Having a great purpose to define our direction and actions geared towards moving in this direction are the pillars of success today. The bigger and more noble the purpose is, the more we engage in it.
Businesses want to make a profit. The question is how? Can businesses have a purposeful strategy to achieve their goals and make profits while keeping their purpose? Can businesses work for humanity and make more profits at the same time?
Glenn Melcher wrote a comment on one of my recent posts in which he said, “My best illustration of that is the hemp plant. How much better off we might be if we had used hemp as filler in the manufacturing of Diapers of all things?
Glenn then wrote in the following comment “now we are looking at diapers from every direction. The source of which are both our treasure and our legacy. Hemp can be produced at a rapid rate such that it can begin to replace the flow of cardboard being sent to our landfills. Reducing the plastic fill in diapers would also reduce the toxicity of our landfills and help preserve our precious health of our groundwater reservoirs…”
The issue that Glenn raised reminded me of the Finnish company Neste. This company developed the strategy to shift its focus from fossil fuel to renewable resources such as pants. This way the company creates a better life for humans by enhancing the health of the environment. This purpose was grand enough to shift the thinking of the company towards renewable resources and to develop the technologies, the skills, and efforts in this direction.
It was a hard sail, but sustained effort enabled Neste to be the world’s largest producer of energy from renewable resources. In addition, the company’s profit increased considerably.
Working for Humanity Pays Dividends
The story of Neste tells us that working for humanity is a profitable business. It makes the employees feel good, engaged, and enthusiastic. Customers believe in the company and become loyal.
Working for humanity is not a losing business.
Fast growth can be risky such as the rapid growth of cancerous cells and weeds. Alternatively, it can be healthy and based on working for humanity as the Finnish company did.
Companies that let their humanity-geared purpose define their direction coupled with actions that cater for this direction and pool their effort to make this possible shall emerge as winners.
The way to succeed and make profits is to serve humanity in all possible ways. The purpose becomes the bridge that binds customers to the company that cares to make their lives better, safe, and clean. Would customers prefer a company that sells products, which harm them and their environment to a company that cares for them?
Do I need to answer my question?
