughters and my wife, the people most dear to me, to move things, companies and people forward. To make things that matter, making a councious choice and providing for our family.
For me, it’s personal. I love it. Every inch forward. Every challenge, every babystep. Forward. Upwards. (Often downwards and feeling that I am running head first into a brick wall.)
#Businessispersonal #wholehearted #fullself #wholehuman
Consider these questions:
Did you ever lose sleep over work?
Did you ever feel deeply motivated, got up early to do amazing work?
Did you ever feel hurt by comments or actions by colleagues?
Did you ever cry over work?
Did you ever dream about work?
(I am sure you can think of more questions)
It’s personal.
Speaking to people across different jobs and organisations, I clearly see that we do “what” we do with a different purpose. Obviously. The cashier in the super market, the people working at a factory, the entreprenueur, scientists, teachers, we all come to work — we all spend our time and effort — for different reasons. But we all engage. We all care to some extend. And we care more and more.
It is not just business.
We engage more wholeheartedly at our workplace. Some even write manifests of being 100% human. Some tell employees “to go that extra mile”, to make the service “as personal as possible” and some try to create authenticity and transparent organisations.
It is personal.
“If you need a friend, get a dog.” (Wall Street, 1987)
If that is on the inside of us and the organisations we are in, let’s look at the outside.
Are you making your customer experience more or less personal?
Are you as a customer expecting more or less individual attention?
Are you designing the experience around your product in a way that cares for your customer?
Are you trying to create relationships with your customers?
Do you even call the customers anymore?
Customer centricity, design thinking whatever we call it. We are all trying to create more individual and deeper connections with the people we engage with.
It is personal.
#Stopsayingit #stepup #wecandobetter
So when we know that, and we know that, what should we do? I will throw 3 things in here — but would love to hear yours.
- Behave accordingly. If there is a gap between our business behavior and our personal beliefs — we should try to close it.
- Stop saying: “It is nothing personal, it is just business.”
- Suspend judgement and apply forgiveness. People are not perfect. Neither are the decisions we make. We are all trying the best we can with the little we have. We are all in it with our full selves.
Admit it. Feel into it. It is #personal.
That is why you give a shit.
