Stop thinking like a consumer. Start thinking like an owner.
As someone with a vested interest in having people buy more not less, I never thought I’d be telling people to change their mindset and stop thinking like consumers.
But, it’s like the Nobel-winning economist Paul Krugman said, “A Country Is Not a Company”.
I think he’s right, but for different reasons. It’s very easy to think of a nation just like a brand. The myths around them are similar; we “the people” define ourselves by our rituals, uniforms, values, and trademarks — all of which differ slightly across borders. Brands and countries also both sell things — whether it’s tourism or coal or labor.
Finally, not to be too transactional about it, but voting is very much like buying something. In both situations you participate in a system and get a desired outcome.
To me though, there’s a subtle difference between them.
When people don’t like how a nation is going (in a democracy) they vote to change it. Disruptive participation brings change and the market shifts. It goes in a new direction, the people at the top get fired and replaced with new guys.
If the citizens like how things are going though, they vote for more of the same. Voting gives you a doubly positive power to make things how you want for the future. You can vote to change it and it changes; or, you can vote for things to stay the same and they stay the same. Democracy is a win-win.
That’s more powerful to me than the commercial relationship because all you can do if you don’t like a company is boycott it. You couldn’t pay them more money to change the product line. Not unless you’ve got very deep pockets!
You change a nation by participating either way, that makes you the owner, not the consumer. Your decision makes the difference.
Although I was born in Bavaria and grew up in Germany, over here in the U.S. where I currently live and am privileged to vote as well, I feel like an owner too. I feel like that because like a lot of my generation I grew up watching and loving this country. In the years when my own country needed it, America represented leadership, freedom, tolerance, and diversity.
That was so important to me growing up that in my roles as a business leader I’ve always tried to make sure that those conversations are happening within companies too. I hope that rather than telling people what to do, setting positive conditions gives people the tools to make the decisions that are right for them and for their communities, societies, and nations.
So, right now, how should we act if we are to approach next week’s election as business owners not consumers? Personally, I’ve done what all good business owners should do; get all the facts, interrogate the truths, analyze what the best outcomes are. I’ve also thought about the Corporate Social Responsibility consequences of my actions too.
The most important thing though is that I’ve made my choice and I’ve acted by voting. I’ve taken responsibility. I’ve been the owner.
By Tobias Hartmann, CEO of Corsearch
