| In his final shareholder letter as CEO of Amazon, Jeff Bezos wrote,
“If you want to be successful in business, you have to create more than you consume. Your goal should be to create value for everyone you interact with. Any business that doesn’t create value for those it touches, even if it appears successful on the surface, isn’t long for this world. It’s on the way out.” He then outlined the specific value that Amazon created in 2020 for its shareholders (net profit), employees (pay and benefits), third-party sellers (profits from selling on Amazon), and customers (time and cost savings) for an estimated total of $301 billion of created value. We can and should apply Bezos’s sage advice to our work, our family, our friendships, and our community. Are we creating more than we are consuming? In each of these constructs, we invariably consume time, energy, money, resources, attention, and services. And in exchange for that consumption, we meet our job expectations, attend family obligations, respond to friends on Facebook, and pay taxes. But, borrowing from Bezos, if we don’t create value for the people in our life, we will not be long for our job, relationships, or community. That doesn’t mean our demise. Worse. It means the demise of our passion, enthusiasm, and joy. Fortunately, “creating value” does not require launching a billion-dollar e-commerce business. We create value when we exceed others’ expectations and up-level our participation and contributions. In any interaction, we can create value:
One of my Circle of Excellence leaders reflected on her progress recently and shared, “I used to see things that needed to be done, but I didn’t think it was my responsibility. Then I realized that I can actually make a difference.” When we are committed to creating more than we consume, it’s always our responsibility. © 2021. Ann Tardy and Mentor Lead. www.mentorlead.com | www.anntardy.com |