Love and Business

"People who extol the virtues of love and spirituality in business organisations
have until recently largely been regarded as cranks - not because love and
spirituality doesn't work - but because organisations, and also the developed
western economic world, have evolved to ignore and exclude the deepest of human feelings and needs. Which when you think about what we actually all are, and what we actually all need as people, is a bit strange and a bit daft."

BUT

"Love and Spirituality are back in business."

"In business and organisations 'love' and/or 'spirituality' mean genuine compassion for humankind, with all that this implies. We are not talking about romance or sex."

OK, stop giggling at the back, this is a serious article and no it's not about what you got up to at the Easter party with the HR administrator or that hippy that works in IT with the funny smelling cigarettes. This article brings together a number of thinkers like Barbara Heyn and Sonia Stojanovic and tracks how originally many business were caring affairs, how love and spirituality came to be seen as not part of business and how love and spirituality is on the way back (thank God).

I'd shied away from using the word love in a business context for some time for fear of ridicule. However recently this has started to seem inauthentic as love is the essence of the business I'm interested in. My business is doing what I love, with people that I love in the most loving way I can. Why else would you get up in the morning?

I appreciate there's a lot of cynicism around this from those who think business is...hateful, and from those who think love has no place in the rough tough boys sport of business. Business is serious right - about kill or be killed in the vicious free-market? Loving business is as ridiculous as a martial art based on love and harmony!

I see the recession being used by some as an excuse to turn off their higher feelings and by others as an opportunity to change the way we do business. I see the damage business has done and the level of accountability demanded by consumers, and say that love is now a necessity for people, planet AND profit.

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Incidentally the Business Balls site which hosts the love and business article is an excellent resource for anyone in training, don't be put off by the ugly website.
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Business So What: Love and spirituality is good for people and their profits.