"Where instead of treating our staff as soldiers to be sent out, exploited and discarded in the pursuit of money, we will nurture our people and our planet, creating delightful things while cherishing the resources it takes to make them."
Recently, here on LinkedIn, I saw a post referring to Nike's 10 Principles, written in 1977 by Rob Strasser. Some of these principles set my teeth on edge. For example, "2: We're on offense. All the time." Or how about "4: This is as much about battle as about business."
Why have we decided that business should be like war?
The battlefield itself is only a small part of the picture. Think of what happens in communities in wartime, or earthquakes, or flooding, or other natural disasters. People band together and help their neighbours. While the soldiers go out and fight each other, those at home gather together, support each other, defend their homes and
their children.
I have worked in businesses where we did not share information with colleagues in the industry, because that would be anti-competitive. Where hard work was incentivised, which meant that the principals would squeeze in more appointments, skip breaks, work while sick, and end up taking their temper out on the support staff. Where junior staff were discouraged from upskilling beyond the current scope of their role, because that was unnecessary to the business--only to see those highly experienced and valuable staff members leave for other businesses where they could develop themselves, taking all their institutional knowledge with them.
Doesn't it make more sense that running a business should be like keeping a family running, fed, clothed and learning? When your neighbours are doing well, they are more able to support you when you need it! Your staff will be able to do their best possible work when they are healthy, well-rested, well-nourished, and internally motivated by love of what they do.
In the New Zealand game industry, I am proud to support my fellow development companies. I share in their successes. I wish them all well and am doing what I can to support startups and young people who are thinking of joining this world. The better other businesses do, the better we all do. As the Belter proverb has it: the more you share, the more your bowl will be plentiful. (From The Expanse. Watch it.)
I'm known on our company Discord and on Twitter as MamaMonkey. My femaleness is fundamental to my identity, and informs the way I do business. I hope that as more women take positions of leadership, in businesses, politics, education and everywhere, these ways of working will become the norm. Where instead of treating our staff as soldiers to be sent out, exploited and discarded in the pursuit of money, we will nurture our people and our planet, creating delightful things while cherishing the resources it takes to make them.
(Here's a link with Nike's principles and some clarification: https://lnkd.in/g-9wvi7t).
