The #7links Challenge – A Look Back at The Last Few Months
July 23, 2010It's business and it is personal
July 26, 2010
There is a saying that floats around the business world that was immortalized in the film, the Godfather: Part III,:
Don Lucchesi: It’s not personal. It’s business.
Michael Corleone: Very well. You want to do business with me. I will do business with you.
‘It’s not personal. It’s business’ What does the saying imply? To me it implies that if it’s not personal it’s a purely functional relationship or transaction. Would you agree?
Then I started to think about how it is used in every day business and wondered: Is this saying used anymore? Does it apply? Can something just be all business and not personal?
For many people and businesses, separating the business and personal dimensions is a choice. However, if we think about many of the businesses that we admire or aspire to be like and the way they manage their businesses, their relationships, their people etc then the personal dimension in their business is one of the things that sets them apart. Consider these situations:
- When a customer needs a problem solved…..
- What motivates a business owner to succeed…..
- Why we want to be part of a high performing team…..
- Why we strive to create a happier workplace……
All of these things are business but are also personal.
I think many companies take the route that it’s business and not personal. Why? Because to care and make it personal takes effort and work. But, it can also be the thing that marks you out as different from your competitors.
I think a better saying would be:
It’s business and it is personal.
What do you think?
3 Comments
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Hi Adrian
I just wanted to concur with your views about “business” and “personal”.
Most companies think “business” when they are developing strategies. They go through a series of steps to understand their environment – with input from within their organisation as well as “horizon scanning”. They they crank a handle and carry out some analysis. Then what?
The next bit requires quite a bit of ‘personal’ – there is ‘gut feel’ and there is a need to discuss, agree, arrive at consensus or else be dictatorial and make the decision for everyone else. We all know that both approaches are hard to put into effect – as winning over “hearts and minds” is never easy. Without geting buy-in, people follow their own agendas and go down tangents, potentially to the detriment of the whole.
So “business” without “personal” just doesn’t work.
Lydia
Hi Lydia,
Thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment. I completely agree and in the absence of any buy-in/engagement leaders start to follow their own agenda….and then wonder why things don’t work out.
Adrian