Rethink2

Business people must be proud. When operating wisely and ethically, they bring value not only to themselves, their people but also to the society at large.

The call for businesses to do better, to deliver results and to improve stems not only from the self-interest of businessmen but also from the way markets are naturally structured to function to serve the general needs of society and as a result, create value.

As the New Year is approaching, it provides a good opportunity to think anew our businesses: What we deliver and how? Which customers are we addressing? Is our business growing or is it in a stalemate? What are our responsibilities to ourselves and our people? Are we considering responsibilities to other people too?

Responsible business people must think wider and honor the role that society has entrusted business to play in creating mutual long term benefits.

A business, above all, is an instrument of economic performance, but we must not forget that it has in its ranks people and operates in a local/global society, and therefore it is also a part and an organ of society. It is its own goal to grow and expand and become better that, when achieved, also creates value and prospects for society. Thus a businessman’s responsibility for success cannot be confined to himself alone but must extend to society as well.

This societal responsibility of the business becomes clearer and more easily understood during business failures and bankruptcies where the business owners/managers are obligated with none or limited responsibilities while society is asked to foot the bill for the business failure.

So be it good or bad times, a businessman must also see himself as an agent to whom society has entrusted resources to fulfill a want of some of its constituents. To his endeavors, he is, no doubt, attracted by some inner personal want or ambition to do better, but at the same time, he must not ignore that at the same time he is having an implied wider duty to contribute to the society’s continuous evolution.

By assuming ownership of a business, we have, whether we realized it or not, accepted to serve at the same time the societal good for continuous improvement. Put it in business terms, we have accepted to strive to:

  • Make our companies more productive
  • Encourage new ways of doing things, new thoughts, new talent
  • Assess and analyze markets for new possibilities

And one thing we all know very well is that markets are not static. They change and transform continuously. And our businesses, as a dynamic player and as an agent of society, can neither ignore the change nor stay idle or indifferent.

So take every opportunity, be it the start of a new year or some other opening, to rethink your business: its management, workforce, products, customers, process, systems, structure, culture, strategy and other related organizational issues. For having a static or market deficient business is bad but taking no action is the worst thing you can do for your business and at the same time your society.

NOTE:

For further questions and information, you may communicate with the author and P&E Sardos Solutions Int. either by visiting their site http://sardossolutions.com/  or by email psardos@sardossolutions.com  or phone +357 99640912

P&E Sardos Solutions Int. provides consulting and training in a range of business management fields including Strategy, Leadership, Leader-staff relations, Organizational development, Culture, Business internationalization, Lean systems, Productivity, and Efficiency.

For CY companies, in-house training may be delivered completely free of charge to the interested company in the context of AnAD.