Making Your Company Human

Some call it a midlife or identify crisis but eventually we all go through it. Some go through it several times. This is not about getting to an age where you buy a sports car to rekindle your youth or run off to join the circus.

This is at your core and is suddenly right beside you with a two-by-four that smacks you right in the skull. The brave face masks our fear. We may fool others but we don't fool ourselves. The uneasiness fails to subside as we plow through on all the things we should do while we ignore what we want to do.

Your Title Does Not Define You

Humans are unique to any other species because we have the ability to reason and can analyze and solve problems. But that constantly gets us into trouble.

Justification for not moving forward on an idea or embracing others' input on a project can always seem to be explained in our clever minds. And this logic infiltrates our businesses, our work spaces and our team environments.

Pride and Measurement

We think we’re so superior because we can solve problems. But one could argue we create more than we solve. We are the only creatures who worry about what if, then and next. We are also the only beings who worry about having a purpose.

We want a legacy, we want our lives to mean something yet we seek approval from everyone but ourselves. If we can’t see it, no amount of awards or money will be enough. Without that feeling in the gut, increasing revenue can only sustain us on its own for a short time.

Think Like the Animals

Dogs do not concern themselves with that incident last July when they didn’t catch the ball on the first bounce. Cats waste no time worrying about your opinion of them. Birds fly void of any concern they’re doing it wrong.

Yet we spend considerable amounts of our precious time worrying about what happened, what’s about to happen and what might happen.

Teamwork is Not Just a Buzzword

Taking your business social absolutely nothing to do with a website This is at the core of business. We are not drones performing sufficient duties to deliver satisfactory results to the revenue line. We are people. We have hopes and fears and dreams and desires. And so do those working with us.

This is not to suggest your company should be a place where everyone holds hands and talks about feelings all day. But if we forget the human part, the business part may remain a challenge.

Making your company human may result in happier humans and a healthier revenue line. You have been warned.

Kneale Mann

image credit: flickr
original post: Jan 2011