Harmonics of Business

Last summer my mother asked me what it was that I loved so much about being in nature. Fresh off an exceptional trip to the Tetons, I answered “the harmony. Nature reminds me of what true harmony looks like.” (Untainted) nature exemplifies macro and micro self-organizing systems with inherent cyclic renewal. Things make sense. Work together. Life has purpose.

Business has long favored systems referred to as operations with metrics to measure the “health” of the system. And like any system, if it is unbalanced, the biosphere may do well in the short term - like an over-fertilized store plant that tanks a few days after you take it home.

The great resignation of 2021 is pushing business leadership to focus on where systems are out of balance and inharmonious. There’s renewed emphasis on recruitment and perks. That’s the quick fix. Next are the ongoing systems that support a thriving environment for employees and leaders (at all levels). I look at the harmonics of business being about the ability to balance the operations side with the people side and growth with stability. It’s an exciting and challenging new era for business systems to incorporate more wholistic approaches for building success and weathering the cycles of renewal.