The last two days have been spent running workshops with 5th year students (16 yr olds) on a programme I run with the local Enterprise board in Carlow. The Programme is titled the "8 Traits of good entrepreneurship". It gives the chance for students to be able to look at examples of some people who have proven themselves in business and what characteristics the students might need to become a good entrepreneur themselves.

So easily we can be champion  the businessmen and women who have made the largest amount of money or have proven that you can come from a tin can to the top of what ever industry you are a part of with a lot of determination. All very noble and admirable, but I am interested in those that are willing to approach business from a different angle willing to swim against the norm of the business tide and not only become successful at what they do but also to change the lives of the people they serve and the people that work for them.

Like Ricardo Semler of Semco in Brazil who runs a transparent company that allows everyone to become involved in decisions that the company makes. People can choose not only their bosses but also their pay and the location that they work in.Or like social entrepreneur Muhhamed Yunus who set up the Grammeen bank in Bangladesh to help the poor that could not get support from other financial organizations because they where too poor, thus ensuring they never had the opportunity to leave the cycle of poverty they where trapped in.

 I talk to the students about the importance of understanding the consequences of our actions when we go into business. Understand what your company does, whether you own it or are just employed there. Then ask yourself two questions!

1. Who am I making happy by what I do at work?
2. Who am I hurting by what I do at work?

Two questions that every organization should ask of itself. Firstly write a list of all the peoples lives that you or your organization are improving by their actions. I hope the list is long. From the refuse company that take away our bins to the supermarket chain that supplies us with food. All these companies should list the benefits of to others that they provide.This is the easy bit.

The difficulty starts when we try to be as honest as we can when asking ourselves "Who are we hurting by what we do at work?.

Are we a supermarket chain that expects our suppliers to fund all special offers we provide on their product. Or are we a stock market trader sitting in New York deciding on the price of coffee worldwide while not ensuring the Ethiopian farmer who supplies the coffee gets paid a fair price for his coffee beans. Are we an insurance company that uses small print and difficult to understand legalize to ensure that we don't pay out on claims.

The world financial markets are where they are because no one within the financial arena was prepared to ask themselves either of these questions, especially question number 2.

We really need to change our thinking, not just with business but also with our fellow man.

Who am I making Happy?

and

Who am I hurting? should be included in every area of our life relationships, communities, political policies etc

Every action should be formed by the answer to these questions.

When and only when, we are conscious of the results of our actions and the consequences on others can we progress to a World that cares for all of its members not just the selfish few.