What if there was more to business than just making money?
What if business made life better?
At its core business is about growing and selling, making and marketing, producing and promoting. There is satisfaction in creating useful products and selling to people who are delighted by the value they receive in exchange for their cash.
But before there’s a buyer, there’s a seller. Before there’s a seller, there’s a grower or artist or engineer – or all three. And those creators are supported by a whole host of educators, managers, planners, financiers, developers, caterers and so the list goes on. Work is a shared endeavour where all sorts of people with a whole range of skills and energy are contributing value that impacts wider society as well.
A wider view of business that looks beyond trade, to the benefits provided, beyond individual goals to the greater good, beyond competitive strategies to constructing societies, beyond the profitability of deals done to the impact on lives lived. Adding value and making a difference is a vision worth seeking and work worth celebrating!
The Whole Value approach to business looks at the value of our work through three lenses:
It’s great to be reminded on a regular basis why what we produce is of value, why who we serve and work with is of value, and why where we are making an impact is of value.
It can be easy to lose sight of what all this business we do is for. We can fail to appreciate the value we are personally contributing. The dream we have of making a difference in the world can be lost and we can end up feeling more like a money machine rather than a human being. Rather than work with purpose, it can all seem pointless and a little bit soulless.
Revaluating value is an ongoing process. We need an epiphany moment to show us a wider view of the value we produce. That often starts with ask ourselves deep in our heart and soul, what are we seeking – to grow a bigger business, or to build better lives through business?
Generating lasting value is something of beauty that gives joy to the heart and warms the soul. Soulful enterprise transforms our view of value and brings dignity and significance to the things we do.
