A Business Imperative: Focus On HEALTH as the Essential Element

To succeed today in business factors have to be in play. There is tremendous focus, realistically so most times, but not compulsively so all the time, on the financials, the products, the tangibles. Yes people are always a forerunner but let’s be honest, often times people are mentioned as a focus in terms of production, service, efficiencies, labor costs which include those pesky health benefits. We control, monitor, measure, all in attempts to become leaner and as a result do become meaner. This does not translate into being more effective, more customer/employee/stakeholder friendly.

The business imperative now becomes, how can I optimize the most valuable asset of the organization – the people?

Let’s start by creating a clear definition of health – and no you don’t have to be a doctor or a nurse or therapist - to understand health, but you will need their expertise and advice to help you create a healthier workforce.

Health is elusive to define and ways of thinking about it have evolved over the years. Three leading approaches include the "medical model", the "holistic model", and the "wellness model":

· The medical model emphasizes treating specific physical diseases. Subsequently today a typical definition of health is “the absence of disease and the presence of high levels of function.”

· The holistic model of health is exemplified by the 1947 WHO (World Health Organization) definition, "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity".

· The wellness model was developed through the WHO health promotion initiative. The definition that resulted "The extent to which an individual or group is able to realize aspirations and satisfy needs, and to change or cope with the environment. Health is a resource for everyday life, not the objective of living; it is a positive concept, emphasizing social and personal resources, as well as physical capacities." (Health promotion: a discussion document. Copenhagen, WHO, 1984.)

Becoming a central focus, HEALTH now supports all aspects of life, not the just the physical aspects. As the essential element, Health emphasizes additional aspects social, family, ethics (includes spirituality or religion), mental, career, financial and life’s purpose (consider Viktor Frankl’s classic book, Man’s Search for Meaning). The Business Imperative - treat HEALTH as the Essential Element for individuals, companies and communities to not just survive but thrive.

Laura and Judy