No room for Comments?

Those of you familiar with the game of golf will probably know the saying … "There's no room on the card for comments" … or its cousin, "no room for pictures".

The reason is simple. There's a story to every golf hole … you may have hit the best shot of your life, or your worst. You may have had some luck, or suffered a bout of the worst luck imaginable.

It doesn't matter. The number is the number and the stories of good or bad fortune will have to wait until you're back in the clubhouse.

And the same can be said in business … at the end of the day your Profit or Loss tells the tale of your month, your quarter, your year.

Of course, at an individual level, it's not quite so binary. Most of us have some form of 'balanced scorecard' that caters for the soft skills and brings a degree of subjectivity to the conversation.

But, just like the golf course, the balanced scorecard stories tend to take place in the club house, well after the winner has been determined. Because the business of being in business is to make profit … and that objective is best represented by a number.

Numbers can be ruthless.

And they can hide all manner of toxic behaviours. I'm sure we have all seen people showing up at the 11th hour, once the hard work has been done, just in time to take the credit. Or taking on project delivery roles without the necessary qualification or expertise. Or using internal politics and influence to amplify their role or undermine the achievements of others.

But it feels like things might be starting to shift, that society is at an inflection point and the wellbeing phenomenon is starting to have an influence.

Inflation, wages pressure and the war for talent are changing the dynamics too, with more emphasis being placed on culture, flexibility and the softer side of business than ever before.

Might there be room on the card for comments after all?