The current concerns over the economy, brought to mind a heated discussion I had when I was in a meeting with the CEO and CFO. I was advocating for my department and defending marketing expenses when the CEO shouted, “What’s the most important thing this company has?” It seemed like a softball question.
I replied, “It’s people!”
Both men (in unison) corrected me. “ROI.”
“But you don’t have any ROI without people!”
“Well, they won’t have jobs if we don’t have a good ROI!”
I understood their logic, but not their long-term vision. The company had gone public and they were focused on short-term performance and their personal wealth. After all, it had taken ten years for Amazon to break even. If I had any doubt, they had succinctly revealed the company’s ethos. Profits over people. Flowers cut off from their roots don’t last too long.