What makes you happy?

I was having lunch with a client recently and we were talking about how tough the economy is today. Given all these challenges, I asked, “What makes you happy, what gives you a sense of fulfillment?” She said, “it’s all about making a difference in the lives of our customers, our community, and our employees”. She gave me a current example. She is the wellness champion in their company and she believes their efforts to promote healthy lifestyles among their employees has saved lives.

Irrespective of the challenges we all face in business (and in life) we still have the power to make a difference. That was a huge motivation to Parker, Smith & Feek in launching our own company wellness initiative three years ago. In case you’re not familiar with the wellness concept, it is using the workplace to actively promote and educate healthy lifestyles. We’ve gotten traction and had some fun and success, but still fully half of our employees don’t participate in this voluntary program.

Clearly, it doesn’t resonate with everyone and I know some wonder why we bring this issue into the workplace. My answer is simple: First, we care about the health and well being of our staff, and if we can change a few lives (and I believe we have already) it will be well worth it. Second, a big part of our business is consulting on employer-provided health benefits. Wellness, we feel, is a key strategy to managing the cost of healthcare on a long-term basis. How can we consult on what we don’t do ourselves?

Of Steven Covey’s famous Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, my favorite habit has always been, “Begin with the end in mind.” Perhaps the greatest legacy any business can have isn’t the products or services they provide, but how they give back to their employees, their families, and their community, and in the process make their part of the world a little better.

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