Let’s continue our discussion about the business model of an ‘Ohana in Business.
The following excerpt is from the manifesto I had written for ChangeThis.com on Managing with Aloha.
Before I got a job in the “executive suite” myself, I never thought too much about overall business plans. Looking back, I’m now pretty mortified that I worked for companies with such blind faith and trust that they had a good plan, and knew what they were doing. I wasn’t that involved in company strategy, and what’s more, I didn’t even think about it. I just did my job description plus some, striving to be an exceptional employee, and I assumed my bosses had paid their dues enough to have some credibility.
I found out that as an employee you need to be better informed than that. I found out the hard way — when I got promoted to a position where I had to be the one to fix it. The people at the top are not always right, and they are often mired in too much “other stuff” to even notice any signs that they may be wrong. I like to believe that most of the time they do have good intent; I’ve learned that I just shouldn’t assume they have all the answers just by virtue of being in charge.
In the aha! moment I realized this, I had more than three hundred employees reporting to me, working hard within a business model that was seriously flawed: When I crunched the numbers I knew there was no way the business could succeed and sustain everyone working within it. The changes we had to make were painful, and that kind of crisis management is something I never want to go through again.
The one smart decision I made at the time I discovered that flawed business plan, was that I wasn’t going to go it alone. I got my employees to help me, discovering they had some great answers for me. They offered suggestions for solutions I may never have figured out for myself, or as quickly as we did together.
Today, I know better. The first thing I let my new employees in on is my business model. I figure that if they work for me, they have the right to know. I also figure that if they know about it, they’ll help me work on it, help me improve it, and help me catch any warning signs that may crop up when we get off track. I hire people I trust and have faith in, who have the desire and capacity to be more tomorrow than they are today.
When you manage with Aloha, you don’t have employees who are followers, you work with like-minded people who are business partners.
When we speak of treating each other with Aloha, the word unconditional will come up a lot. It is also mentioned often in our discussions about the value of ‘Ohana, family, and the human circle of aloha.
The Gift of Unconditional Acceptance
Like birthright, when you are in an ‘Ohana your acceptance by others within that circle is unconditional. Understanding and forgiveness both become immediate and unconditionally given as well, with any “sorting out” that is necessary coming later, if at all. Whatever baggage you come with becomes the burden of the entire family. You alone may have caused it to appear, but you will not, and need not shoulder it alone. The belief is that many hands will make it a lighter load. The joint life force of Aloha will deal with it in the best possible way.
In an ‘Ohana in Business, that same attitude applies to the business model. Everyone gets involved from the standpoint of their best viewpoint where they usually work in the business, and wanting the best for the ‘Ohana as a whole (i.e. the business itself), and wanting the best for everyone within it. This is unconditional acceptance of shared responsibility, and not blind faith in the few who may have titles of leadership.
No one “goes it alone” in the ‘Ohana in Business, and that includes those considered to be “at the top.”
How does this become real? With Financial Literacy
The ‘Ohana in Business model is powered by an exceptionally high degree of financial literacy within a company. Every business partner is expected to understand how the business model works, for that is the only way they can be an active part of continually sharing in evaluating and improving it.
Blind faith in titular leaders is shirking that shared responsibility. Blind faith is choosing to be uninvolved and apathetic. Blind faith is being okay with not learning and accepting mediocrity. Blind faith is saying, “I’m okay with not growing.”
I cannot imagine that any business person would think that blind faith is a part of great financial literacy. Therefore, blind faith is not a part of the ‘Ohana in Business.
Here is the best news about this entire discussion: The vast majority of people in the workforce today, and certainly in the younger generations replacing the older, want to be financially literate, and they want to be more involved. In an ‘Ohana in Business, their involvement is enthusiastically and appreciatively welcomed.
Links which may be helpful;
- Our Day One essay for August on ‘Ohana: ‘Ohana, Community, and The ‘Ohana in Business.
- Here is a link to download the manifesto I wrote for ChangeThis.com.
- The ‘Ohana in Business is a Place for Business Partners.
- Every employee a Business Partner? Yep.
- How good do you feel about working in business today?
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