Reverence as a Business Practice
It appears that we have forgotten the purpose of business. In the very simplest of terms, I have an item that other people want and so I set about creating it, getting the word out that this item is available (marketing) and selling it. The buyer is very happy to have the product. There is a value exchange, even if my product is an intangible, like a service. In our current world, 98% of all money made and traded is due to currency trade. There is no value exchange. Money is traded on money. Nothing is built, no service is offered, there is no product. Equally, there is no craftsmanship, pride of service, extraordinary experience. It is a mechanical process, devoid of care, love, or anything resembling life. In truth, 98% of our ‘wealth’ is generated in a giant casino, money creating money. The last time I looked at a five dollar bill, no matter what I did with it, I could not get it to birth another five dollar bill just by having it hang out with other five dollar bills. Yet this silliness is the creation of most of our ‘wealth.’ No wonder we do not link reverence and business in the same sentence. There is no room for them to co-exist in our current model. To find reverence as a business practice you need to separate the wheat from the chaff, and then pull out only the finest of fine grains. Why is reverence as a business practice important? Reverence is about showing a deep respect for someone of something. From Latin reverentia, from revereri ‘stand in awe of’ (see revere ) (New Oxford American Dictionary) (To be clear, we are not speaking of any form of religious dogma, or doctrine.) It would seem to me that there are many places we can show deep respect in business, not the least to our customer, our staff, the product, the community we serve, the environment. If we want to create conscious business, reverence as a business practice is critical. Instead we seem to have created reverence for money, the making of money, profit at any cost. Money has become our God. This is not only a tragedy, it is our undoing. However, for the artisan business person or company, reverence as a business practice is what distinguishes them from the factory and the machine. Those who toil with love over their craft, who refuse to bend to the mighty ‘profit at all cost’, who intend for the customer to stand in awe of their product or service, these artists and positive deviants are like a fresh water well in a desert, quenching the soul starved for beauty in design, service, care... In the movie Avatar, “I see you” a modern adaptation of a familiar practice in many indigenous communities around the world, is a practice of deep reverence to another. How to evoke reverence as a business practice If you are a solopreneur, love your work. Daily.This takes thoughtfulness and practice, because we forget so very easily. If you work in a company, daily practice the deepest respect for your work, your fellow workmates, your customers. Practice most when it is hardest...when things go pear shaped. If you are the CEO of a company and you want to bring reverence into your workplace, start with you. Examine, with intense and painstaking detail, every aspect of the business that does not show the deepest respect for everyone and everything. Read the article on field effects, and precession. Enroll your board on this journey. Hire The Constellation if you want to accelerate this process. The return on investment will be beyond measure in ways you could not imagine. What businesses place reverence as a business practice at their core? These businesses do exist. The master craftsmen and women, who hold as sacrosanct the integrity of their product or service. Make no mistake, I am using sacred language here, as work, and pouring our love into our work, is a sacred act. Work is the majority of where we spend our lives. If not for love, then we indeed are as dry of spirit as the desert, and so shall our companies and communities be. I ask you to help me create an honour roll of companies/people/positive deviants who have reverence as a business practice... To get started....speaking of my own personal experience...in no particular order and with rigor because I am only speaking of people or companies who hold themselves to the highest of high standards... Vue de Monde Cafe In Melbourne My esteemed colleagues from The Constellation, Richard Hames, Laurent Labourmene, David Martin. My wonderful web designer and technical support person, Jane Green The beautiful Cheryl Richardson The fabulous Caroline Myss Michael Jones and his piano music that brings me to love most everyday Robert Gerrish and Flying Solo Chris Guillebeau and the art of non conformity. I am in truth scratching around for a company of size....help me out....?? Know someone, or a company or service provider who has reverence as a business practice?We would love to hear about people and companies you believe hold reverence as a business practice. We will be doing some research before we publish, so please be very discerning in your recommendations. We thank you in advance for giving this due consideration. To return from Reverence as a business practice to leadership development
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