Happy Diwali and Awal Muharram.
We have 2 public holidays this week and I like to take this opportunity to wish my Hindu and Malay friends A Happy New Year. You see, the New Year started for the Hindus with Diwali. And tomorrow my Malay friends will be celebration their New Year with Awal Muharram.
So Diwali or Deepavali is the Festival of Lights. We have the usual spring cleaning, the welcoming of the new and the celebration of good over evil.
Wait. Did I just touch on ethics here?
But Diwali is the celebration of light over darkness; of good over evil. And that is true for businesses as it is true in personal life.
Businesses are run by people. Businesses shine and attract clients just as leaders do. But Nobody wants to have anything to do with businesses that hide behind the veil of darkness or those that do not honor goodness, however these are defined.
I don’t think I know of anyone who is completely good or evil. And nobody starts out wanting to be evil. But we make choices all the time that could be categorized as good or evil. And if we give in to darkness just a little bit too often, that may become a habit which will lead to the beginning of the end of our business (and lives).
So what does choosing good over evil mean in the context of your business? I’ll start with the obvious (but still neglected sometimes). Feel free to add to the list. This is a very long list so I won’t include everything here.
Choose Good
1 – Add Value, and contribute. Play nice and be Professional. Business transactions need to provide a win-win situation for both parties. Taking advantage of others is at the extreme dark end.
2 – Be Authentic, upfront and true. No need to hide behind anonymity or vagueness. Be proud of who you are and what you stand for.
3 – Mean What You Say and Follow Through. Let your words carry weight. Let your “Yes” be “Yes”. There was no need for contracts in the olden days. These days, contracts are sometimes signed and yet not honored.
4 – Respect and Honor Others and Their Time. Show up on time and deliver on time. The “I am on the way now” story and the last minute “something urgent just happened and I had to reschedule” will not leave a positive impression. You lose the respect of others when you do not respect your own words.
5 – Respect Others and Honor Their Space That means not making decisions on others’ behalf. The light of your wisdom and experience will attract others to you. Compelling and forcing will only push them further away.
6 – Be Considerate. Appreciate and Reciprocate.
7 – Acknowledge and Take Action. How else do businesses expect to win deals or build relationships? If they do not respond to quires and issues or leave them unresolved?
8 – Your turn! Leave your version at the comments below …
More Than 50 Shades Of Grey
There could potentially be more than 50 shades of grey. But some things are really straight forward when you get down to the root. The underlying principle I think is “Love and Respect”.
Happy Diwali. May your light shines ever brighter and your business flourishes in the New Year!
photo credit almostinfamous
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