Dr Bruno Cignacco, The Art of Compassionate Business – InnovaBuzz 330

Bruno Cignacco, Human Oriented Enterprise

In this episode, I’m really excited to have as my guest, Dr Bruno Roque Cignacco (PhD), an international business consultant, international speaker and business coach. For over 20 years, he has advised and trained hundreds of companies on international trade activities and international marketing. He is a university lecturer and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA – UK). He is also the author of business and personal development books published in different languages. His new book is “The Art of Compassionate Business: Main Principles for the Human-Oriented Enterprise” (2019, Routledge). His business is Human Oriented Enterprise.

In our discussion, Bruno and I talked about:

• What is compassion and love in a business context and how to build long-term win-win relationships through caring
• A service focus as opposed to a selling focus
• Providing outstanding experiences that trigger positive emotions, at every customer touch point

Listen to the podcast to find out more.

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Show Notes from this episode with Dr Bruno Cignacco of Human Oriented Enterprise

Key points and takeaways from this episode include:

• Stakeholders are individuals or groups that have interest in an organisation.
• Focus more on strengthening relationships as opposed to to key performance indicators. 
• Business is about people. People and relationships are the building blocks of any business activity. 
• Human-oriented companies look out for their people, their profit, and the planet. They do not only care about the business indicators. They also care about the long-term and mutually beneficial relationships. They are not solely focused on short transactional approaches. They focus on longer perspectives that imply satisfying the needs of each party in a continuous way.
• You can be both business-oriented and human-oriented. 
• If you care about your customers, they are more likely to come back and they will definitely recommend your company to other potential customers. 
• Compassion is caring for others and understanding that everyone has a problem. 
• No company can succeed on its own. No company can thrive without customers. No company can thrive without employees, and no company can thrive without a community.
• When you treat others in a supportive way, they are more likely to treat you in a reciprocal way. People are willing to support companies in challenging times if they feel supported.
• Companies that are flexible and are able to adapt are more likely to recover when this pandemic is over. 
• A compassionate attitude should not be speculative but rather whole hearted.
• Corporate social responsibility or activities that benefit the community should be part of a company’s mission and vision.
• Companies need to understand that their mission is not only to generate economic result but also to create a better world.
• Companies that are socially oriented and have a meaningful mission attract more talent and are largely preferred by customers.
• Socially-oriented companies help the world become a better place. They are also more likely to get support from others when they are in need.
• Everyone in the company should benefit from its activities, and by doing so, they create more trust and better relationships.
• Trust cannot be bought. It builds over time.
• Compassion, care, and support are all byproducts of LOVE. 
• Love is not something that you feel only for your close circle. It is love that you feel for a human being. You recognise any  human being as someone whose needs should be satisfied when you interact with them.
• Love implies developing trust and cooperation. It’s connecting emotionally and mentally with others. When companies engage in this loving attitude, they are more likely to build a more sustainable business.
• Most of the important things in business cannot be measured.
• Profit comes from customers. 
• It is not about selling. It is about serving. To serve is to add value.
• A customer is free to choose from other companies. If the customer is not a match, be grateful for their time that they spent looking at your product. 
• Business is about interdependence. We all depend on each other. No business is an island.
• Relationships should be long-term and mutually beneficial.
• Don’t think about yourself or your company when serving customers. Think about them. When you think about them, they will think about you. 
• Overperforming means giving more than expected.
• Customer satisfaction is all about the experience. When customers don’t feel satisfied, they feel resentful and regretful.
• Emotion is the most important factor in any decision making process, including business decisions. Emotional intelligence does not only apply to close relationships but also in business.
• When customers feel emotionally connected to a company, they are more likely to refer this company to others.
• Companies should take into account every marketing touchpoint. Think about all the different interactions you have with your customers. All these touchpoints should bring about positive emotions to your customers.
• Negative feedback is gold. It is free research. It’s a source of innovation. Never dismiss a constructive feedback. Negative feedback should be requested and not avoided.
• Innovation never stops. Even a product that satisfies a customer’s need in a very effective way can be improved. Companies need to continually audit their products, processes, and services in order to discover how they can do better.
• Continuous innovation is the only way to offer higher value.
• Relationships are the building blocks of any business activity.

The Buzz – Our Innovation Round

Here are Bruno’s answers to the questions of our innovation round. Listen to the conversation to get the full scoop.

1. #1 thing to be more innovative – Keep questioning. Challenge well-ingrained assumptions. Questions help you develop new lines of research and open new perspectives on a topic. Asking good questions gives you half the answers. Develop a list of positive ideas on your business (data bank of ideas).
2. Best thing for new ideas – Taking ideas from different fields. Read a lot from other disciplines. Have a beginner’s mind.
3. Favourite tool for innovation – Reading books and meditation.
4. Keep project/client on track – Generosity and gratitude. Focus on others not on you. 
5. Differentiate – Harness your strengths and delegate your weaknesses. Don’t be so reliant on what other companies are doing. Think about how you can be more remarkable in the eyes of your customers and employees. 

To Be a Leader

How can you make your whole business and work environment more valuable? How can you be more loving and supportive? These are the questions that you should be asking on a continuous basis. Business is about relationships. Indicators should not be your main focus and priority. If you support your relationships, your business indicators will naturally thrive.

Reach Out

You can reach out and thank Bruno through his website.

Links

• Website – Human Oriented Enterprise
• Twitter – @IAmInfiniteaBun
• LinkedIn
• Facebook

Book

• The Art of Compassionate Business: Main Principles for the Human-Oriented Enterprise

Cool Things About Bruno

• He is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) UK.
• He is a Master Life Coach and Master NLP practitioner.
• He is the author of business books such as Fundamentals of International Marketing for SMEs, which has been published in several languages, such as English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

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