Capitalism used to be defined by the model ‘what’s good for business is good for society.’ The interview of Michael E. Porter, Harvard University professor, by the Harvard Business Review points to a new model of ‘what ‘s good for society is good for business.’ We have problems in society related to health and nutrition, energy use and consumption, housing etc. Professor Porter’s notion is to rethink capitalism by having businesses focus on societal needs. By solving those problems, businesses will benefit. I personally think we need to think even beyond society and businesses, i.e. we need to think about solving our problems more globally. It doesn’t help us to foster a bigger pie by training fair trade farmers, when the farmers then exploit the land. However, starting with shared value is a valuable exercise. What if we break it down to a local level? ‘What’s good for my family is good for me.’ or ‘What is good for my community is good for my family.’ or ‘What is good for society is good for my community.’ With this model, we could be creating an impact larger than ourselves. Many are already practicing this model. Where and how are you creating shared value?
Old habits die hard… Have you gotten used to checking your email first thing in the morning? How well is this working for you? Do you need a cup of coffee in the mid afternoon to power through the mid afternoon lull? How well is this working for you? We are creatures of habit. I am the first one to admit that I have habits, some good, some not so good. Some habits work really well for me, for example my morning pages, a journal writing habit I took on years ago inspired by Julia Cameron in “The Artist Way,” or the habit of watering my houseplants every Sunday morning. Other habits are not working so well, i.e. enjoying a sweet of some sort to satisfy my cravings, or checking email as soon as they come in rather than at fixed times. Old habits die hard. Changing habits includes minimizing temptations and minimizing distractions. I found this article from the NYT quite useful. What are your habits that don’t work so well for you?
What makes a company rise and fall? I am prompted to reflect on this as I am reading this article in the Wall Street Journal, entitled “Kodak Teeters on the Brink.” I used to work for Kodak AG in Germany, the Eastman Kodak Company in Rochester, New York, and London, England. I loved working for this company. The people were great and knowledgable and most importantly, genuinely interested in making a difference. Kodak stood for fun. I will never forget communicating with a Swiss train conductor, with whom I shared my affiliation with Kodak, who immediately said: “Klick, Klack, Kodak,” referring to a local ad campaign that he truly liked. His smile was infectious! Kodak captured memories. Kodak invented the digital camera and holds numerous patents, which might save the company. What happened? As the article says, Kodak was the google of its time. What does it take for a company to rise and not fall? What does it take for an individual to rise and not fall? What does it take for a country to rise and not fall? What decisions were made that led to a downward spiral rather than an upward spiral? I am not in the ‘in’ to say what the crucial points were, but it does make me pause and think…
My intention this year is to create value, connect people and contribute to my cause. As I upgraded my linked-in profile and invited more contacts into mynetwork, I discovered linked-in polls. I have used other applications on linked-in before, such as the word press application for my blog. I am more and more impressed with the power of linked-in. The poll function is brilliant, because I can ask a simple multiple choice question and get answers relevant for my business or my client’s business within a short period of time. No more shooting in the dark. It’s time to ask people what they want and deliver accordingly. I love this application. When will you try your first poll?
By the way, here is the link to my poll.
Over the years, I have added many things to my life – stuff – as some people would call it. I have been in my current house for 6 years, and as much as I continuously straighten up and organize, I have accumulated extra. Letting go is always difficult, though. Therefore, I have decided to re-name the process ‘creating value.’ By cleaning out a drawer or cabinet, at home or at work, I am creating value for myself (it feels good to rid myself of clutter), and I am creating value for others be selling, recycling and gifting to people who actively need the item more than I do at this point. Today, I subtracted an email address, which cost me $5/month and a drawer full of files. Feels good!
What are you subtracting?
Yesterday, the first day of the year was the perfect day to create the cover of my vision journal. You might have done a vision board before. If not, take a look at these resources:
How to Make a Vision Board -Christine Kane
Vision Board 101 - Martha Beck
I decided to make the vision board come to life by letting it evolve as a journal. Some people get intimidated by journals. I am planning on keeping my loose papers on my desk under control by writing everything in my vision journal: phone numbers of people I need to call back, reminders of what I need to do, thoughts and ideas. I know there are plenty of electronic tools that will accomplish this also, i.e. reminders and to-do lists on the iphone, follow up systems in salesforce.com and Infusionsoft, pages in Backpack, just to name a few resources. All of them are great, I use them myself. I need a visual reminder of where I am going on my desk- tangible, unique to my needs. Listening to the Cat Steven, aka Yunus, Radio on Pandora, I had so much fun starting the covers. The inside will be filled throughout the year. Can’t wait!
How will you visually manifest your intentions for 2012?
For the past week, I have taken inventory of my life – personal and business related. Many parts are clearly working well, others not so. Rather than ‘fixing’ what’s not working, I am focusing on my intentions for 2012:
Creating Value
Connecting People
Contributing to Cause
In all honesty, I came across ‘create, connect and contribute’ at the recent Thunderbird Business Dialogue and I have been pondering how to incorporate who we (T-Birds) are more intentionally. I will write about ways I am manifesting and implementing these intentions. I don’t know where the journey will take me and I am content in the unknown. Let the journey begin!
What are your intentions for 2012?
Thank you to all who are in my life – family, friends, clients, supporters, critics, associates, believers, enemies, acquaintances, cheerleaders, challengers, thought provokers, etc. I wouldn’t be who I am without you, since you define who I am. And without you I wouldn’t be able to do the work I do. I wouldn’t be able to get up in the morning and I wouldn’t be as motivated and driven as I am. Much work is to be done and you are helping me move forward. With much gratitude to all of you…
The University of California, Berkeley with the support of the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation recently published a report with big ideas for jobs. Great ideas!
What are you waiting for? For someone else to fix things, such as the economy, the lack of jobs, the dysfunctional relationship you are in, the lack of money you are experiencing? I had a conversation recently with a client who pointed out in the past he would have waited for his boss to speak up about the poor way something was communicated within the organization. Instead, he decided to speak up first. He spoke up about something he felt would negatively impact his team and the company as a whole. Instead of being reactive and complaining about the communication after the fact, he was proactive and hence avoided a lot of uncertainly within the organization. I congratulated him on having the courage to speak up and for his proactive instead of reactive actions. Where could you be more proactive today? Where could you step up rather than wait for others to handle things? It’s time to act. If you recognize something needs addressing, I urge you, don’t wait.
