I heard it again a few months ago. The first time for many years and it bothered me. A lot. I thought, in this new world, we had left that bull behind. I was angry, but now I know that I dodged a bullet. That phrase?
“It’s not personal, it’s business.”
The mantra of the office idiot, Donald Trump and Michael Corleone – a loser, a gangster and a man who inherited the family business. They use it to cover a multitude of business sins and they say it just before they do something wrong, offensive or inconsiderate. It is the one comment that defines someone or the organisation as dishonest, lazy and stupid.
Let me be clear.
I lose sleep about work. It’s personal
I argue about the way something should be done. I care. It’s personal
When I am asked to do something I know is wrong. I speak up. It is personal.
Business is personal. Plain and Simple. My relationship with customers, colleagues and suppliers are all deeply personal. That is why I love it.
Let me give you an example of how it works for us.
We have just won a great contract – really great in fact – for a series of lifestyle films. The customer is motivated, intelligent and has clear objectives. A perfect match for us.
We put our heart and soul into that pitch. We showed the customer pictures of our kids, our partners, our pets, our houses, we played our music, shared our art and spoke about our holidays. He was impressed and gave us the contract. I asked him what made the difference. He looked up and without hesitation said:
“You made it personal…”