An Attitude of Gratitude

This week, one of our readings was a talk from President Monson, called An Attitude of Gratitude. Find it here.

What does this have to do with business?  There are many who are great people and yet fail in business.  But, reading and recognizing those who are truly great in business, I find that nearly all of them exhibit some from of gratitude.  When you live your life with gratitude, which I think means recognizing forces other than your own, it draws others to you.  Our attitudes become about "us" rather than "me."  In the case of those who believe in God, it is about recognizing His hand in our lives.

Gratitude is not passive.  When we recognize others, we see their strengths and their needs. We draw from their strength and we help meet the needs of others, realizing that there are always those whose needs outnumber our own.  Gratitude creates humility.  It helps us realize that we cannot do it alone.

I think of one of my mentors.  He is a strong leader, very capable.  He shared that the only reason he is successful is because he has been lucky enough to have great people around him.  I know that he would be successful, regardless, because of the kind of person he is.  But how wonderful that he recognizes his "team" and their importance.  His gratitude and humility has drawn good people to him and built success within the organizations lucky enough to have him.

What's a Business For?

Reading an article by Charles Handy, entitled “What’s a Business For?” we are schooled in the rampant fraud that has occurred in the near past and that profit has become the word of the day. No big surprise! The American public already mistrusts the world of big business--which I equate with Wall Street.  So few leaders of these large companies take a long view of things, instead falsely inflating profits through less-than-ethical accounting practices, selling their stock when they leave and giving no care to those who follow behind.  In this article, we learn that the purpose of business is to be an “active agent of change.”  By working collectively within a business and with other businesses, progress is made.  Handy suggests that businesses need to go beyond the mere idea of “doing no harm” and be proactive in setting the trends for doing good.  Companies must also begin to value its human resources and build a sense of community.  This article was written in 2002 and I now see many companies taking up these charges.  Many start-ups and those who had small beginnings but are now much larger are attractive to investors and employees because of their decision to give back.  They also seem to value their staffs, providing many fringe benefits which go above and beyond medical insurance.  These companies work hard at creating a difference between their culture and the culture of big business.  My children, in their 30’s, who hate the term “millennial” but nevertheless belong to that generation, are making conscious choices to seek out careers which allow them to have full lives outside of their work day.  They and their friends saw their parents giving their lives to companies who abused them and took them away from their families.  As 15 years have passed since this article was written, it is amazing how his suggestions for improvement have really worked.  There is more to be done, but companies who have worked at making progress in things like the environment and caring for human resources have, indeed, become successful and their pattern is being copied by many.

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad World of Business?

The focus of our week of entrepreneurial studies can be summed up in six words; "watch out what you wish for!"

The reading and videos pointed out all the pitfalls that come when you choose business as a major and have a desire to be successful.  It seems that this particular field entices people to turn into something they never considered.  The pressures of keeping up and getting ahead of the game are tremendous and there is always a cost involved.  In wonder how many actually are able to play the big game and yet keep themselves on the right track.  Some of the businessmen I've read about have been able to do that, but by the time I'm learning about them, they're through many of their battles and have made good decisions which have led them to come out the other side safely.  We don't learn about too many who have lost their way, unless they are involved in a large scandal.

I ask myself the question, "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad World of Business!"  I am!  At least the way it was presented this week.  It is so easy to get discouraged and decide this isn't for me.  But then I think about my own particular business goals and my personal situation and my own skill set and I begin to be hopeful again.  I have never had the desire to play with the big boys.  I am looking at a small creative business that can add income to my senior years and perhaps give my daughter's family a boost.  And that's okay.  Not everyone who becomes an entrepreneur is looking to hit it over the fence.  I want to be happy, moderately financially successful, and enjoy my family and church.  And I believe I can do that if I can just focus on my path, not the big, wide world.

License to Pursue Dreams

In one of our videos, Marissa Mayer, an executive at Google, talked about the Google's "20% Time." This 20% is time that the company allows its employees to work on their own creative projects, during their work week.  She said it doesn't exactly work out to one day a week, but maybe the time builds up and someone takes a week, or someone else takes a few minutes every hour, to let their brain work on creative projects that interest them.  Although criticized, Marissa told the audience that a majority of new creative Google projects come out of this time.

So I need to take that seriously.  We are all busy.  I am busy.  But I need to work on spending more of my time on creative projects.  Last year, I didn't attend the summer session of school.  During this time, I kept my studio clear and my paints out.  Even if I could only paint for 5 or 10 minutes, the time I spend was rejuvenating.  It is so easy to become enmeshed in work, church and family things and forego things we don't think are entirely necessary.  But creativity is, at least to me, entirely necessary.

Those who see themselves as entrepreneurs also need this 20% time to refuel and work on things that capture their interest, away from everyday business concerns.

Good to Great

A couple of the things we read in class this week referred to one of my all-time favorite books, Good to Great, by Jim Collins.  There are many concepts involved in this book, all worthwhile, but the one I'm stuck on today is this:  Good is the Enemy of Great.

As I listened to Jim Ritchie talking about this book and its concepts, along with sharing his thoughts about great leaders throughout history, both men and women, I ask myself if I have the capacity to be great?  What does greatness look like for a 56-year-old woman who works a full-time job, works as a consultant for two entities, has a large leadership position at church, is a part-time (but feels like full-time) online student at BYU Idaho and has family responsibilities?  Do I need to be concerned about making a difference in the world that will draw attention and put me into the halls of glory with those Jim Ritchie mentioned?  I struggle with this all the time.

I want to be considered great by my family, but not in the way the world might look at greatness.  At times I feel great pressure to "perform."  But to me this is not reality.  When I pray to be an instrument in the Lord's hand and then look for those opportunities, I think I am on the right track.   When I teach my grandson to understand service, I am hopeful that I will feel a sense of greatness. When I am in the temple or doing family history work and think of those who went before me, I desire them to feel that I am performing a great act of service.  

I do believe that we are great in small ways and that those things matter to our Heavenly Father.  I have always prided myself on being the kind of person on whom others can rely.  I am a self-starter at work and others know they can count on me for both knowledge and action.  But, truthfully, the act of holding my dying son's hand, reassuring him that there is another world beyond this one, is the type of greatness I'm more interested in.  Jackson didn't care that my co-workers depend on me and, at that moment, I didn't either.

Small things matter.  We can be considered great through small things.