Business is inherently competitive. We know that to succeed, someone must win, and someone must lose. We fight for market share. We battle for a competitive advantage. We struggle for sales.
Living and working in a capitalistic society, we must have some level of self-centeredness. Regardless of how it makes us feel, many of us believe force is necessary to accomplish goals.
Within this traditional, broadly accepted framework, little room is left for kindness, and even less for selflessness?
However, in the words of Bob Dylan – The Times They Are A-Changin’.
In response to this adversarial ethos of our past, modern ideas like social entrepreneurship and conscious capitalism have appeared. Business people of today often try to balance profit, with purpose.
With a heightened focus on solving social issues and doing good, will the competitive, dog-eat-dog mindset of parents reign supreme? Or, will an ideological shift occur?
When we look at history, we see massive transformations spurred not only by force but also through non-resistance, cooperation, and kindness. We see that successful leaders can be both compelling and sympathetic. We see that huge goals get accomplished without always being the aggressor.
To that end, I have a theory.
As business become more altruistic, the attitudes of businesspeople will shift to reflect that change.
Spurred by this idea, I spent time researching the teachings of one of the most inspirational, influential, and peaceful leaders of all time – His Holiness The Dalai Lama.
I understand he’s a spiritual leader. He is not a businessperson or a CEO. But in the world of today, even that line has become blurred.
The Dalai Lama has a personal website, a Facebook page, and Instagram and Twitter accounts. And if you hadn’t guessed already, he has more traffic, friends, and followers than you. But don’t worry…he would not think less of you because of it.
I found there was much to be learned from his teachings, especially regarding business.
Here are 11 Dalai Lama Twitter posts to prove it:
1. Having a calm and compassionate mind enables us to use our natural intelligence more effectively.
2. Protecting our environment is not a luxury we can choose to enjoy, but a simple matter of survival.
3. If human society loses the value of justice, compassion, and honesty, the next generation will face greater difficulties and more suffering.
4. Money and power attract friends. But it’s not you they’re friends with — just your money and power. Only affection brings genuine friends.
5. The future can be different if we choose to make it so. There is no time for complacency, hope lies in what action we take.
6. We have to cultivate a vision of a happier, more peaceful future and make the effort now to bring it about.
7. It’s not what work we choose to do. The crucial point is doing it with a positive and altruistic motivation.
8. We know that everyone who is born has to die, but the important thing is that while we are alive we should make our lives meaningful.
9. Meaningful dialogue requires us to respect others’ rights and interests–compromise is the only way to resolve disputes.
10. We think that if we have health and wealth they’re enough to be happy, but actually, happiness depends on the state of our minds.
11. There are always problems to face, but it makes a difference if our minds are calm.
As a businessperson, many of these tweets ring true. They speak to finding compassion in our interactions, having a clear vision to attain our goals, and finding solutions through respect, compromise and a calm mind.
So next time something goes wrong at work, and you’re ready to fly off the handle, stop, take a deep breath, and head over to the Dalai Lama’s Twitter page. By reading his words, you’ll be better prepared to make a decision that benefits not only you but everyone at stake.
The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.