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Final Verdict: Big is Bad

For quite some time I have thought about big vs. small - as in big business vs. small business.

I have now reviewed all the evidence, heard all testimony and have reached a verdict: Big business is bad.  Yip, you heard me - big business is bad.  Before you decide to stop reading and read that other guy's blog about financial derivatives I would like to review the case with you.

I have had the opportunity to work with large businesses and also with small and there is something in the small business with a big heart that is not there in a big business with a small heart.  

What I'm getting at is that big business should not be defined by turnover, profit, number of people, etc.  Big business should rather be defined by the desire of the leaders and owners in the business to build something of great value for the rest of society on a large scale.  The other view is when the owners of a small business see their organisation and purpose through the eyes of social benefit and not for profit primarily - BIG heart!

This point of view is what truly differentiates big from small.  So, it comes down to a paradox: In order to have a big impact you need to think small.  Small not in terms of revenue, market capitalisation or stock price, but small in terms of not missing out on the detail of staying true to purpose.  I have personally been part of organisational growth and corporate buyouts and the obvious pattern is one where there is a desire to become bigger it is ultimately driven by quarterly numbers - "BIG"!

Bottom line: Once the desire to do good is substituted for a desire to have more we all loose.  It is the story behind the shift in the global economic landscape, and perhaps a good time for it to happen.  It is a shift in the dominant global paradigm happening right now.  This is a complex, interesting and challenging world and I am happy to be alive.

So, I am calling to leaders and owners of businesses everywhere - will you simply survive from quarter to quarter or will you truly live.

Go from survive to alive!

Please! Less Rules but More Purpose

Every day I go into the world of work I hope that I will find that elusive something that I am looking for. That something special, intriguing beautiful and liberating. What I however find, all too frequently, is something that is life-sapping and disappointing.

I find a labyrinth of rules, procedure, politics and drama. We are caught in this fantastical illusion of freedom and security whilst we are unknowingly being lulled into a paradigm where we willingly follow rules at the expense of our greatest human expression of creativity and love.

Those who make the rules normally have no incentive to change their ways because they are in control. It will most likely take another generation to see a transformed business horison that catalyses the human spirit to reach heights and depths never seen before. Inside we yearn for this new world that we do not even understand yet. We just know that what we are experiencing now is just not enough.

Especially the newer generation simply do not accept things for what they are. I sometimes feel like I am quite alone in the way that I see the world. I am told fairly frequently that I need to accept the way things are and be more patient. I agree that change will take time but I do not believe that I need to be patient in expressing, motivating, raising awareness and inspiring a world that has much more purpose centered on transcendental truths so that we can reach beyond ourselves to a world that is filled with peaceful purpose. A world that turns us away from our own internal ego-driven obsession and towards a community centered self-actualisation reality.

Yes, I am unrealistic and I live for what is to come. I hope more people will start to open their eyes to a world where we use authority, control and power for their appropriate purposes detached from fear. I work towards a world that inspires trust, openness, learning, growth and beauty. I believe in businesses that not only have a purpose to help transform our society by putting the society before profits but I also believe in a business that puts their own people before profit.

So I ask all of us why are we doing whatever we are doing today?! We need more leaders at all levels to be asking this question and if the answer is not a clear indication that the organisation has the greater good at heart I respectfully request that you reconsider.

Stop giving people rules in order to follow your egotistical vision and rather empower, devolve, decentralise and inspire. Your future and the future of our children depend on the way we organise and lead because business is one of the greatest drivers of change in society.  Please!  Less rules and more purpose.

Fix the Hole

It's been a while since my last post.  And that's the way it is for now.  Perhaps also better because the world is inundated with the latest greatest whatever.  I have in fact gone into my database of drafts and stumbled upon this post that I drafted 2 years ago.

I don't know about you but as usual this year started with a bang and I have been running at quite a pace for the last 2 and a half months.  It's been students, presentations, organising, networking and managing on a consistent basis with more and more demands from a ever-hungry world out there.

It really reminds me of a scene in Apocalypto, a film by Mel Gibson.  If you have not seen it perhaps it might be a good time to watch and reflect on our place in this world.  There is a scene where an old man tells a story around a camp fire and it goes like this:

And a Man sat alone, drenched deep in sadness. And all the animals drew near to him and said, "We do not like to see you so sad. Ask us for whatever you wish and you shall have it." The Man said, "I want to have good sight." The vulture replied, "You shall have mine." The Man said, "I want to be strong." The jaguar said, "You shall be strong like me." Then the Man said, "I long to know the secrets of the earth." The serpent replied, "I will show them to you."

And so it went with all the animals. And when the Man had all the gifts that they could give, he left. Then the owl said to the other animals, "Now the Man knows much, he'll be able to do many things. Suddenly I am afraid." The deer said, "The Man has all that he needs. Now his sadness will stop." But the owl replied, "No. I saw a hole in the Man, deep like a hunger he will never fill. It is what makes him sad and what makes him want. He will go on taking and taking, until one day the World will say, 'I am no more and I have nothing left to give.'"

I look around me at entrepreneurs, students and leaders and it is clear that the majority is still trying to fill some kind of hole deep inside them with empty, vain, ephemeral things.  I know that I also have to check myself - I am no different.  I do however invite you on a path with me where we really ask ourselves if we are striving after emptiness to fill emptiness?

Shall we go from survive to alive?!

It's in Your Hand

In my work as lecturer, facilitator and consultant I meet a lot of people that are fairly miserable in their jobs or their business.  At the heart of this blog there is the message that you cannot simply get by every day and settle for second best.  You are not doing anyone any favours by being kind of good, half-alive or okay.  The reality is if you are okay today you are probably going to be rather disappointed tomorrow.  ...The trend doesn't get any better.

Have you spent some time wondering about passion?  Have you been frustrated enough in whatever you do to identify something that you are willing to stand up for - a conviction?  Have you wondered about getting your dream job?  I have been asked these questions a number of times by young and old alike.  The answer is quite simple: It is in your hand.  Instead of seeking the answer in the big things beyond your reach, start with your own dream.  What can you see for yourself?  It can be a year from now or fifty years from now.  Heck!  It can be a week from now...

Got it?  Great!  Now ask yourself what do you have right now that you have not yet explored 100% in order to make a move towards what you see?  It could be a free course on Coursera or edX or the guidance of a mentor that is a phone call away.  Perhaps it is a book that you bought but have not read yet.  You will however find nothing if you believe there is nothing.  Once you have identified a course, a friend, a mentor or a place to volunteer - whatever - jump in with everything you got and fully utilise the opportunity that you have identified.  If it works out and it is what you should do, master it.  If it doesn't work out you have just learned about something in your life that you should probably stop doing and your dream has probably evolved and matured into something better.  Get back on the horse and try the next thing.

If you master that specific job, task, opportunity, etc. and you are not dead yet repeat the process whenever you find yourself frustrated and continue with the journey until you breathe your last breath.  Up until your expiry date you are still good to go and should let your curiosity evolve into a desire.  Let your desire evolve into a dream.  Let your dream fuel your motivation!

The point is that it is much more difficult to see any opportunity if you are looking too far ahead.  Take the dream and connect the dots all the way back to where you are now.  In this way you make a dream a reality and you use what is already there and perhaps easier to access.  I have used this approach over the last fifteen years and through it I have worked across various industries and careers, consulted and facilitated to start-ups and corporates, moved to a different city, moved back again and with every change gained greater insight into who I am and the dream that guides me.

Here is the down-side and why few people attempt this: fear of failure.  And now to put all of you at ease, yes, there is a fair chance that you could fail at some point, but you will be more alive than ever before.  It is only through failure that our dreams can take shape and become real.  In other words, if you have a dream but take no action in order to reach it, your dream in fact remains a fantasy.  If you do take action and risk failure you take a step towards your dream and the closer you are to your dream the clearer it becomes.  Experience is what successful people call their failure - on the path your dream leads you failure is your teacher.

Go from survive to alive!

2015 and the Best is Yet to Come!

This will be an incredible year!

How can I be sure?  Simple - I am alive and the opportunities ahead are simply staggering.  What do you see when you look at this year?  What are your hopes and dreams for yourself and the world around you?  How will you contribute and add value in 2015?

It doesn't matter where you are in the world, all of us have a simple choice:  Will you look for the best in everyone around you or will you only see the worst.  You will find what you look for.

Go from survive to alive!