Life is about decisions, whether they relate to your work, business or personal life. Often ignored is the interplay between all these areas, and the fact that a little interdisciplinary thinking can go a long way. This might sound obtuse, but many important decisions can be made easier by thinking simply, and a bit differently.
Before we do, a note about value, and ‘utility’. Business is about creating value. Our personal lives (according to economists) are about maximizing our utility, where utility is simply a measure of the happiness or satisfaction gained from a good or service.
Think of it this way, and business is considered first. If shareholders (either owners or investors) could create more value themselves using other means, why bother running or investing in a business? Assuming we don’t all have a perpetual income stream it comes back to this – if you don’t create value in today’s economy, you’ll be forced to do one of two things. Change how you do things, or cease to exist. For business the value question is rather important.
People have it a little easier in some respects. Creating maximum utility...