People

People.

That is what business is for.

When a business forgets that and puts their policies and profit margins above the people they serve, I believe that business is not a success. Are policies and profit margins important? Yes. However, there should be exceptions to every policy rule and profit should never be put as a higher priority than the person that needs service.

Charles Handy points that out in his article entitled What is a Business For? He mentions the importance of rules and laws in business, but that those rules and laws depend on truth and trust. To know that a business is truthful and trustworthy, that business needs to have policies that are virtuous and the people in that business need to be people of integrity. When an economy is full of good people who own businesses with integrity, that economy flourishes.

According to Handy, the purpose for the existence of businesses is not solely to make a profit. "It is to make a profit so that the business can do something more or better."

A couple solutions I agree with that Handy suggests are to run the business like a community and to pay dividends to those who contribute their skills and not only to those who contribute their money. I agree with these solutions because when a business is a community, there is a shared vision. When there is a shared vision, great things happen, and people love to come to work. And, if a business rewards those within the business who are there the most as well as those who are shareholders, there is loyalty and trust. With loyalty and trust, a business can also achieve much more than when it is constantly looking for new hires and training new people.

I know that, as a customer, I prefer to support the businesses that put people first. I prefer the ones that are charitable and trustworthy.