I recently sent an open letter to my city council, city staff, chamber of commerce and the local newspaper. In this letter I made it clear that I cared about where my city was heading and how it could be fixed. Unfortunately only one person in the list of 15 responded to me. I thought “at least I tried”.
Then I saw my letter published in the local newspaper.
This caught me by surprise. I was scared, I was astonished and also confused. I had to take a step back and ask myself why I was feeling this way. What I found out was I cared. I cared so much about my city and the path it was heading towards that I needed to share my concerns and offer a solution.
Caring is a necessary trait for business owners.
I think caring is a necessary trait any business owner should have. A sense of caring that is felt in your bones and in your heart is required by any business owner. It may come across as passion or maybe over exuberance to listeners and onlookers. That doesn’t matter. People may laugh or think you are full of crap. Ignore it. All that truly matters is that you genuinely care. You care about your employees. You care about your customers. You care about your city, country, community and so forth. You rule with care at your core.
I have learned a lot about caring over the course of my entrepreneurial journey. I learned that when you genuinely care about your clients, great things happen. You deliver exceptional value to them. So much so, other clients come to you because they share the same trait or are looking for someone who genuinely cares to help them . Your ability to truly care opens your eyes and ears, exposing new ideas and creativity. It’s quite magical when you see it happen.
Some say they care, but they truly don’t.
Right now we are bombarded by fakes. People who put on a front but at their core, they don’t care about helping you. These are what I call profits-before-people-types. They do a damn good job at masking it as authenticity but when you interact with them, you see their true self. It’s hard at first to distinguish who is real and who is fake. But with time, actions and the right questions can sniff them out quite easily. Truth always prevails.
Fakers always lose.
Those who are not genuine or authentic will never win the long game. They may make a dent at first but in the long game they will not survive, let alone be happy with their accomplishments. I am sure you have seen or heard about people like this. We see it on social media all the time.
Accept my challenge.
I challenge you to take a close look at what you are doing and how you are doing it. Do you truly care about those you serve? Are you willing to go the extra mile without thinking of revenue generated? Do your customers rave about your company and are willing to help you now that you’ve helped them?
Think about it.
This is a pivotal moment in your company. Caring companies are no longer a trend. They are a reality. It is the next step in business evolution that is happening right now. It’s what helps create long term growth and wealth.
Are you ready for the evolution?
If you are struggling on finding ways to care about your employees, customers, etc. You will need to look inward. It all starts with you and your mindset. Maybe you no longer feel passionate about the business you are operating? If that is the case, it’s time to stop and do something you truly care about. For your body, mind and soul you really need to do this. It is never too late to find your calling and what you truly care about.
Where to start if you are struggling.
If you don’t believe me, read Gary Vaynerchuk’s new book Crushing It. It is filled with stories of people who found something they truly cared about and made it into a flourishing business. Read biographies. Meet with entrepreneurs who made a change and are now happier than ever. There are so many people around you willing to share their story. All you need to do is ask.
