Aspiring to Say that Business is “Good”

It’s common to hear executive-level leaders talk about whether business is “good.” In most instances, the discussion refers to the financial status of the organization—is it making enough money? Although QIP is not immune to the realities of the fiscal bottom line, we aspire to expand the definition of “good business” beyond finances.

In addition to our capacity to pay our bills, we actively try to consider the role our company plays in the world.

Such a perspective is, in many ways, an extension of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, in which it is possible for higher order development to occur once more basic needs have been met. Many business experts already apply Maslow’s model to a host of important corporate functions, including improving worker motivation, refining marketing strategies, and maximizing investor value.

From our perspective, the hierarchy is best realized when it advances our capacity to have a broader, more meaningful, and positive impact on our staff, clients, business partners, and society in general. In tangible terms, QIP’s higher order development is accomplished in the following ways:

• Basic Needs: Providing our staff with stable, legal employment, fair compensation and benefits, a safe work setting, and reasonable expectations for work-life balance.
• Emotional Needs: Offering our team regular opportunities to forge healthy relationships with their colleagues, and marketing and delivering our services ethically—from proposing fair pricing and clear performance expectations to committing to superior quality, value, and reliability—with hopes of nurturing trusted, long-term relationships with staff, clients, and partners.
• Self-Fulfillment Needs: Dedicating resources to a range of personally and socially responsible practices, such as pro bono services to deserving organizations, volunteer time off for staff to support causes that are important to them, and charitable giving on behalf of each staff member annually.

We understand that QIP is fortunate that our basic financial, legal, and safety needs are being met—providing us with an opportunity to consider what kind of organization we want to be. Sure, investing in our staff, partners, and communities increases our long-term prospects for success (that is, making us the kind of company that good people want to associate with), but we believe that focusing on higher-order purpose is also the right thing to do. Why? Because we are grateful for our professional successes and feel compelled to pay that gratitude forward.

So, if you ever hear someone at QIP say that “business is good,” know that we mean that our work is beneficial to our staff, clients, partners, and communities, as well as to our bottom line. We thank Maslow for the conceptual model that guides this realization, and our staff, partners, and clients whose meaningful contributions to QIP’s success enable it.

"Doing the right things for the right reason in the right way is the key to Quality of Life!"

—Stephen R. Covey