We all want to be seen as kind and socially aware. But have these qualities become part of a ‘performance’?
The business world now applauds not just good work but visible goodness – the kind that photographs well and gathers likes. It’s not that kindness or humility are bad things; far from it.
But has “doing good” became a competition? A contnuous stream of virtue on display – organisations telling us how humble they are, often at impressive volume.
Open any business magazine or scroll through LinkedIn and you’ll see it everywhere. Company news framed as good deeds. A flow of mutual congratulations; messages that are encouraging, affirming and carefully non-controversial.
Over the past few years, business communication has changed its tone. The language of commerce has become warmer, friendlier and, in many ways, more human.
At first glance, this feels like progress. But somewhere along the way, a new kind of conformity has crept in – a culture where being positive and personable is often valued more highly than being useful.
We seem to be more interested in each other than improving our knowledge.
Business communication was once a place for ideas, debate and the sharing of experience. Today it’s so often polite, polished and forgettable. The risk is that, in trying to please or be ‘liked’ by everyone, will we end up saying very little that matters.It’s not wrong, just the tone of the times. But has something important has been lost?
This matters, because progress in business doesn’t always come from agreement – it comes from challenge, curiosity and the willingness to question how things are done. And that’s not always “nice”.
So perhaps it’s time to think about balance. It’s possible to be human without being bland; to be constructive without being cautious. If every message we share is simply designed to make people smile, we may be overlooking the greater value of making us think.
In marketing and business, clarity should matter more than comfort.
(The image used in this blog is inspired by those reassuringly serious 1960s office illustrations – where everyone looked delighted to be productive)