Women Elevating the Human Side of Enterprise By Robin Litster Johnson
In a powerful scene from the movie “A Christmas Carol” starring George C. Scott, a stunned and frightened Ebenezer Scrooge attempts to console the despairing apparition of his long-dead business partner, Jacob Marley, by meekly saying, “You always were a good man of business.” To which Marley roars in response, “Business?? Mankind was my business! The common welfare was my business. Charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence were all my business!” Does “the common welfare” – considering the well-being of those around us, valuing the group as a whole – merit a valid place on the agendas of successful CEOs, CFOs, and profitable companies? Is the notion of having “charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence” in professional organizations merely the raving of an imaginary ghost in a work of fiction, or do those principles have science-backed and evidence-based foundations which “men of business” ignore today at their peril? Is there truly a measurable ROI on organizational resilience and on positive, ennobled leadership emanating from the C-suite? The traits listed by Marley have often been ascribed as “female qualities,” as if they had little value in the rough-and-tumble world of “men’s work.” However, a quick perusal of today’s academic studies and financial literature delivers a resounding, “Yes!” Every business strategy is ultimately created and implemented by human beings, and an abundance of research shows that leaders and organizations that are “Humane, Ethical, and Resilient” – taking into account “the common welfare” and manifesting “charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence” – are far more likely to succeed in the marketplace.
Industrial Age, top-down, dictatorial styles of leadership, those often employed by men, are less effective – and likely ineffective – in today's work environment. From the dramatic to the banal, myriad success stories in business, government, and non-profits alike demonstrate that elevating the human side of enterprise often spells the difference between long-term success and underachievement, or even disaster. In the following examples from around the globe, we can discover common, science-backed principles that can be learned by leaders at every level, and evidence-based practices that can be applied within organizations both large and small, regardless of geographic location.
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