Balanced success
I watched the new TV show “The Apprentice” with amazement. Combine “Live TV” with a multi-week job interview. Sixteen finalists were chosen from more than 215,000 applicants, as only one person will be selected to be president of the Donald Trump company. We still have to be in a tough job market for a position to have received so many applications! The finalists were immediately divided into two teams of eight men against eight women.
His first task was to see which team could sell the most lemonade after receiving $ 250 in seed money. I wonder if the little kids who sell lemonade were looking for ideas. Regardless, Donald Trump said it’s about who makes the most money at the end of the day, period. The women beat the men by selling more than $ 1,250 worth of lemonade even after a late start. However, I believe that making a decision based solely on the amount of money that was earned is irresponsible. It reminds me of the infamous line from the movie, “Jerry Maguire,” “show me the money.” It is never about how much money you make, and I am concerned about the message that these types of programs send.
What about making sure the participants have fun? And did they have a positive impact on the environment? If I only focused on making money from my professional photography and conference services, I would be ignorant and unresponsive to my clients. I always want to make sure my clients have fun and one of the ways I do that is by constantly adding value. If I contribute positively to the customer experience, I know everyone will have more fun in the process.
I also make a positive impact on the environment by never asking for prints with my photography. I put my images directly onto a compact disc and if I only use digital, no chemicals are used in the development process either. When I speak professionally, I severely limit the number of brochures to avoid wasting paper, and I encourage clients to go directly to my website to find my articles and other materials. Also, I make sure to donate 10% of my after-tax earnings to charities and, with my fine art photography, I offer a money-back guarantee.
Simply looking at total earnings at the end of the day does not teach good habits. It’s significantly less expensive in the long run to make sure the environment is taken care of well so that a large cleaning bill doesn’t drown a business down the road, for example. What if one of the team members from “The Apprentice” uses part of their earnings at the end of the day to buy dinner for a group of homeless people? What if a team sold less lemonade while still making a profit, but each cup had positive health benefits? This should change the way the winners are judged at the end of the day.
While it was emphasized that the finalists should start at the beginning (where young children start) selling lemonade, what I am saying should be emphasized at the beginning! It is important to consider the long-term consequences of your actions, and it is actually more profitable to make modest profits up front while also considering balanced success along the way, making a profit, making sure you and your employees have fun, and get a head start. positive impact on the environment. Good habits that are taught early and practiced often last a lifetime.