One of individuals I have most admired has been Walt Disney. His dream was to be a delight to children of all ages, to create magic and wonder. His imagination and his daring to explore new technology that fueled his creativity was unprecedented. I could rattle off a long list of things that Walt either invented or helped advance in his quest to tell the most compelling stories possible, but I’ll only share this one story.

Most may not know this, but Walt is the reason why we use first names in business today. 50 years ago it would have been considered extremely inappropriate to use someone’s first name, particularly an underling speaking to a superior. That just didn’t happen!

Walt felt that this created an unnecessary distance between employees and the guests they were meant to serve. When he opened Disneyland in 1955, he made one minor change; everyone, from executives to the trash sweepers, would be on a first-name basis. That small decision has so rippled through American society that today it is the odd company who follows the old norms.

Yesterday I was reminded of the old norms that still exist in business. Gatekeepers to success have been pervasive in every industry for as long as those industries have existed. The media industry is probably the most well known, simply due to the vary nature of the business being in the public’s eye. But everything from banking to commercial real estate to manufacturing have their gatekeepers.

That was yesterday. This is today.

Have you heard of James Altucher? If you haven’t, you should look him up. In 2015 he wrote a great piece on gatekeepers.

TL;DR: Those gatekeepers who previously held the influence over your success and failure are rapidly fading into irrelevancy.

This has massive implications!

The old rules of business were simply about making money. “There are no friends in business,” as I was recently told. Revenue results is all that matter. This zero-sum approach is anachronistic in the new business world.

I was once told that leaders stand for something. Since I want to one day have my own business, I present this, my first draft:

New Business Manifesto

Commitment to Value

I am in business to create value for others, not revenue for myself. Revenue is just my Key Performance Indicator (KPI) that I am successfully creating value that my customers want.

Commitment to Craft

It is not enough to benchmark myself against others in my business, but against those who become the very best in whatever their field. I adhere to the Navy SEAL philosophy:

“The only easy day was yesterday.”

I take great pride in honing my craft, then making it accessible to those who are in need of it, which increases the value I provide to them.

Commitment to Giving

I freely and openly share my ideas with others with no expectation of receiving anything in return. I believe that New Power derives from the nurturing of knowledge exchange, not from holding back the keys by any artificial means to preserve the status quo.

Commitment to Enjoyment

I believe that no business is worth doing that I do not enjoy. My love for what I do is infectious to others, and can only increase the joy that I am able to deliver to them.

Commitment to Relationships

I build long-term relationships that, over time, turn into trusted friendships. Clients are seen as something to be won so as to simply extract money. Trusted relationships are about increasing the size of the pie for everyone; it is about knitting together a community that helps everyone succeed.

Commitment to Mentoring

I create lifelong value when I unconditionally give my time to mentor others in their quest to be successful. As Lou Holtz observed, coaching influences today’s youth who become tomorrow’s leaders. It is about the person, not about the money.

“The thing about coaching – a lot of people can be successful, you make a lot of money and you die and it ends. In coaching you get a chance to be significant, that’s where you help other people be successful and that lasts many a lifetime.”

– Lou Holtz

Conclusion

These are my principles. Many of you will agree. Some may disagree. A few may even think them quaint and naive. I’m okay with that. Change doesn’t come easy, particularly when that change upends the old order. Just ask King George III.