There's no such thing as "sustainable" development or leadership.
Human progress and individual liberty have advanced on the backs of one unsustainable development after another: When we needed trees for heating and transportation, we chopped 'em down. Then we discovered oil, and we built internal combustion engines to use the oil so we could drive cars. So then, the trees grew back. Now we are fearing the time when the oil is all drilled from the ground. But likely we won't notice because our cars will be powered by something else. We used to wait days even weeks for mail to arrive, now we get it in a nano second. Earth's most valuable resource is us and our never ending ability to adapt. Most things we use today did not exist a century ago, even decades ago.
Nothing we have in this physical world is sustainable or meant to last forever. But yet here we are. Mankind is stronger, healthier, more informed than ever. We are a global success story. But it requires us to constantly rip up the status quo. That means you and me and all that aspire to lead must be indepensible, unsustainable and downright unreasonable at times!
And yet we continue to doubt our ability
To spontaneously self organize ourselves in a voluntary way
To solve our problems
To improve our lives
Instead we have such insecurity in ourselves that we build huge governments corporations, religions even all in a bid to "protect us" in the name of sustainability. Stability. A comfort zone. This then results in something said a long time ago by Ben Franklin at the founding of the American republic. He said "that those who give up essential liberty to purchase temporary safety deserve neither liberty or safety." I think he is right. In most parts of the world people are highly indebted and overtaxed and overregulated thereby giving up their essential liberty. But what has the last two years shown us? That when we really needed the safety we thought we had bought, that companies are laying people off, govts say they have no money to spend on our essential services. And still We think we need big government and big companies to do anything of importance. Sometimes, to do anything!
But think instead of another way
Think Google, Apple, Facebook and that whole Silicon Valley area. Think Bangalore. No centrally planned bossy boots government planner came up with that. Those businesses were set up my men of passion of great leadership and have brought more smiles and service to more people in the world than any government plan has. Yet we think that relentlessly handing over education, health care, price of rice or sugar, the post office and other services to the government or corporate monopolies is a good thing. Really, do you really want your next iPod designed by the Ministry to Telecommunications?
But how has it come this reliance? Sadly too many people accept a day's pay for a day's work. They clock in, do their work like good little boys and girls and clock out. Most businesses never tap the creativity or passion that people have.
Think of Passion
My experience of working around the world is just the opposite. The truly indispensable people are .ones who bring all that passion and energy to work, and deliver incredible experiences for their partners, customers and compatriots. I think many people are unsatisfied at work because they aren't willing to tap into their real energy and passion, and don't believe that that work would be rewarded and valued.
And that is where this massive period of industrial, technological and financial change all happening at once is I think a turning point in human history. We now live in a time when everything can be outsourced and made nearly anywhere else on the planet. If you do something that can be done by a machine, then really soon it's going to be done with a machine. If you do something that can be done for a quarter of the price by someone in Bangalore, then what are you doing that can't be done by those alternatives? Your current job, your current life is unsustainable.
Creating a network
Doing art,
Contributing emotional labor
Being culturally sensitive to the work that you do and the people you work with
Decision Time
This then is where you, the speakers, the leaders, the passionate ones in this room make the difference. You have decided already to do what is needed. I was really touched by a comment at our last TM meeting. One of the guests said she really likes TM since it was her first time to meet a CEO. That would be me. It’s not important that it was me per se but I hope she decides to stay in TM for she is going to continue to meet people, passionate, pioneering people in associations like TM that give her that network. That is how she will help develop her feeling of being indispensable.
The antidote to massive corporates and governments exercising unhealthy control over so many aspects of our lives is by becoming "indispensible". can become indispensable not because of their power or position, because their "emotional labor", But becoming indispensable is scary because it requires personal leadership.
Leadership is scarce because few people are willing to go through the discomfort required to lead.
It's uncomfortable to stand up and speak in front of strangers.
It's uncomfortable to propose an idea that might fail.
It's uncomfortable to challenge the status quo.
It's uncomfortable to resist the urge to settle.
So when you identify the discomfort, you've found the place where a leader is needed. If you're not uncomfortable in your work as a leader, it's almost certain you're not reaching your potential as a leader.
So, have you traded your passion, your liberty, your ability to be indispensible for a promise of temporary safety and security from a govt or company? You may be safe for now, but not for long I think.
Keep on investing in yourselves, in your networks like TM. As I said at the beginning, the smart bet is always on human ingenuity on human leadership. Earth's greatest resource is us. Not oil, not gold, not money, not a nice job, not a government handout.
GB Shaw, said that "The reasonable man adapts himself to the world . The unreasonable man persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. All progress, therefore, depends upon the unreasonable man."
So go on.
Be unreasonable
Unsustainable and
Indispensable.
Be a leader.
