It’s Not Personal, It’s Only Business
It is often heard in business during some of the most vital business transactions, financial conference calls, meetings, lay-offs, or terminations that, “It’s not personal it’s just business.” There are very successful individuals in this world that are extremely concerned about the wealth and wellness of his or her employees, vendors, contractors, etc. On the other hand, there are extremely successful people that do not care at all about how their decisions affect other people’s lives. It is absolutely a person’s fiduciary responsibility as a business individual to maximize shareholder value. I personally, know of billionaires that are ruthless individuals however, they are still billionaires. I also know of bankrupt “nice guys”. Nonetheless, each individual must choose what path he or she wants to take.
As previously noted, success comes in all forms. There are those that abuse and take advantage of people and there are those that walk away from sure financial homeruns because others will be negatively affected. Then, there are most of us that walk the gray trapeze line of trying to provide a satisfactory balance. In my eyes, that is the final answer. An individual has to balance and weigh what actions his or her personal moral code will allow him or her to sleep at night. With that being said, it is completely naïve to think that business decisions can be segmented to only affect a business life. The telecommuting generation of blackberries, WI-Fi, and cell phones prove that anyone can be as productive working from home versus reporting to a Wall Street boardroom. This simple fact denotes that the barrier between what is business and what is personal is obsolete. Although an individual’s personal life indirectly affects one’s professional life. Bear in mind that one’s professional life does however, directly affect an individual’s personal life. As a human being and speaking as a man, it is my absolute responsibility to care and provide for my family. When I can begin a workday writing a document that is complete at 11:34 a.m. and then go play Nintendo with my son, how can I possibly distinguish between what’s business and what’s personal? I choose to honor people instead of judge them. I look towards working with people that agree with the same philosophies as myself and do not judge others for doing the opposite.
Ron Detinger stated: “There is a close correlation between getting up in the morning and getting up in the world.” To that end, it is my firm belief that the concept “Its Not Personal It’s Only Business” is actually a personal choice and has nothing to do with business.
