Almost twenty years ago, when I was doing my EMBA, in the business world the most important thing was what the shareholders wanted. Usually, they wanted dividends, company growth, an increase in stock price when the company was publicly traded.
I remember some questions I used to get during business simulations, especially when we were doing the quarterly or annual financial exercises—completing the profit and loss account, the balance sheet. “Where do we put the people? Where is their value shown?” I was asked. Where, indeed? Many would say people were the most important assets of a company, so naturally, if you hadn’t dealt with financial instruments before, you’d think they should be listed somewhere among the assets. But no—they weren’t then, and they still aren’t now.
However, something has changed quite significantly since then. Although we still don’t assign a financial value to people on the books, today, people matter much more than in the past. Employee expectations—especially across different generations—are vastly different now. The way people choose which company to work for has changed. These days, what also matters is how a company treats its employees, how it invests in society, in the environment, in building a better world overall.
The goal of a company is still to make a profit. But financial performance is no longer the only concern. It’s essential that profit is made while also:
- Treating employees fairly and creating a supportive work environment;
- Treating suppliers and customers with respect;
- Getting involved in community causes, NGOs, social initiatives;
- Launching environmental protection efforts;
- Keeping up with the times and integrating new technologies;
- Preparing employees and managers to stay relevant in a fast-changing world;
- Embracing diversity in all its forms—gender, race, age, thought, and more.
Unfortunately, many of these remain mere aspirations—waved around at company events, printed in internal manuals, or posted on office walls.
Still, it’s a start. Talking about these things helps. But without meaningful debate and clear standards, change is hard to bring about. Just as important is walking the talk—acting in line with the values we preach. There’s still a long way to go.
There are also moments when we’re forced to question what truly matters to us, what we value, and how we define success—no matter what professional background we come from.
A few years ago, a colleague of mine passed away. We had worked together for 13 years. Why bring this up? Because that year, we all had to work hard to stay emotionally balanced as a team. It wasn’t about profit anymore—it was about the deep, personal questions everyone was asking themselves. In those moments, to think about success, whether financial or otherwise, would have been petty at best. Yet, during a business meeting that same year, someone told me those were just sentimental ramblings—that business had no room for that.
Over time, I’ve noticed that this type of thinking is, sadly, far from rare.
Let me be clear: I’m not saying we should go to work to hold hands and chat all day. We go to work to perform certain activities—to do them as well as we can, efficiently. But it should also bring us some joy: speaking to colleagues, being appreciated by our managers, showing appreciation to others when they’ve done something special. These are the things that give meaning to our actions and our plans. Without them, even financial success loses its value or starts to feel meaningless.
One perfect illustration of this is the story of Arianna Huffington.
A few years ago, I had the chance to collaborate with her—and I found the experience deeply inspiring. Arianna launched The Huffington Post at age 55. A few years later, she sold it for $315 million. At 66, she launched Thrive Global, a company aimed at improving wellbeing and raising awareness about mental health in the workplace. Now, at 77, Arianna has launched Thrive AI Health. In our weekly meetings, she used to say: success is not just about money and fame. Yes, you may achieve both if you’re deeply dedicated to your work and you put in tremendous effort every day. But it’s not enough.
Because one day, you’ll collapse. Or you won’t even be able to get back up because of exhaustion. And then—what’s the point?
I look around and see how most people treat themselves as if they were immortal. The effort we can put in at 20, 30, even 40 is simply not the same at 60—and that’s if we’re lucky and stay in good physical condition. We play at life, up until the point where the body says “Stop!”
And only then, maybe, we start to reflect—why do we place all our value on money, possessions, power, fame? And we begin to understand why we’re never fully satisfied: there will always be someone richer, higher in the global rankings, someone with more power, better connections with those who matter—those who can help them stay on top, where power blinds.
So yes—money, wealth, power, and fame are the traditional measures of success.
But I believe there are other essential ingredients too.
Here are a few I invite you to reflect on:
Physical and mental health—that oh-so-trendy “wellbeing.” This means making sure we care for ourselves and our state of being, not waiting for others to do it (not our manager, partner, friends, or family). Everyone has their own struggles. Maybe they’ll notice something is wrong with us—or maybe they won’t. People around us aren’t therapists. They may not be trained to spot signs of stress, burnout, or alienation.
Caring for ourselves means sleeping enough, exercising, controlling the time we spend on social media before it takes over, doing regular medical check-ups, paying attention to what we eat—and also to what we read, who we spend time with, what we say to ourselves. Our mindset defines our wellbeing. It helps to have a mentor, a therapist, a coach, a wise friend who can lift us up when we feel like we’ve lost our wings.
We should also be more stingy with our time. If we’re no longer in our twenties, we don’t have our whole lives ahead of us—most of it is behind us. Let’s not waste what we have left.
Impact on the community—this means living a life of contribution, with a sense of purpose. We can get involved in an NGO, an association, a cause that speaks to our heart—be it education, healthcare, ecology, diversity, or something else. It means embracing the mindset described by Adam Grant in Give and Take: first, you give—then, you receive. Give to others, and life will give back.
Wonder—for me, this is the opposite of complacency, boredom, that jaded spirit. Wonder is the domain of the young soul, regardless of age. Children marvel at everything—at the moon that seems to follow them, at a butterfly, a puppy, a kitten.
Many adults have lost the capacity (or desire?) to marvel at the shape of clouds, a painting in a museum, the first days of autumn, a sunrise, the feeling of snowflakes on their cheeks, the holiday season’s magic, a child’s smile, the first steps in a city they’ve been to a hundred times but that always surprises, or a poem.
There’s a poster in Paris that says: Paris vous émerveille! (Paris fills you with wonder). I love that sign!
But I wonder—how many still let themselves be amazed? How many raise their eyes from their phones and look around, open to wonder, surprise, delight?
Connection with ourselves—Archimedes said: “Give me a place to stand, and I will move the Earth.” Today, that place should be within ourselves. That means self-awareness, self-regulation, understanding, compassion, stillness, joy. Only from this inner space can we build meaningful relationships with others.
I like to think that each of us has within us a place of wisdom, strength, calm, and peace. These things are as close as our breath. But they need to be cultivated—just like a garden.
Sadly, many people abandon their inner garden. So, when we talk about success, I invite you to consider this question:
What would you want people to say about you at the end?
That you made a lot of money? That you had a fancy title on your business card? That you grew the company’s profit by 50%?
Recently, I met someone who told me she had been the CEO of a company for several years. When the company decided to replace her, she fell into depression. She no longer knew who she was. She couldn’t find meaning in her life.
I hope none of us wants the final curtain call—when the guardian angels step back, the lights go out, and the audience and fellow actors leave—to leave only a photo and the words:
They had the most money and were on the covers of magazines all the time.
via: Revista Cariere