Elsie Maio: Five Reasons Why Business Should Put Humanity First
Below is a selection from a you-don’t-want-to-miss interview with branding expert and business strategy advisor Elsie Maio in which she talks about what it means for a company to put the well-being of humanity at the center of its identity and strategy, and why those that are doing so are finding great success, joy and fulfillment.
Here for the complete interview which just appeared in today’s issue of Inspire e-magazine, and read on for the five reasons businesses should put humanity first.
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… So A, from a business management perspective, it makes sense to anticipate the forces determining success and to address them. The reason to put the needs of humanity first today, is to be ready before it is the necessity, tomorrow. And to glean the leadership opportunity while it is still there. Business has a new vocal stakeholder and it is humanity, the global digital demos. Its collective interest is the quality of life on earth—the Web of Life. That’s the new factor and, given that, putting the needs of humanity first makes sense if you want to please your number one ‘customer.’
B, it’s the sane, self-interested thing to do when you are living in a system. Business also being a logical, rational machine, once it sees that it has this large, unified stakeholder, will recognize that we are all swimming in the same waters, and realize that this closed system needs to be treated well in order to have the greatest collective impact on it.
C, it’s the right thing to do. Many businesses do, passively or implicitly, hearken to a value system that cuts across cultures and religions, which is basically what some of us call the Golden Rule: ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’ And that’s right action, and when businesses act on a human level, they will take choices that will be like the Golden Rule. (By the way, as companies enthusiastically pursue growth in the newly popular markets at the BoP — bottom of the pyramid of income — ethics and ‘right relationship’ will be key success factors in the way they serve this economically vulnerable customer base.)
D, it creates a virtuous circle. Self-renewing systems operate collaboratively, with a symbiosis that recreates energy and opportunity. So too with systems of people – the teams inside and outside your circle whose behaviors are reinforced by positive experiences, which lead to more.
E, finally, I think it’s the joyful way to live. And we see this on a very personal level, when one human being is being respectful, open, collaborative, and contributing to another, there is a sense of personal fulfillment that is at the root of all social engagement.
So it makes sense for all these reasons: it is a rational thing to do, the right thing to do from a moral and ethical point of view, and it is the joyful thing to do.
