People First Profit Second

I've never made a cake, but I have baked bread. It was a deeply satisfying experience and the end result was delicious, although I say it myself! However, there is no way that I could have baked the bread by trying to work out the ingredients and instructions just by eating it. You have to know the ingredients and the baking process in order to get your tasty loaf.

In business, it is my experience that too many business leaders have fantasies about how much profit they will make without understanding the ingredients and the business process. And that's why so many businesses fail. Those that succeed know that the key ingredient of a good business is people. People who make up our customers, colleagues, investors and the communities in which we operate. The key business process is to treat people as people. We are not 'resources' or 'human capital', we are all human beings.

So use your loaf. People first. Profit second. And you'll earn an honest crust, perhaps even loads of dough!