19 Nov It’s all about the economy, stupid; except when it isn’t …
THIS ONE MIGHT BE A BIT CONTROVERSIAL …
… but I don’t think it should be.
A few days ago, a US connection called for calm and patience following the results of the US election, inviting his followers to wait and see, and to judge the incoming President based on what’s achieved (or not) over the next 4 years.
On the face of it, this seems fair enough.
He then went on to list a number of variables by which such success would be measured; and they were ALL economic in nature.
In my humble opinion, NOT FAIR ENOUGH.
Now, don’t get me wrong, there’s no doubt the economy is important; and for those of you reading this on LinkedIn, there’s no doubt financial measures are of primary importance when it comes to a businesses.
BUT DOES ANYONE REALLY BELIEVE FINANCIAL RETURNS OR ECONOMIC VARIABLES ARE THE ONLY IMPORTANT FACTORS?
Is this not like saying your businesses can pillage and plunder, as long as it makes a good profit? Is this not the sort of mindset that created the likes of Enron, Theranos, and Madoff?
We all want and need a strong economy; and those in the business world all want and need good financials.
But surely we’re intelligent enough to aim towards more than one outcome! Can the goal of good economic management not coexist with social values, with justice, with an eye on the environment and numerous other relevant variables.
The “Triple Bottom Line” model has been around for quite some time now so this is why I began by suggesting that this should NOT, in any way, be controversial.
And yet here we are …