We often hear that we must not let our emotions cloud our business judgements, but to what extent can we really draw the line? It’s highly possible, and often likely that we hold biases and incorporate emotions into the decisions we take.
Our emotions are primarily based on how we view the world, and our view of the world is shaped based on our upbringing and culture. Is this helpful or harmful, though?
There isn’t a single answer, to be honest. No, just because we take culture and emotion into account does not make us emotional fools. In fact, it offers us so much more than we realise in the first place. It makes us wiser.
When it comes to this, what is culture exactly? By definition, culture refers to the customs, ideas, and beliefs of a group of people in society. These beliefs and traditions are passed on, and today we may not even know the reason, but decades ago, these rules were set down based on someone’s personal experience.
One man may have burnt himself with fire, and everyone around him understood that an open flame is not to be trifled with. This isn’t directly related to business, though, you may say. This is simple experiential knowledge that we share with our loved ones, so they don’t get hurt.
I’m afraid I have to disagree. Think about it. Have you never shared a negative business experience where you were harmed? Why? The goal isn’t to advertise a failure; instead, it is to make sure that someone else, whom you care about, doesn’t go through the same experience.
Similarly, our cultural identity defines how we think, and the hundreds of superstitions we find are beliefs compounded over thousands of years. When we think about our business or make a business decision, we almost constantly – even if we don’t realise it – take culture into account.
Our respect and behaviour mirror our cultural community, and these are nuances that can make or break a business deal! We can’t always stay rigid with our decisions, but it is not wrong to factor in our identity and culture when we think about making decisions.
It’s certainly helpful when we take into account our own values and morals in our business. That personal touch is far more valuable to a customer than it appears to be at first glance.
And harmful? It can be, too. Unfortunately, if we blind ourselves to the market and refuse to acknowledge the changes occurring in the modern world, it can be highly detrimental to a firm or a business.
Our cultural identity is an extremely important aspect of us, and we must give it the respect and credit it deserves. We must also be conscious of how we incorporate these values into our lives, and then there’s rarely a time when we can go wrong!
