Product Showcases

A Cure for Heart Trouble

"It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest."
  --- Adam Smith

I often hear from business owners sharing their experiences (pains really) in running a business and juggling all that has to be accomplished even before lunch. Sometimes I learn about a business person that has shown kindness to an employee that goes above and beyond the norm. They actually stretch the boundaries of kindness and enter into the space of charitable acts toward their employees.

One owner told me that he heard from an employee that shared with him that he and his family were about to be evicted from their home. The wife was ill, they were on their last dime and would probably have to find a way to live in his truck. This business owner made some phone calls and was able to put the family into a small motel for a week. He also bought them groceries and paid the doctor's bills. In order to help the employee maintain his dignity, the owner offered the employee a lot of overtime to earn some extra cash.

"The exercise of benevolence is joy to loving hearts: the more pain it costs, the more joy it is. Kind actions make us happy, and in such joy we find communion with the great heart of Jesus."
  --- Charles Spurgeon

Great joy is found in giving that is hard to deny. Once tasted, it becomes a powerful force that causes some to seek out people to help and ways to give. In business, there is often opportunities found under the company's roof. Not all employees will open up about their struggles and some are too proud to ask for help. But business leaders can offer a setting at work where employees can feel free to share their needs with the boss. This usually has benefits for everyone in the organization.

"A good commander is benevolent and unconcerned with fame."
  --- Sun Tzu

For starters, helping an employee in need can correct performance issues that were otherwise left unchecked. If an employee is preoccupied with personal struggles, the performance of that employee is bound to suffer. By helping the employee, either financially or with resources (e.g., addiction problems, family issues, domestic violence, etc.), that employee's attention to job tasks may improve.

"I believe in benevolent dictatorship provided I am the dictator."
  --- Richard Branson

Another benefit to benevolence is that it improves morale in the organization. When people see that they are working for a company that cares about its greatest resource, the mood of the place suddenly changes. Team members witness this and want to be a part of a caring culture. They begin looking for ways to help others, whether in the business or in the community.

There are many other benefits too. Giving just feels good. Helping another person in need strengthens relationships and builds trust. It counters what the counter-culture is complaining about, successful business people. It feeds bellies, pays bills, gives hope, fights hypocrisy, cements camaraderie, tightens teams, and displays love and compassion.

"If you haven't got any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble."
  --- Bob Hope