Chances are you talk a lot about money in your business – the money coming in, the money going out, to raise prices, to lower them, to give raises, to hold off, to make a capital investment or hire another person.
Hopefully you share the financials with your team.
But it’s not only important to talk about money, but to talk about why it matters.
Many folks have a negative filter through which they view money and especially money in business. They associate it with greed, power, and materialism.
It’s called cold hard cash. Not warm fuzzy funds.
So here’s where you come in.
Connect the money to the mission, the purpose to the profit.
You’re not in business to make money. Really. You’re in business to fulfill a mission. It’s the Why behind why your company exists. The Why you feel pride in the work you do. Your company creates and accomplishes X as a conscious community that contributes to society. That X is your Why. It’s the soft gooey middle. Money is the result of fulfilling on that Why.
And yet that Why is anemic, powerless and imprisoned without money.
Money is energy. Money is the food that feeds the mission. Money is the water that flows into your company, through your company and nurtures that which you want to grow.
This is a critical business relationship – money provides energy to fulfill on the mission, which in turn creates money and nurtures and expands the mission.
Money allows for the stability and expansion of your company and thus the stability and expansion of your mission and purpose.
Money allows for freedom, ease, comfort, security, and generosity.
This is the message you want your team to understand.
In this post I intentionally used the word “money” instead of “profit.” I suggest you do the same with your team. “Money” is visceral whereas “profit” feels less real, more business speak. Though don't forget to end with connecting profit as the summation of energy available to expand the mission.
For more on workplace culture ROI, compensation discussions, and other money matters in the workplace, grab a copy of Culture Works.
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Kris Boesch is the CEO and Founder of Choose People, a company that transforms company cultures, increases employee happiness and boosts the bottom-line. She is a nationally renowned speaker and workplace culture expert. Boesch is also the author of Culture Works: How to Create Happiness in the Workplace and developer of the Choose People 360° Culture Audit. Kris is also a proud mother, dancing diva and dog lover.
