SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - s4story -- By Chris Benguhe, RaeAnne Marsh, and Elaine Pofeldt

The business of America is business. That's why it's especially crucial in this nation that we conduct it with respect for humanity being our top priority.

Many in the business community are trying to make sense of the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and the tremendous public outcry on social media and elsewhere against large health insurers that headlines about it have sparked. Many of the commenters have shown a disturbing lack of empathy for Thompson and his family, citing the harm they or their own families have faced from big insurers that denied their claims for needed medical care.

We don't know if the shooter was among these angry consumers. At the time of this writing, police have announced the arrest of a person of interest and the discovery of a document they say reveals his "motivation and mindset," but the contents are not known.

More on S For Story

• Tephanie Delaney Challenges the Influencer Economy in New Book, Rich in Influence, Poor in Affluence
• Las Vegas Attorney Thomas Boley Publishes Free Plain-English Guide to 100 Nevada Criminal Laws, in English and Spanish
• New Memoir Offers Families a Faith-Based Guide Through the Darkness of Addiction
• Explosive New Book Warns Toxic Peril to Black and Brown Communities in America
• Bank Statement Loans Up to $30 Million: Lendmire Announces High-Net-Worth Financing

What we do know is that everyday people are outraged at the insurance industry and reaching their breaking point as they refuse to express even an ounce of sorrow or mercy for Thompson or his family.

All of this begs the questions: Where are we and how did we get here?

While there is no reasonable justification for this horrible and ghastly act of madness, nor for the callous and insensitive response in a civilized society, there is no doubt this crime has served an irrefutable wake-up call to CEOs and business leaders everywhere that the American people feel victimized by business practices that they see as putting profits above people and morality. They do not feel that enough business leaders are listening.

Our hope is that all leaders will see this as an opportunity to take a close look at how they are serving all their stakeholders — including their employees, their customers and their communities — and make sure they are truly doing all they can to balance serving them with their obligations to shareholders. Clearly, something is out of balance. The only way to find that balance is to have an open dialogue, not just within the walls of the company but with people whose voices may be inconvenient to those who simply want to maximize profits.

More on S For Story

• Senior Congress leaders GV Harsha Kumar and GV Sri Raj met with PV Mohan, the newly appointed AICC Incharge for Andhra Pradesh
• NYC Big Book Award Celebrates 10th Anniversary with Announcement of 2026 Winners
• Award-Winning Author Terri Kozlowski Releases Soul Solutions® for Overcoming Fear & Limiting Beliefs
• Markham Author Launches Garden-Club Cozy Mystery Series Under the Pen Name Elspeth Marlowe
• 12 Simple Practices Proven to Switch on Your Body's "Happy Genes"

Read the whole article and see the Center's Top CEOs for 2023-2024 at the link below.

The Shot Heard Around the Business World – And the Heroes of American Business

Check out more articles and insights at www.socapcenter.com