Humanism in Business

All businesses are in the business of solving problems. And if they aren’t, they aren’t in business.

Lots of people start businesses to make money. And that’s a fine motive. But people won’t give you money unless you help them solve a problem. It’s all about your customer and their needs as humans.

Humanism in business is a reminder to keep the humanity of your customer in mind and orient you towards service to others as your mission. this helps you not only interact with your customers more effectively, it will also help you feel more fulfilled in what you do

However, it’s also important to keep in mind that your customers aren’t the only humans impacted by your business. Your employees are humans too. Your suppliers are. The people who provide the raw materials your suppliers use are humans too as are the people who live where the raw materials are sourced.

A humanistic perspective helps you see the entire chain of humans who are impacted by the decisions your business makes. It’s a bit mind blowing to take it all in.  It is also a huge responsibility.

Humanism in business isn’t just about how you treat your human resources. It’s about using your business to help people solve their problems in a way that is responsible to the entirety of the humanity impacted by your business. It’s about ensuring your staff as a living wage so that they don’t become a drain on all the other tax payers in the country. It’s about ensuring they have health care. It’s about ensuring that you source your materials in a sustainable way that respects the autonomy of the individuals in the places the materials are being sourced from.

What it is not is a buzz word. It’s not about cloaking your business in touchy feely imagery to hide the fact that your business takes ethical short cuts. That isn’t Humanism.

The question that is asked by humanists in business is how can I run my business in a way that benefits every human in the chain, including myself? Business leaders who are able to figure out ways to make this business work for people at both the micro and macro scales are the businesses that are the most successful.

 Humanism in business is a perspective worth cultivating.

Guest Post: When Silence is Not Always Golden

As a former TV anchor, the one thing you dread is dead air… a too long gap of silence.

Yet as a humanist business owner, I created some serious dead air as a guest on a business radio show.

I didn't intentionally make it happen. But sometimes your beliefs (or lack thereof) get the best of you.

Now I realized the show I was going on was hosted by a Christian business owner. I wasn't sure if she knew my beliefs, as it was never discussed, but since the topic was marketing—not religion—I wasn't worried.

The interview went well. Then an open discussion followed for business owners who call in. As a PR pro, I had listened in previously, and knew these discussions focused on the topic of the interview.

Many people asked questions about getting publicity, which I happily answered:

“How can someone get the media to pay attention to an event?”
“Should I send out my press release via email as an attachment?”
“What should I include in a press kit?”

“Did you hear about this anti-Christian kids’ movie, called The Golden Compass? We need to get some PR and protest this.”

It was like a record player needle had scraped across a great tune.

My head was reeling. My heart was pounding.

How was I going to answer this?

I took a breath. “Well, the movie is based on a trilogy of books. It’s a wonderful series about a girl who saves the world she lives in by denying the love she wants. It’s not anti-Christian at all. As a matter of fact, one of my twin daughters, Lyra, is named after the heroine.”

And you can imagine the silence, the dead air… which felt like an eternity.

My instincts as a journalist kicked in and decided the fill the void: “One of the basic rules to get publicity is to make sure you have all the facts, and understand the background before you jump in with a campaign. That way you are well aware of what you are trying to accomplish PR-wise.”

And then… more dead air.

At this point, I realized it didn't matter how I tried to explain. My beliefs (and naming a child after Philip Pullman’s nonreligious heroine) were all they needed to hear.

It was a tough lesson for me.  I had never before thought belief played a role in business.  It shouldn't, but it does.

So it left me with a decision about sharing my own beliefs as part of my business.  Upon reflection, I realized Humanism is basic business sense. I don’t need to broadcast my beliefs, or even bash others because my beliefs are exactly what business should be based on: doing good, no matter what.

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Shannon Cherry, a business and marketing pro with more than two decades of experience, helps you to make more money in your business without adding more time.

She founded her business, ShannonCherry.com, in 2002 to help experienced and ambitious entrepreneurs grow the business they desire– without compromising on their principles. Her focus is to provide laser-targeted solutions to get fast results.

Shannon’s business has been debt-free since its inception and she consistently works only 15 hours per week to spend more time with her family in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Get her free training Ready, Set, Publicity which helps you create a year-long publicity plan at http://ReadySetPublicity.com