Buisiness is a Social Force! - Part I

The other day, I was watching Muhammad Yunus with Grameen Bank – the winner of the Nobel Peace Price in 2006 - being interviewed by Charlie Rose on Public Broadcastng Station. He has a new book out called Creating a World without Poverty. In that book he talks about "Social Business." His idea of a social business is the one in which you are only concerned about the society and not about profits.

Now that’s one side of the spectrum. On the other side of the spectrum, you have a business that’s only concerned with profits, sales and market share. One is a Social Business; the other is a Selfish Business.

I believe that a business can be both. I’m not proposing that you somehow need to strike a balance between the two. What I’m saying is that it’s possible for a business to hit all its financial target AND be making a contribution to the society. And when we get this right, charity, doing good, making the world a better place does not have to be a part-time activity; it becomes full-time activity.

And if every business in the world got to that point, it becomes a social force. And if we make every business in the world a social force, the whole Institution of Business becomes a social force. Which, by the way, according to Peter Drucker, is the  most influential institution in the world today. More so than the Church, Government, Family, Education and Military.

How can your business become a social force? Here's a hint: start with your people. More about that in the next issue.

Until then, check out http://www.ambica.net for more on the topic.