Balance: Finding Equilibrium In Exchanges

People Precede Profit

In Chinese philosophy, two principles interact and produce the world in which we live in. The two polar elements do not necessarily represent any two matters, but their balance is sought in order to foster a healthy life. An imbalance between the two will lead to disease.

The yin and the yang represent all the opposite and conflicting principles found in the universe. The creation of the yin from the yang and vice versa explains why in the long run, balance prevails and no one force will dominate the other. If there is an imbalance, then things get unhealthy. In other words: you're gonna die.

Seeking a balance in your learning process will create an environment in which you will lead a healthy business career.

In business, you will often see a contrast between two forces: reactions and feelings (people) clash with the hard facts such as numbers, margins and percentages (profit)

Consider these two forces as a yin-yang that have to strike a perfect balance over the course of your professional development and your personal life. These present a spectrum, with one focusing on profit while the other emphasizes people.

Now extend this circle-like shape to represent the proverbial pie in business. This could be the same pie that represents market share in an industry or the size of a firm within an industry. The goal for business people is to grow the size of the pie, or yin-yang. Entrepreneurs often say that one needs to give up a piece of the pie in order to increase it.

However, as you will learn in business school, the corporate world and in life, trying to push profit by neglecting people will harm your business. Conversely, before getting too sentimental, remember that numbers are equally important. In Fortune's 2002 list of the 100 Best Companies to work for, Kinko's failed to make the list for the first time in years. The firm's CEO and President, Gary Kusin emailed employees telling them that he shared their disappointment, but reminded them that in previous years, Kinko's had made the list despite disappointing financial results. Kusin was right in reminding his employees the importance of strong operating results over good public relations.

At either extreme, understand both the fundamentals of managing people in order to maximize profit. Recognize trends that impact both and keep an eye on the bottom line in order to grow.

These two forces, represented by black and white, must work in tandem for the yin-yang to remain healthy and that the pie grows. This applies to business and life in general. Jerry Seinfeld was right about the black and white cookie… perfect harmony is what it's all about.

Balance is only one of the many pillars of success: others include knowing what you are good at; understanding how to manage your ambitions and of course, grasping the concept of teamplay.