Fostering Beautiful Business

How do we shape a better and more beautiful world? This may be the quintessential question of the human condition—and ultimately the world of business, where, as a society, we spend most of our time. 

As we move into the future, people are living and working longer, leading to multiple, cross-cultural generations often working in the same workspace or industry. Diverse teams are a reflection of our shared humanity and tap into a variety of thoughts and perspectives essential to maximizing outcomes and impact. It begs us not to erase our differences, but rather, to embrace and connect them in a spirit of building equity and in turn, beautiful business.

The age spectrum is only widening, with people working into their 70s, despite a current US retirement age of 67. Though recently raised from 65, it is actually much lower than it was back in 1910, when the retirement age was 74. It was assumed you would work throughout your life, with retirement offered to the “very old,” with only 1% of the population living to that ripe old age. Yet older generations add balance to the team by asking essential questions and bringing a depth of knowledge, honed skills, and experience to problem solving.

Businesses typically hire young professionals in their 20s or 30s who are setting out to build their careers. Though fluid intelligence—a concept coined by Rayond Catell that refers to a person’s ability to think abstractly and solve problems using their own judgment and logic—tends to be at its highest among teenagers, who bring fresh perspectives, raw talent, unadulterated thoughts and creativity, and a willingness to question existing norms. They do not rely on past experience and accumulated knowledge. They are at the forefront of new ideas and trends that businesses need to stay nimble and relevant. This makes them an unexpected, but powerful creative partner in business, yet often overlooked or underestimated by employers, and usually not offered a seat at the proverbial table. 

Robert Sheen, founder and CEO of Trusaic and a Forbes Councils member, celebrated in a recent Forbes article that “multigenerational workforces provide deep and varied bench strength to their organizations.”  

Diversity of thought and perspective is also realized when people from mixed-ethnic backgrounds gather and work together. It can lead to richer conversations, question bias, and push norms and more equitable solutions needed to build a better world. This diversity can be achieved through hiring, but also through collaborating. It enhances creativity and provokes new ideas and solutions. The bottom line? Efficiency increases and results are found faster, leading to increased profits and shared prosperity. 

At the Boston-based, non-profit Artists For Humanity (AFH), a typical day in the 3D Design Studio finds teen designers sitting around several large tables on wheels that are full of torn paper, cardboard bits, “exacto” knives, and glue tubes. Yet on this one particular day in 2017, 20 teen designers worked diligently to finalize their prototypes for our client, Liberty Mutual Insurance—a renowned insurance company who hired us to design and fabricate a sculpture for the lobby of their Boston headquarters. The brief was simple: create something that reflects their brand and celebrates their 2018 Winter Olympics sponsorship. The task was not. The Client team arrived, including their design director. All had a seat at the table and the presentations, facilitated by an AFH studio mentor, began. Each teen shared their mini prototype—a vision to be scaled for the Client’s signature lobby space.

It was teen Brandon's turn. Under his breath he humbly spoke and showed the swerving curves of a torch made of paper lines and beautiful foresight. The Liberty Mutual team asked a few questions, turned the object around, held it up high and placed it down, then moved on to the next idea. 

And so it went for several minutes—more teens presented, comments made—until the circle of 'show and tell' was completed. The client team was so impressed with all the creativity and care that went into each object presented to them, but then turned back to Brandon’s and declared it the one! And there was Brandon, his quiet nature shifting as he stood with a broad smile literally ear to ear—a radiant smile that was so bright it took your breath away. In that moment, Brandon became bold, he stepped forward into the space and smiled even more—his head ever so often bowing slightly into his humble nature, and then raising high once again to meet the faces. Smiles were everywhere—even though there was still much more work to come. At Artists For Humanity, this is beautiful business—when unlikely connections are made, diverse minds meet, remarkable things are created, boldness fills the room, and world views change.

Brandon Anderson as an AFH Teen 3D Designer (left) being interviewed (center) and the Liberty Mutual commissioned sculpture (right).

Our shared economic success is built on equity and the future of work—that is intergenerational and culturally diverse groups working across industries, geographies, and fair structures and systems. Gone are the days of hiring diverse employees or vendors to be “politically correct.” Hiring diverse teams is about recognizing the mutual benefits of a rich workforce, bridging understanding across age and cultural divisions to drive inclusive and better results—bringing diverse people together so we thrive together. Author Howard Collinge shares a similar concept analogous to beautiful business, which he refers to as “beautiful economics…something that lifts both the economy and the human spirit.” Our collective future needs to rely on unconventional collaborations that spark creativity and conversation, find innovative humane solutions, create inspirational spaces, and expand the economy, all while building community and equity. A tall order?

Each day, the AFH team works together to shape a world with a better story, one teen at a time, one client at a time. This intergenerational, creative team—with a cross-disciplinary approach to creating solutions for and with the business community—adds real value. It drives beautiful business. Its mission intentionally bridges diverse industries, creativity, and young minds in the pursuit of a more equitable world. After all, if we don’t strive for a better and more beautiful world, what are we pursuing? 

Lorraine Johnson is the Director of Marketing and Branding at Artists For Humanity. She can be contacted at ljohnson@afhboston.org