If so, why?

By Rich Smith, 10-25-2017

I wrote myself a note last week before I did the interview with Andrew Craig. I was watching a Gary Vaynerchuk video and he said something like this:

"Too many companies don't believe in what they are doing anymore. They are just in it for the money."

Don't get me wrong, I love business. I love reading about and watching stories on how companies are built and grown. But there is a deeper meaning to business that some companies are missing. Some of us grew up in the 1980s, where greed took center stage in the business world. There was even a movie made about it. Wall Street, Gordon Gecko, "Greed is good" right? Those of us from that era remember how it went, and how badly it hurt the country when it all crashed down. It might have been good for a select few, but overall the masses suffered.

There are still companies that operate in this way, even in our industry. The "old guard" so to speak. (Some of them aren't that old.) Companies that have forgotten the end user. The nurse working in a hospital that's understaffed. The nurse that hasn't had a bathroom break in hours. Who doesn't even have time to eat her lunch. These companies have organized and compartmentalized nurses and placement ratios to look good when the private equity owners come to town, or the quarterly earnings call happens. The nurse is simply a number, no better than a product in a factory that's boxed up and shipped out as the big company machine rolls on.

Do you work for this company? Do you know someone that works for a company like this? If so, the time for change is now. We see the change happening every day. The new world is eating the old world. Don't believe me? Think about something as simple as how you consume news. In the 1980s we all gathered around the TV at 5 pm and watched Tom Brokaw or Dan Rather. Today it's 2 minute videos on Facebook or YouTube. The 1980s might be fun and nostalgic to remember, but the way some businesses operated should be left for dead.

So I'll ask again. Do you work for a company like that? If so, why? You deserve better. Your profession deserves better. One person CAN make a difference. Be the change. There are companies out there that don't operate like this. Companies where you matter. Seek them out. Do your research. Own the process. You have the ability to control your own destiny. There is a better way, and it's waiting for you.