Philosophical inspiration can spring from an eclectic variety of sources; from the reflection of a full moon over the Pacific Ocean to the genuine words of wisdom shared by your five-year-old, to a movie that captures the challenges and successes of an individual who stayed true to her dream and visions.
A recent viewing of Respect honoring the life and career of Aretha Franklin, portrayed by the brilliant artist Jennifer Hudson, was a synchronized balance of an over-powering family dynamic rooted in hierarchical tradition, the illumination and transformation of destructive societal issues of racism and inequality led by Martin Luther King Jr. and many others, and the undeterred passion and power of an individual to brighten the world through song.
Any one of these challenges could have buried an individual’s dreams or forced one to follow the existing beaten path to a comfortable, but potentially obscure life.
Like the drive of the indomitable Aretha Franklin, an entrepreneur with a dream to build something new, the passion and experience to develop it, and the perseverance to overcome obstacles to truly bring their dream to mainstream, is equally heroic. And like the songstress, building with R-E-S-P-E-C-T is essential.
And what is respect? The derivation of respect comes from Latin meaning “to look back, have regard for.” Respect in building a business incorporates your values moving forward, how you develop your company, build your team, source your products, fairly compensate and budget viably…and it also should integrate the periodic efforts to look back and reflect upon lessons learned and key insights that are vital to lasting success. Were your customers truly satisfied? Was your team motivated and inspired to give their best efforts toward excellent results? Were your resources sustainably sourced with minimal impact? Were you satisfied with your progress? And in looking back, did you also see areas for improvement, systems that should be enhanced, issues that need addressing to improve the way forward? And did you also, in looking back, admire how far you have come? The is respect for others as well as respect for oneself. Both are essential for true success.
It is true, we all need a little respect looking forward, and looking back.
Gillian