Authentic Business, Neil Crofts, 2005

Onderstaande tekst is een voorpublicatie uit mijn nieuwe boek over identiteitsmarketing.

Neil Crofts is een Engelsman die in 2001, hetzelfde jaar waarin Gert Disberg in Almelo startte met identiteitsmarketing, tot de conclusie kwam dat er geen platform was waar je kon lezen over “inspiring businesses that existed for more than just profit”. Dit inspireerde hem onder andere om zijn boek Authentic Business. How to create and run your perfect business te schrijven. Volgens Crofts is het probleem met veel huidige bedrijven dat ze niet, zoals ze beweren, bezig zijn met geld maken (to make money), maar met het herverdelen van rijkdom. Al het andere is een bijproduct van dit proces, inclusief de producten die het bedrijf levert. En de meeste bijproducten, inclusief de producten zelf en de reclame ervoor, zijn niets meer dan vervuiling. Hiertegenover stelt Crofts de authentieke bedrijven, die anders zijn omdat “they make profits by pursuing a profound and positive purpose”. Hij omschrijft authentieke bedrijven aan de hand van zes kenmerken die ik hieronder weergeef in het Engels. De overeenkomsten met de uitgangspunten en kenmerken van identiteitsmarketing zijn treffend:

1. Purpose beyond profit. This is the key to success for authentic business. For an authentic business the purpose is also explicit and guiding. It is explicit because being open and clear about your purpose enables others who support the purpose to gather around. It also indicates to those who don’t support it that there is no point in being involved. The purpose is guiding because every decision can be checked against the purpose to see if it contributes to its achievement or not;
2. Profound purpose. Far too many companies have no purpose at all, which begs the question – why do they exist? For an authentic business the purpose is profoundly held and is not negotiable to those making the decisions in the business. If they found that they were unable to deliver on their purpose they would not be in the business;
3. Being socially and environmentally positive. The purpose to which an authentic business is set is also positive in that it makes a positive societal and/or environmental contribution;
4. Integrity between communications, actions, beliefs and values. A defining feature of an authentic business is that its profound and positive purpose shines through in every aspect of what it does, whether paying invoices, parting ways with a member of staff, or presenting at a conference. In this way, everyone coming into contact with the business will experience the integrity of its purpose – the absolute congruence between what it says it stands for, what it thinks, what it believes, and what it actually does;
5. Respect for our cohabitants on this planet. Authentic businesses are by definition respectful, honourable and non-exploitative;Being distinct and unique. Authentic businesses tend to be very individual, distinct and clear about who they are and what they do. They do not jump on bandwagons and copy others, but follow their own path.