Some people venture into business because they have been lied to that owning and running your own business makes you unaccountable to anyone. The illusion of financial and moral freedom has made many young people dive into entrepreneurship. Since I am my boss, many have quipped, I am not accountable to anyone.
But the reality of business is the direct opposite. Accountability – financial and moral – is a significant key to unlocking sustainable success in business. A business cannot thrive – and survive the hard times – if there is no accountability, says Samantha McGregor.
Samantha is a digital and email marketing strategist. She helps many new businesses run by women of color and those from minority backgrounds leverage email marketing. With Samantha’s vast experience working with big start-ups in Canada, she delved into consulting in 2019. Her wealth of experience working with big brands informed her opinion on the importance of accountability in business.
Samantha argues that when she works with top brands, helping them create email marketing strategies that increase sales, she is awed by how much accountability these companies have. They don’t leave anything to chance, she says. Every penny is accounted for.
Samantha has been an advocate for giving women of color and those from minority backgrounds a strong voice in the business space. Samantha opines that one of the ways new businesses can compete with top brands is to take accountability seriously. And not just financial accountability, but moral and social accountability.
For Samantha, moral and social accountability is at the heart of Inclusiveness. When businesses are morally and socially accountable, they see Inclusiveness in the workplace as a must and not an option.
“Inclusiveness transcends just having a few people of color in your organization. It involves being accountable to your conscience and to the world at large.”
Samantha McGregor is a data-nerd. She loves working with data and believes that the right data help make decision-making easy.
“The level of accountability that a firm has reflects on its goals and vision. There is no way a business whose moral and social values are right won’t have impeccable accountability,” Samantha says.
When asked if businesses can grow if there is no accountability but a great culture, goal, and vision, Samantha’s response was simple. She said, “There is no successful company culture and goal and vision and whatever it is that is devoid of accountability. Whether it is financial or moral. If people don’t feel they are accountable to anyone, they’ll act however they like.”
The niggling question, though, is, who are business owners accountable to? Who are the moral and financial judges?
To this, Samantha said, “the financial judges are the heads of departments and financial heads. These people, it is believed, are more knowledgeable and upright. Also, if there is a system that encourages transparency, then it makes accountability easy.
“For moral judges,” Samantha continued, “a person’s conscience should be enough. But because I am well aware of how unstable relying on people’s conscience as a guiding compass to be morally accountable, I will suggest another way. A business that wants to thrive must have moral values. These values, if set from a good place, will help everyone make better moral decisions.”
Samantha also said that the conversation of inclusivity in the workplace should be both racial and intellectual. She added that a morally accountable organization would seek ways to include people of color, women, and minority backgrounds in the workplace.
To follow Samantha McGregor’s journey and get first-hand info, check her pages on Instagram, Facebook, and Website today!
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