Stay human and grow your business

There’s a great talk by Simon Sinek called ‘If you don’t Understand People, You Don’t Understand Business’. It perfectly sums up one of HELM’s guiding principles (being human) so we decided to write an article about it. The three main points are trust, symbols and generosity.

Trust

If you drill deep down into what business is you’d find that it’s just a series of interactions between people. And where there’s people there needs to be trust.

We can’t hope to thrive in business (or in life) without being a trusted member of a group – be it your workplace, networking event or even your family. If people trust you they’ll want to do business with you, help you and spend time with you.

Trust comes from the values and beliefs that you share with others. If others understand you and have a similar view of the world, they’re more likely to work with you and help you.

But how do you find these people?

By looking for their symbols.

Symbols

The things you say and do are symbols of who you are. By saying and acting how you believe, you’ll attract people who believe the same things which will help you build trust.

Being with others who have similar views creates a community that will help you grow. That’s what Helm is all about. We’re building a community where businesses can start and grow their brand alongside others in the same position and who have the same symbols.

Generosity

If you have a spirit of generosity you’ll go far with others. If you’re willing to give to those around you, it’s amazing what they’ll be willing to give back.

Remember that giving isn’t an equation. You can’t think ‘I’ve given to them so what are they going to do for me?’ To give to someone else means that you value progression and growth. Always thinking about yourself won’t help you get anywhere because you’re showing you’re a taker and people don’t respond well to takers.

To prove this point Sinek did an experiment with a homeless lady in New York. On a usual day she made $20-$30 by holding a sign that said “Please help I’m homeless.” Amazingly after Sinek changed her sign to read  “If you only give once a month, please think of me next time” she made $40 in just 2 hours!

Because the second sign focussed on the feelings of those giving the lady money (and not herself) she received so much more.

Business is people and the survival of a business depends on building trusting relationships. So start asking what you can do for the person next to you and you’ll be amazed how your business develops.

You can see Simon Sinek’s full video here:

Being human is a trait we look for in all our Helm members. If you’d like to see what the other values of a Helm member are you’ll find them all here.