By Robert Wheatley

The cosmic at work on planet earth

This post may feel a bit like convening with the spirits or consulting the stars, but there is merit and consequence, we believe between proper, moral, ethical behavior and “good things will happen to you” and your business.

Otherworldly phenomenon…

An agency management consultant we know and respect, David Baker, made an interesting comment to us about the at times murky world of new business development activity. He said: you can’t know from one day to the next when a prospective client is actually ready and motivated to buy your services. His comment came in a conversation about what he believes is a lot of misguided attempts to “sell” agency services. He correctly asserts that agency services are bought and not sold.

However, he also said that there’s an almost cosmic, otherworldly connection between the act of purposeful outreach and opportunities for growth. His point: even though some activities may appear to be shots in the proverbial dark, there is a corollary relationship over time between conscious effort (sweat) and opportunity (result). You cannot necessarily quantify or calculate exactly how action “A” leads to “B” but it routinely does, so you proceed down this trail with a measure of faith that your labor will be rewarded. And sometimes from places you least expect.

Faith?

Similarly are there forces at work in business we cannot fully understand and measure that make the case for ethical behavior and the moral high ground? I believe the answer is absolutely YES. There are plenty of opportunities in business to take a darker path, as Seth Godin discusses in a recent post.

There is an interesting dynamic at play around us that underscores the wisdom and value of ethical actions. It may seem that bad guys like Bernie Madoff routinely make out like bandits — and others with less obvious criminal intents may also work hard to reap benefits from business practices that fly on the edge of moral judgment (some argue this condition is at the foundation of a few Wall Street meltdowns).

The world is a curious place and the rationale for moral conduct has a lot going for it beyond the religious undertones it’s almost always associated with or how you were brought up. Truthfulness, doing the right thing if you will, is somehow at work like a natural order just below the surface at all times. The old saying, “what goes around comes around” has been proven more often and in more ways that I can count.

If you act and operate morally, responsibly in your personal life and business dealings, there is a functionality to it that works alongside the conscience we’re raised with. Congruently bad behavior over time often leads to bad outcomes. This curious balance and force tempers the rush to greed that can motivate bad decisions and judgments.

Do nice guys finish first?

So does faith operate in the business world? Absolutely. Doesn’t mean we recommend tossing your efforts aside in favor of waiting for miracles. Rather the actions and efforts you undertake, if done in a spirit of right, fair, helpful, generous truthful, lawful and correct — lead to outcomes that generate benefits for individuals and business.

You agree?