[ 623 words ]
How can you effectively face down today’s massive problems?
Accept the magnitude of the challenge. But also recognize that at least some changes will be for the better, even when everything seems like it’s becoming worse.
Consider the seeming contradictions in my home life. Superficially my house is pretty stable. My son, Rayden, counts sums on his fingers while the sun shines through the window. My wife listens to a professor expound about the health benefits of mushrooms on a podcast.
But look carefully and the roots of tension are everywhere. Rayden’s eraser leaves a tiny mark, a small problem, and he reacts by throwing a flower vase to the floor. And my eyelids briefly close during a conference call after watching a 3 AM movie because I couldn’t sleep.
We call it “the new normal”, but that term is wrong. Old patterns are gone and replacements haven’t truly developed. Our world is in flux.
In many ways, our economic situation has parallels with my family one, but inverted. Rather than the superficially bright home life, business signs are dark. Mainstreet is shut, and essentially every entrepreneur struggles while millions are unemployed. Hospitals not overwhelmed by the virus lose money, hurt by half-empty emergency rooms and cancelled doctors’ appointments. And colleagues in critical industries like finance and food work long hours to ensure transactions continue smoothly. Yet those same employees know their jobs are at risk in the upcoming, inevitable layoffs.
But look more closely. Just as there is a yin to the more obvious yang in our personal lives, there’s a silver lining to our dark business problems. Even conservative estimates of value destroyed by the failures I just spoke of reach into the trillions of dollars. And these are trillions of reasons for people like you to show your leadership, courage, and insight.
Tendrils of opportunity surround us. Newly struggling communities need new communication networks to link support with those in greatest need. Blockades to healthcare innovation are tumbling. And the newly financially stressed must find new approaches to find nourishment— and those may well be healthier than the food of today.
Don’t give up; take the lead. The result can be better in at least some dimensions rather than poorer in all. During the Great Depression of 1929-1933, for example, life expectancy rose every year— especially for hard-hit minorities. Many aspects of being poorer certainly increased the chance of death. Yet innovation like training about food health and emergent impacts (like less traffic) turned the tide.
Of course, only a business that survives today can benefit society tomorrow. But fight also to help humanity thrive rather than just mustering energy to protect yourself. And that forward-looking attitude will help you identify the most value-creating insights, tools, and strategies, no matter how bleak the environment.
When was the last time you stopped and forced yourself to smile? Tell me about it.
And if you need help smiling, check out this digital technology inspired list of resources from MIT Technology Review:
+ This man decided to throw a dinner party for his children.
+ There’s increasingly strong evidence that cats are in fact liquids.
+ Be careful about turning yourself into a potato while you’re using Microsoft Teams.
+ A fun comic that explains why you shouldn’t fear AI.
+ A family did a brilliantly mad lockdown version of One Day More from Les Misérables.
+ Goats are running wild in a town in Wales.
Please share your thoughts in the comments or by sending me an email: info@RodWallacePhD.Com.
Our society cannot just survive. For the sake of our children, it must thrive.
Rod
Dr. Rod Wallace is an economist, consultant, and speaker who helps businesses make more money by solving society’s problems. A Fulbright Fellow, he has led multi-organization billion-dollar initiatives worldwide and partnered with a Silicon Valley pioneer to explore the impact of Artificial Intelligence on society.
Rod speaks about how to integrate social responsibility into business to maximize profit and purpose. He highlights digital technology’s impact on society and the strategies and tools with which business can solve our big, systemic problems.
Contact Rod at info@RodWallacePhD.com.