July 17, 2017
Does Your Business Have Good Karma? 5 Ways to Make It Better
BY Caitlin Delohery IN Karma, Mindfulness 0 Comment
We, of course, think a lot about karma. We notice that the word gets thrown around a lot. When thieves drive a stolen car into a sinkhole or when a deserving couple wins millions in the lottery, karma even makes it into headlines. But what does it really mean?
From the Sanskrit karman, karma means “work.” It encapsulates the idea that what you do matters — that the good (or not-so-good) you put out there comes right back at you in the future.
So, what better place to make sure you’re building up good karma than your workplace? Here are 5 ways to make sure your business has good karma.
Do what you love
Simon Sinek tells us to start with “why” — to ground everything we do in business first and foremost in why we are doing it. Not the to-make-a-profit or to-retire-at-40 kind of whys, but the why that will get you out of bed when profits slump, the why that could keep you in the game until you’re 80. Here are some examples of solid whys:
- Because I want to help people be happier at work through thoughtful workshops and hands-on consulting
- Because I want to create a tool that connects small business owners with their community
- Because I want to help food deserts by providing inexpensive alternative proteins
To build a business that runs on good karma, start with what you love. That will get you high reserves of karma right out of the gate — the passion you feel for your work will help fuel your coworkers’ and customers’ passions, too.
Stay positive
Now, even when you love what you do, no one can be Pollyanna all of the time. But to generate good with your business, you want to start with a firm foundation of positivity. This doesn’t mean denying that tough situations and relationships exist. Instead, it means looking at challenges as opportunities to grow and evolve.
Practicing positivity ups your team’s productivity levels and your karma quotient. Here are some examples of positivity in action from researchers at the University of Michigan:
- Caring for, being interested in, and maintaining responsibility for colleagues as friends.
- Providing support for one another, including offering kindness and compassion when others are struggling.
- Avoiding blame and forgive mistakes.
- Inspiring one another at work.
- Emphasizing the meaningfulness of the work.
- Treating one another with respect, gratitude, trust & integrity.
And that pretty much reads like a blueprint for good karma in the workplace.
Nurture your relationships
While random acts of kindness are cool, to build a business on good karma, you want your good actions to be anything but random. You want them to be rooted in what is most important to your team, clients, and colleagues.
There’s nothing wrong with giving all your customers freebies or handing out consultations to every passerby at a trade show. But what’s even more meaningful – and karma-ful – is building the kind of strong relationships that allow you to deeply understand what your colleagues and clients need.
Devote yourself to growing contact lists built on real connections. Then, you can make sure all your actions — from marketing to mentorship, from customer service to consulting — are devoted to providing value to each individual. And that’s pretty much karma on steroids.
Looking for more on nurturing your relationships? Check out our articles on relationship building.
Practice mindfulness
As our workdays are increasingly full of distraction, and as stress skyrockets, it can be difficult to focus on the basics, like eating and sleeping, much less doing good for others.
Mindfulness is a good anecdote. It not only reduces stress, boosts creativity, and improves your overall health, but it also increases your empathy and compassion for others. And it helps you create the mental space you need to focus on what’s really important — instead of just putting out fires.
Searching for more on mindfulness in business? Check out our blog on how top brands integrate mindfulness into the everyday.
Dedicate yourself to others’ success
Instead of running your business by the me-first playbook, cultivate a culture of success for everyone you do business with. You don’t need to get your piece of the pie first. Believe in abundance — that there is a never-ending supply of pie to go around. (Mmm, pie!)
The success of your clients, colleagues, and coworkers will encourage your success, too. Go out of your way to help others:
- Provide free eBooks, webinars, and other valuable guidance that helps your customers meet their challenges.
- Offer free demos or training related to your services.
- Volunteer to provide consultation for businesses that are just starting out.
- Help foster connections amongst people that you know.
- Volunteer your time, money, space, and other resources to endeavors you believe in.
I bet what you’ll find, more often than not, is that these good deeds result in some good rewards. That’s karma for you :).
Want more on how karma is good for business? Check out our blog post on how giving helps you sell more.
