Sometimes, the simplest things are the most profound.
Many times, the most obvious things are often ignored.
A good percentage of the time the most common sense
principles are the ones most disregarded. Perhaps, it's
because we are so intent on making a living that we
forget about making a life.
One of the most forgotten principles for personal
success is a word ignored by almost everyone--Goodwill.
It is a principle so underused, yet so powerful, that
it could take us to the heights of success. It remains
underused because people overlook the disarming power
disguised in subtle terms such as compassion, kindness,
empathy, unselfishness and caring.
In marketing classes in MBA school, we learned many
useful things about advertising strategy, marketing to
consumers, studying statistics of a sales campaign and
getting the order. To this day, I use the tools of the
trade to help me in my business. But one thing that
hardly anyone touched upon was the concept of
"Goodwill."
Goodwill is not just a number on the accountant's
balance sheet, but is an invisible, little-used tool
that all of us have at our disposal. Let me explain.
Most of us could help solve someone else's problems,
either with a telephone call, an introduction or
referral, a signature or other obvious means. But we
refuse to do it. Why? I'll tell you why. Because we
feel there's nothing in it for us! Or we are afraid to
get involved.
Let me tell you a true story. It was many years ago. A
young woman walked into my assistant's office. She was
looking for a job, but we had none to offer. Just the
week before, all job vacancies had been filled.
At the request of my assistant, I spoke with the young
woman. She only wanted to work for the summer and then
would complete her last semester of graduate school and
return home to her country. She had been looking for a
summer job for almost four weeks. No one wanted to hire
her and train her to work for such a short period of
time.
I remembered my days as a graduate student and felt her
anxiety. Although there was no sound business reason to
do so, I told my assistant to create a job for her.
Afterall, she needed help and it felt good to help
someone without figuring what was in it for me.
I hardly saw her until the last day when she came into
my office to say goodbye. She thanked me again for the
job and handed me a business card.
"This is my father's card," she said, "If you ever
visit my country, call my dad, he'd be very happy to
meet you. I've told him all about how kind you and your
employees were to me. In my country, my dad is a member
of Parlianment and an important man."
And that's how I ended up having lunch with the mayor
of Nairobi, dinner with the Vice President of Kenya and
making business alliances that brought my company
profits hundreds of times greater than the salary we
had paid for summer help.
On top of that, I enjoyed going on photo safari to the
Serengeti Plains of East Africa, walking along the
beaches of Mombassa and sipping Pimms#3 at the Mount
Kenya Safari Club, while enjoying the fantastic view of
the snow-covered summit of Mount Kenya. Even the Kikuyu
dancers reminded me of exciting adventures in foreign
climes.
This is not an isolated case. It's just one of the more
obvious ones. You never can tell who will lead you to
that next contact, that profitable contract or the
added financing you were looking for. It is important
that we treat everyone with dignity and respect.
REMEMBER: Business does not do business with other
businesses. People do business with people.
The Internet is not about computers, technology or even
marketing. That would be like saying cars are about the
internal combustion engine and the laws of
thermodynamics. The Internet is about people and
communications. If we communicate with honesty and
feelings, we'd find that most others respond in kind.
So whenever the opportunity arises, do something for
someone else who is powerless to do it alone. Don't
worry about what you are going to get out of it. The
Universe has a way of repaying in ways far too strange
to understand. Earn "goodwill" and you'll prosper
beyond belief.
Lecturer, entrepreneur and MBA business consultant, John Harricharan is the author of the award-winning book, "When You Can Walk on Water, Take the Boat." For more information, visit: http://www.spiritual-simplicity.com http://www.vish-writer.com
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