Your Unifier Allies

I was born in a land where daughters didn’t take over their father’s empire. As a young girl, I was timid, but also caring and observant. I spent hours watching my father build the family business from scratch, working day and night, climbing up ladders and pleasing demanding investors. Once he achieved the power and authority he desired, he was determined not to lose it. He kept a tight rein on his employees, money, position and legacy. He never mixed business with friendship. Not even my mother knew the company secrets. As he aged, he grew increasingly paranoid, pompous and dominant. His temper was hot.

You can imagine the shock everyone felt when he left me in charge of the business after he died. My whole body quaked the day I was given the keys to the company safe. Most people expected me to fail, myself included. But my best friends believed in me, and promised their unconditional support.

The gratitude I felt gave me the courage to break the first rule of the family business. I invited my friends in. Instead of seeing them as threats, competitors, or needy parasites, I saw them as invaluable and trustworthy resources. I shared all that I knew, all that I needed, and then gave them the freedom to do what they were best at, without my interference.

At first, profits went down, and I worried that we’d go under. But the atmosphere of the company had changed. Goodwill, collaboration and creativity abounded. Soon our level of efficiency increased and profits rose. I invested most of our earnings into educating and training old and new employees in the fields of their heart’s desire. Soon people stood in line, just for the opportunity to work for and with us. Over the years, our products and services became increasingly healthy for our customers and the environment. The life/work balance of our employees improved; their families flourished and even participated in the fun.

We became recognized and used as a model all over the world for our humanitarian efforts, capacity to share (as opposed to trade) resources, and our willingness to cross-pollinate with cutting edge businesses, non-profits, artists and activists. Not bad for a timid girl like me!