{"id":4304,"date":"2011-10-27T14:01:34","date_gmt":"2011-10-27T21:01:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/iamsignificant.ca\/andre\/?p=4304"},"modified":"2017-08-22T23:14:40","modified_gmt":"2017-08-22T23:14:40","slug":"the-double-bottom-line-meaningful-profits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iamsignificant.ca\/andre\/success-with-significance\/the-double-bottom-line-meaningful-profits\/","title":{"rendered":"The Double Bottom Line – Meaningful Profits"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ted Leonsis has reached the top of the proverbial success heap.\u00a0 With a very impressive resume\u2019, Leonsis, a billionaire has devoted himself to not only financial success but life success. Leonsis worked 15 years with AOL earning himself the position of Vice Chairman and President.\u00a0 He founded Monumental Sports and Entertainment which manages three top level <\/span>sports franchises; one in the NHL, the NBA and the WNBA. Add to this an investor, entrepreneur, film producer, philanthropist and best selling author.\u00a0 With a resume\u2019 like <\/span>this, you would think he would be the happiest man on earth.\u00a0 This wasn\u2019t the case until not too long ago.\u00a0 Leonsis despite his golden touch soon realized that financial success doesn\u2019t necessarily translate to being happy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Correlation between Happiness and Business Success?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Many folks suggest this would be a no brainer<\/em>.\u00a0 Ascend to the \u2018top of your game,' have the money, the success and all that it promises - you would be forgiven if you assumed happiness was an automatic part of the package!\u00a0 Many financially successful individuals have discovered what Leonsis has - happiness doesn\u2019t follow the money.<\/span><\/p>\n

He discovered the Happiness Paradox.\u00a0 In short, the Happiness Paradox is the <\/span>counter-intuitive relationship between seeking\u00a0<\/span>happiness as an end <\/span>in itself and actually achieving it.\u00a0 Research has demonstrated <\/span>an inverse relationship between <\/span>ones pursuit of happiness as an end unto itself and the elusiveness of feelings of happiness.\u00a0 Research revealed that those who have the most of what is often believed would make them happy (money), often reported feeling the least happy.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Happiness Paradox demonstrates that those who self-<\/span>servingly seek happiness as its own <\/span>end are less happy than those who seek to serve something bigger than themselves.\u00a0 Those who live for something bigger - a cause, a social issue, to serve others, help others - generally unselfishly are those who report being happy most often.<\/span><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t miss the point, this is not a condemnation of wealth and success - it\u2019s not<\/span> an issue of wealth but one of focus and purpose.\u00a0 Money and success don\u2019t necessarily mean you will be happy but financial success permeated by living for something bigger makes for success with significance!<\/span><\/p>\n

To this end, Leonsis talks about the \u201cDouble Bottom line.\u201d\u00a0 To be successful with significance, Leonsis asserts that a company needs to be financially successful and successful as a corporate citizen.\u00a0 Successful as a corporate citizen is committing to the community or a cause bigger than its own <\/span>self interest.\u00a0\u00a0 For Leonsis, <\/span>true success of a business is measured by both a healthy financial bottom line and a healthy contribution of money, resources, energy to something beyond the direct benefit of the company.<\/span><\/p>\n

The double bottom line allows the company employees and stake holders to see that their efforts are more meaningful than a healthy bottom line but they are going a long way to <\/span>make life better for others.\u00a0 This provides the motivational force of meaning.\u00a0 Research has indicated that when this is done well, employee job satisfaction, <\/span>performance and retention increase measurably.\u00a0 To put this another way, when employees and shareholders alike experience a greater sense of satisfaction - they are happier!<\/span><\/p>\n

When Leonsis was asked the best way to start implementing the double bottom line he stated it all started with the CEO and the leadership team.\u00a0 They need to model it in their own lives, with concrete and deliberate actions and decisions reflecting this as a core value.\u00a0 They must be personally invested and then the \u2018troops\u201d will follow.\u00a0\u00a0 The employees need to see a deep sense of commitment at the top.\u00a0 A commitment that affects corporate values, <\/span>structures and corporate culture.<\/span><\/p>\n

Check out: The Business of Happiness by Ted Leonsis<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ted Leonsis has reached the top of the proverbial success heap.\u00a0 With a very impressive resume\u2019, Leonsis, a billionaire has devoted himself to not only financial success but life success. Leonsis worked 15 years with AOL earning himself the position of Vice Chairman and President.\u00a0 He founded Monumental Sports and Entertainment which manages three top level sports franchises; one in Continue Reading<\/a>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":4306,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[35],"tags":[80,192,238,324,366,443,500,538],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n