Business View - December 2015 7
Editor’s
Note
As we go to press this month, Thanksgiving is upon us. In my wife’s family, as in, no doubt, many others, there are some
holiday traditions that endure over the years, rarely changing even as the cousins grow up and the aunts and uncles grow
old. At our holiday meal, the youngest among us passes out little pieces of paper shaped like feathers. On them, we are all
supposed to write one thing that we are thankful for, taking care not to sign our names. Once the paper feathers are col-
lected, they are stuck in a large pine cone decorated to look like a turkey. Sometime between the main course and dessert,
the feathers are plucked, one by one, and read aloud. Then the guessing game ensues. Who can attach a name to each
declaration of gratitude?
More often than not, especially among the grandparents and other elders, the feathers express thanks for family and friends
– not for material things, nor even for the good fortune of surviving yet another year in which to celebrate this iconic Ameri-
can holiday. For, when asked to name one thing that we are grateful for, every year, the majority of us choose to give thanks
for those critical relationships that give meaning to our lives.
Interestingly, in the business world, as well, the relationships among manufacturers, vendors and suppliers, distributors,
marketers, employees, and ultimately end users, are equally important. How do I know? Because, every month, I talk to
dozens of business leaders across all sectors of our national and international economies and often pose the following
question: “Can you point to one thing that has contributed to your personal, or your company’s success?” Often, the answers
contain a similar refrain. Recently, Jay Cohen, the CEO of IQ Formulations, a manufacturer of high-quality nutritional supple-
ments, responded with the following, typical answer: “One word: RELATIONSHIPS,” he said. “Develop your relationships and
success will follow. I achieved success because of those relationships.”
Now, there are many different expressions that attempt to define this particular business dynamic. The Chinese call it
“guanxi,” and in a society where business relations are highly socially embedded, guanxi plays a pivotal role in the shaping
and advancement of daily business operations. In America, we often use the term “networking” to describe the activity of
building trust, empathy, and reciprocity between business partners, wherein the importance of understanding each other’s
needs is paramount. But whatever it’s called, it’s really about honesty, fairness, respect, and the value placed on treating
people with a consistent standard of performance that underlies all successful business relationships.
Here at Business View Magazine, we are similarly focused on those relationships that sustain our business and give it the
opportunity to grow and mature. We are thankful, not just around this time, but throughout the year, as well, for the many
different companies and individuals with whom we interact on a daily basis - for without those relationships, we simply could
not survive. And we hope that our own devotion to honesty, fairness, respect, and consistent performance will continue to
nurture all of those relationships in the years to come. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Al Krulick
Editor-in-Chief
Business View Magazine
