Don't do well, just do good
By Bryan Rader, MediaWorks

This column is not about strategy, profits, business development or growth. None of these traditional themes will even be addressed. Something much more important will be discussed, which is oftentimes a forgotten element of a company’s mindset. And that is "doing good".

We are all so focused in the business world on "doing well". We sit in staff meetings and board meetings and sales meetings thinking constantly about how to increase our revenues, drop our expenses, sign more deals, and bring in fresh capital to continue building. This is all in an effort to increase the value of our companies.

I certainly have no problem with the leaders of PCO’s spending most of their time on this one-dimensional issue. Personally, I spend most of my time on these same issues. But I do have a problem with PCO’s being so singularly driven by "doing well", that they forget to "do good". What exactly do I mean?

"Doing good" is getting your company involved in its community. It’s helping others, lending your time for a fundraiser, participating in a charity or philanthropy, or sponsoring an event for a good cause. It does not mean writing a big check for a special charitable organization. That’s easy. It has more to do with getting your employees involved in their community for a cause that your company feels strongly about.

In many industries, you see successful companies with programs designed for their employees to volunteer their time in schools, or hospitals, or even homeless shelters. Some companies are big sponsors of special events for certain causes (to cure a disease, or to raise money for research). They may write big checks, but they also encourage as many employees as possible to get involved. This civic duty, or social responsibility as you may call it, gives your company a different purpose (than only profit), and connects employees to the organization in ways no other effort can.

This seems to be missing in the PCO industry. So many PCO’s have come and gone from this industry that were just trying to write as many contracts as possible in a short period of time. They were not building companies. They were building nothing more than a "collection of contracts", and were disconnected from their community and their employees. They were running hard toward an IPO or an exit with no other purpose in mind. What a waste of good talent.

My company, MediaWorks, has a different perspective than this. We believe very strongly in "doing good". In fact, I will share with you an example of our efforts.

I have a 4-year old child with special needs. She was born with a number of development delays that have required tremendous early intervention, including physical, occupational and speech therapy. She spends three to four days a week at a rehabilitation therapy center near our home where she has made incredible strides over the past three years. For those of you that know me, she has become my motivation for "doing well" and "doing good".

Last November, MediaWorks sponsored an event called "Little One Walk/Fun!". It was a 2K walk for little children (many with special needs) and their families. Clowns, cartoon characters, face-painters and jugglers joined the kids. Local restaurants donated food, drinks and coffee. And, MediaWorks employees handled the entire organization of the event. In fact, many of our suppliers were sponsors of the event including MultiCom and WSNet. Some of our clients like Archstone Communities also participated, as did others like Inteli-Cable and U.S. On-Line. I was so proud of the efforts of everyone involved that I had to hold back my tears when I completed the 2K walk.

Two months ago we presented my daughter’s therapy center with a check for over $15,000. It was one of the most rewarding days of my life.

We plan to host the event again this November and raise even more money.

I hope that if your company isn’t doing something now, that you will consider participating in a special cause that is close to your heart. After all, today’s PCO’s, suppliers and customers are much different than those in the past. Yes, we seek to "do well", but we can’t forget how important it is to "do good", too.

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