Business Growth Strategies - 12

Individuals and institutions make decisions on many levels according to many standards of conduct, ranging from motives of pure self-interest, social custom, legal right, moral and ethical right, to spiritual or inner right. At times a business may be faced with a situation in which what is permitted by law does not coincide with what is really fair to the party concerned. For example, law may establish a certain minimum wage for labourers, yet the work required does not truly fall in the normal labour category and one has the prerogative to pay by the law. By ignoring the legal standard and acting according to a more just guideline, one raises the level of the institution and fosters its growth. In fact, each time an individual or an institution acts according to a higher standard than that which the situation necessitates, he makes a growth in consciousness.

An industrialist was plagued with complete shutdown of his three factories due to a labour strike. The trouble had been instigated by a single man who became leader of the workers and made untenable demands on their behalf. After more than two months this leader was caught in possession of a stolen watch belonging to one of the supervisors. The police placed him in jail. The industrialist knew of this principle for the exercise of power and wanted to rely on the justness of his position rather than on legal power. After great hesitation he decided not to press charges and ordered the police to release the man. The leader-thief came directly to the industrialist. He apologized for his behavior, requested the workers to accept the fair terms offered and abandon the strike, and then he promptly left the company and the city.

The greatest power available to a man is his highest ideal or his deepest faith - that is the Divine for him. Let his ultimate reliance be on these. Then lower authorities such as law can be resorted to when necessary as an instrument for this power to express itself.

Exhaust your resources and life will respond

Often it happens that in one or more areas of a project a bottleneck is reached and progress grinds to a halt. It may be a need for new ideas, new informations, more men, money, materials, etc. At these times it is good to step back from the particular issue at hand and examine the overall functioning of the institution in the light of the principles already described. One may observe how far the operating principles have strayed from the basic ideals of the institution, how adequately attention has been given to the different elements of the work, what areas lack or have lost a basic harmony of functioning, and so on.

After such an investigation has been carried out and corrections been implemented, it may still be that the particular problem at hand needs an added impetus to get it moving. Where the atmosphere surrounding the work is favourable, where disharmony continues to prevail, it is better to patiently refrain from action until the mood changes. But where the atmosphere is good and all elements seem ready for a breakthrough, then it may be that a token effort will turn the corner and bring success. This means to make a determined initiation and persistent endeavour to no matter how small an extent it may be possible, and do whatever can be done in the given circumstances, exhaust all possibilities, potentials and resources. At the point where one has fully exhausted his energies and capacities, life responds by bringing the components necessary to complete the work. Where human effort is exhausted, one opens to the forces of universal life which take up the movement. But if one stops at the penultimate step, there is no response.

In the process of making institutional decisions one is constantly faced not only with two or more alternatives, but the opportunity to act out of a higher set of values. When one chooses the higher, it leads to growth and incidentally includes the possible benefit of the lower.

A few examples are given of priorities which help the institution to expand:

Long term over short term
Progress over profit
Convention over convenience
Effort over comfort
Sublimation over diversion
Resolution into a harmony over solution
Institution's welfare over department's welfare
Employee's utility over management utility
Confrontation over appeasement
Compromise at a higher level over confrontation.