Revolution vs. Radical

A few posts ago as part of the mini-series focusing on 5 Things to Think About I spoke about revolutionary change.  Although I believe it gave a good portrayal of how intense I feel about change for the better in society pioneered by business I now realise that my word use was not very good.

Revolution normally holds some form of violent action/reaction as symbol of the movement for change.  Although I know I get impatient and sometimes want to give people a swift kick under the... um... backside I do not think violence should form part of the imagery when change for good in the business world is being considered.

So I had one of those midnight moments, you know when your eyes pop open in bed and you see the light.  No, I wasn't dying!  What I mean is that I believe that I suddenly came to the insight that the word radical is much more appropriate than revolution.

Why?  Simple - radical refers to going to the root or origin of something and that is exactly what I love doing and challenge people to do.  I am therefore asking us to look to the root of business and as a simple and powerful question:  "What is it for?"

More dramatic than that I want to turn on my philosopher side and ask each of us individually the same question:  "What am I for?"  In other words, what do I stand for, what am I here to do?  On a much deeper level I ask myself what makes me special?  What are my dreams?  How can I contribute?  How can I add to life and not take away?  Survive to alive?

The sad reality is that I meet few people who think this way and even less in the business world because instead of doing business they do busyness.  People get up in the morning, jump in the car, rush through traffic and start the process of profit at the expense of themselves, nature, and society.  Yes, yes, I know that I am taking a very bleak view on things but remember I want radical stuff man!  So let's get to our own roots in order to radically change the roots of business.  Dig into the whys of everyday - don't just assume because assuming is the worst kind of laziness and fear.  ...Too lazy to challenge the fear of having to do something different, speaking up, or radically changing something (like yourself).  In business ultimately we are individuals that have come together for a commercial purpose but not primarily - the primary focus is people, let's not forget that!  Commerce should serve people, not the other way around.

Ps. I just couldn't resist using an example of Jackson Pollock's work for today's image.