Stand for something!

On a personal and professional level, you will never be successful if you don't stand for something bigger than yourself or your company.

What do you stand for? What are you willing to fight for? What are you doing to make the world a better place? All of is need a personal mission that helps instruct us on the job, with family and in society. If you don't really stand for anything, why would anyone ever follow you, mentor you, or try to help you?

I stand for compassion. At work, in family life and now in our relationship with communities and the environment. Compassion. When I see it, I reward it. When I see a lack of it, I rail against it and do whatever I can to affect change. I grade myself, and everything I commit to, against my desire to promote compassion.

Compassion is just one example of standing for something. You can stand for: Quality, Equality, Justice, the USA, talent cultivation, love, etc. etc. But stand for something.

If you have a business, and all is stands for making money for the owners, why would anyone want to buy from you or work for you during the social century (21st)??? Just-for-profit companies will have weak brands and low quality talent, because they don’t offer social quality or a social compensation plan.

It's never too late to stand for something. I didn't consciously make my choice until my mid-30s. That probably explains why life was so tough up until then.

Post in comments what you (or your company) stand for, and how your actions and priorities demonstrate this.

Comments

[SEAN]

I have a girlfriend that sayes she don't have morals and she don't stand for anything.She thinks she's perfect and she does no wrong and it's everyone else's fault and it's the people that she brings into her life that causes her stress.She say things like i'm a angel because i was born on Easter.I'm dealing with an impossible person here.Am i wrong for leaving her alone. Somebody help me because i call myself loving and living with this lady and i can't take it anymore, it makes me be verbally abusive to her because i can't understand a 43 year old lady like this.

[SEAN]

I have a girlfriend that sayes she don't have morals and she don't stand for anything.She thinks she's perfect and she does no wrong and it's everyone else's fault and it's the people that she brings into her life that causes her stress.She say things like i'm a angel because i was born on Easter.I'm dealing with an impossible person here.Am i wrong for leaving her alone. Somebody help me because i call myself loving and living with this lady and i can't take it anymore, it makes me be verbally abusive to her because i can't understand a 43 year old lady like this.

[Jon]

Hey, this sounds familiar. Where have I heard this before? Oh yeah! http://www.amazon.com/dp/0609807250/

[Jill Smith-Mott]

Well put. I searched long and hard to come up with what I stand for. I really like the compassion idea and found that I practice that a lot without realizing it. But was it really what I stood for? As a writer and educator, I found that what most motivates me, as well as impresses me in other people is knowledge and creativity. And now that I have consciously acknowledged this, I can remember to recognize, reward, and strive for it everyday.

[Howard Cox]

Tim,

Great Post!!! If you don't stand for something, you will run the risk of falling for anything.

I personally stand for HAPPINESS! I have built a business consulting system around a Happiness Centered Model.

I believe that creating happiness should be the number one goal of every business on the planet. Further, the business must create happiness for all of its stakeholders:

1. Customers
2. Team Members
3. Stockholders
4. Vendors
5. The community at large, local and\or global

Thanks,

Howard

[David]

Integrity.

I have been in sales and marketing positions in the publishing industry for 18 years. I have seen integrity increasingly thrown to the side in favour of the bottom line over and over again in the past 5-years. I am in the process of launching my own marketing business to help small/medium sized businesses and non-profits market themselves better using traditional and web 2.0 tools. It's time to restore integrity in the world of marketing.

Thanks Tim, you are right. Its time to stand for something, indeed!

[Jeff Davis]

Check out this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Standing-Something-Neglected-Virtues-Hearts/dp/0609807250/