Ask someone what their business does and you’ll usually get an answer about products or services.
- “We sell tyres.”
- “We provide accounting services.”
- “We manufacture widgets.”
All perfectly accurate but it completely misses the bigger picture.
One of the questions that changed my thinking about business was:
What difference does your organisation make to the communities you serve? (Steve Bowman, Conscious Governance)
This question can take you somewhere quite different.
- Maybe you don’t sell tyres. Maybe you help families stay safe on the road.
- Maybe you don’t provide accounting services. Maybe you give small business owners the confidence to make better decisions.
- Maybe you don’t manufacture widgets. Maybe… well, I’ll leave the widgets to you.
The important thing is that changing the question changes the conversation. Once we start thinking about the outcome we create rather than simply the transaction we make, different opportunities begin to appear.
It changes how we talk about our business.
It can change who we partner with.
It can influence what we buy, who we employ and where we put our time and resources.
Most importantly, it gives people something bigger to connect with. Remember business is between people and this gives others a chance to engage at more than just a transactional level. Fundamentally, we all want some connection to those we transact with.
Sometimes it begins with a very simple question.
What difference do we make?
You might be surprised where the answer takes you.
The Optimistic Cynic 