There is a difference between a house and a home.
A house is a structure, nothing more, nothing less. To build a house requires a technical knowledge, materials and some money. There are well built houses and there are some weak ones too. A house serves as a place to keep our stuff and protect us from the elements. But a home is different.
You can live in a house that doesn’t feel like home. To be a home, it needs to feel like a place you belong. A place you feel at peace. Comfortable. A home reflects your personality, so it stands to reason that people like you will also like being in your home. And even if you don’t own the house, the home is yours.
The same is true for a company, but sadly we don’t have two words to make the comparison.
A company is like a house. It’s a structure. Nothing more, nothing less. It requires technical knowledge, materials and some money to build. There are well built companies and some weak ones too. A company serves as a place for us to work so we can earn a living, pay our bills and protect our families. But some companies are different. Some companies also feel like a home. Some companies are more than a place to work, the people who work there feel like they belong. They feel at peace. Comfortable. These companies reflect the personalities of the people who work there, so it stands to reason that people who like it there are all alike. And even if you don’t own the company, it still feels like yours.
The company that is like a house, focuses on the structure. Strategy and tactics are a way to increase sales, and money is the pursuit. The company that feels like a home, focuses on the culture – the very thing that makes a house into a home. Strategy and tactics are a way to share that culture, that belief, with people outside the company too, and money is the result.
The funny thing is, with all these contractors out there building all these fancy houses with all the latest modern conveniences, it is the homes that are more profitable, more innovative, have the most loyal customers and employees. If there is a storm, people rally to fix the home where others abandon the house. Our houses have value, but we value our homes.
It’s a shame we don’t have a word for companies that are built like homes. If we did, we’d probably have more of them.
http://sinekpartners.typepad.com/refocus/2010/02/house-vs-home.html
