Social Responsibility: November 2006 Archives

I don't think compassion and business are mutually exclusive. For me the most important human quality is kindness, and I will go out of my way to support businesses that have kindness as a core value.

For example, I was in a trendy coffee shop in Vancouver (actually, it was the Blenz on the corner of Davie and Granville) when a mentally ill street person came in. This individual made quite a loud commotion about what he was going to order, how much it would cost, etc. It went on for about 10 minutes. Eventually he asked for a (free) glass of water. The staff treated him with patience, kindness and respect.

After the man left, I talked about it with a staff member. She explained that he was a person who suffered from bi-polar disorder and was currently in a manic phase. She said that he came in regularly and the staff tried to keep an eye on how he was doing so that they could get medical help for him if needed.

This is the kind of thing that makes me happy. And from a business point of view, I have never forgotten the kindness of that staff member and by extension, the Blenz coffee shop chain.

What about you? What gives you a good impression of a business?