By Shannon Mullen O'Keefe

What do words mean to you? At the recent Great Wave event, the ethical philosopher Françoise Baylis helped call to mind the power in words when she used this example: “What if we had a different understanding of what it meant to be wealthy?” she asked. “What if ‘wealth,’ were defined by how much you could give away — constantly gifting — rather than keeping?”If we sit with her questions for a minute, we realize that a different definition of wealth might make a “ripple.” Her question was a pebble tossed into still water.

When “there is no pebble tossed,” our reality remains unchanged. It might not get worse, but it won’t improve either. So, our challenge as business leaders is to reconsider our lexicon. We must put under the microscope those words that are most familiar to us, the ones we speak without thinking.

What happens when we ask ourselves to reimagine business words? If we challenge or change their accepted, traditional meanings, what might it signal for us — and perhaps more importantly — for the constituencies who look to us for inspiration?

What if our business words “glowed with the gold of sunshine”? What if, as they left our mouths, we felt more embedded in ethical principles, attuned to our better selves, and optimistic about our collective future?

Keeping this all in mind, let’s consider what an Alternative Business Lexicon might sound like. To get started, let’s go over definitions of a few ethical words to center us first.

1. Just: “based on or behaving according to what is morally right or fair.”
2. Decent: “conforming with generally acceptable standards of respectable or moral behavior.”
3. Integrity: “the quality of being honest, and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness,” and the “the state of being whole and undivided.”
4. Dignity: “the state or quality of being worthy of honor or respect.”

Now, A Business Lexicon for the Next Century

Management

noun — Caretakers of human value, responsible to paint the best picture of each human as they enable both human and firm flourishing.

Manage

verb—To be a caretaker of human value, to orchestrate potential, to help each person hit their tessitura — “where you have your best and most impactful note, where you sing the best in your range.”

Employee

noun—A valued human life, a vessel of potential.


Business

noun—The steward of service to our communities, advocating for the wellbeing of all constituencies affected by our products and practices.

Marketing

noun—The ethical education regarding how our business is making a difference for our customers and consumers overall.

Profit

noun—The decent amount of money left over after expenses are paid, stakeholders are cared for, and the wellbeing of each person on the team is accounted for.

Downsizing

noun—A risky decision intended to eliminate waste and redundancy that can reduce resiliency, erode cultural cohesion, and drain knowledge resources out of your workplace, imperiling long-term value for short-term gains.

Work

noun—Activity involving a person’s unique (and beautiful) abilities to meet what the world needs.

Performance

noun—Potential realized.

Value Proposition

noun—An unambiguous statement of what exactly your company’s product or service will do to make life and work more beautiful.

Customer

noun—The person or organization your company has the privilege of serving.

Competition

noun—An awareness of “who does it best,” “who you can learn from,” and “who raises your game,” as you amplify the positive difference you’re making.

Now, the question: Would the world hear the voice of business leaders who used words like this?

Business leaders who advocated for these meanings?

Is a culture that defines a decent profit possible?

Or would these words be better left unsung?

If you go, no one may follow. It may be your path to take alone.

But isn’t that the ultimate challenge of a leader? To toss the pebble, to make the ripple, and see who you can persuade to follow?