Blog Post: What's in a Business Decision?

I recently spoke to a lively group of recruiters at a local APRA (Arizona Professional Recruiters Association) meeting. During the course of our conversation we discussed the fact that all business decisions have an ethics component. Here's a scenario that offers an example of this:

A long-time customer contacts you and wants you to start a new project for them. But the customer starts by saying that he has sent you a lot of business over the years and prefers working with you because you're easy to work with and you get the job done the way he likes it. But this time, because of the economic situation, your customer asks for a significant discount on this new project.

How do you see this scenario? In our APRA discussion there were some people who saw this as strictly a business decision - to offer a discount or not. That's one of many valid perspectives. There is also a deeper meaning and several elements to this simple business decision. The deeper meaning is that your customer is saying to you

• "I've been loyal."
• "I trust you."
• "You have integrity."
• "You show accountability for your actions."
• "You promise what you deliver."

These are all ethics components of the business decision, and these are all components we sometimes forget to consider or appreciate consciously. The ultimate decision we make depends on the perspective we choose to take and the value we place on each of these components. Is our decision the same from the perspective of valuing loyalty vs the perspective of growing our bank balance?

e-Factor!TM helps you explore these perspectives and others related to ethics, team building, leadership and critical thinking. We love hearing from you about how we can help you make stronger, more productive business decisions like this scenario. Let us know what you think!