The business world, and in fact the country, lost a great man recently with the passing of Clayton Christensen. This Harvard School of Business professor authored some of the finest business books hundreds of thousands have benefited from. He was a genuine gentleman and he will be missed by many. One of his greatest pieces of business advice was very simple, yet so profound. Paraphrased, he said, Success is measured by the lives you touch and impact.It was no secret that this was his guiding philosophy regardless whether it was in his business or his personal life.
One might ask, while that might be great advice, what does that have to do with my community or with me? When I look at our community, I believe that how we positively impact the lives of those in our community is the ultimate measurement of success. Every supportive action that we take in our community makes an impact. Every dime we spend at a local establishment makes an impact. Casting a vote in a local election makes an impact. Every volunteer hour we spend helping or lifting people up in our community makes and impact. Every time we say a kind word to others impacts our community. When you view it through that lens, we can all have a great impact in our community and on the lives of those in our community.
We have all heard the term unintended consequences used, usually in a negative light. But let me share a positive economic intended consequence of our actions that we can have control over.
While the community size only impacts the final numbers, the following example remains the same. Lets say you live in a community of 20,000 residents. For this example, lets also assume that residents will travel to other nearby communities or cities to do much of their shopping, dining and entertainment. Lets also assume that like most, many in your community are starting to shop online more and more each year. What would be the impact if each resident were to make a conscious effort to spend $25 each month at a locally owned and operated business that they might have otherwise spent out-of-town or online? That small commitment to your local community would be enormous. That would equate to $500,000 each month or $6 million each year circulating throughout your small community. This intended consequence becomes a game changer in many communities.
How would an additional $6 million impact the locally owned and operated business community? How many local jobs might that help create? How many more tax dollars would be available to assist with the local roads, fire, schools, infrastructure and so forth? How would it feel to intentionally assist with the paving of your own roads in lieu of paving the roads in Bentonville, Arkansas, or some far-off corporate headquarters?
Yes, we can surely impact so many lives in our community by our small and intentional actions. Not only how we treat people, but how we choose to spend our money can make a significant positive impact. When we look at our friends, co-workers and neighbors, we can have a greater impact on their lives right here and right now more than we know. We are all in this economic battle together. Local communities need to not only think truly local, but act that way as well.
Ill close with the quote I shared at the beginning by Clayton Christensen with a slight modification, Our local communitys success is measured by the lives we touch and impact. Are we measuring up to that challenge or do we need to evaluate our lives and rededicate and commit to our local community? You cant go wrong in thinking local, in fact, when it comes to measuring impact it may very well be the only right thing to do.
John A. Newby, author of the "Building Main Street, Not Wall Street " column dedicated to helping communities combine synergies with local media companies allowing them to not just survive, but thrive in a world where Truly Local is lost to Amazon, Wall Street chains and others. His email is: john@360MediaAlliance.net.
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