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A World of Opportunity-Creators
Opportunity-creators see the opportunities within problems and challenges. And, the future (and present) belong to those of us who dream and know how to imagine and create. People who walk our talk; do what we say, and do it with humility and an inner knowing that everything is so much bigger than any of us.
The Great Questioning is making it clear that an increasing number of us no longer want to work for a company that crushes our soul or goes to work every day doing soul-crushing work.
And this is fundamentally different than anything we’ve known, which is why it is our time to explore what is possible, experiment and play. There is something magical when you create something that you need yourself. When you are truly passionate, it’s infectious and you can find others who share your passion. That’s what’s happening in my world right now.
I was introduced to the work of Britt Schwartz through a mutual friend and I have been intrigued by her non-BS approach to business. She recently posted that her marketing company, BS+CO is celebrating three years. She shares many insights in how she made a shift from a traditional job to starting her own shingle and having other wonderful humans join her on her quest: “I believe a human being who genuinely wants to help and create value for others can.”
And it’s not been easy. “I was obsessed with creating a space for myself (and now others) where all of the bureaucratic bullshit so many of us have resigned ourselves to as the cost of doing business in this industry was removed.” And like any human, she let us know she made mistakes along the path, which were huge opportunities to pave a healthy path forward.
Sometimes a decision you make ends up causing stress and unnecessary drama. But you can’t lose faith; we all face setbacks that allow us to learn what does work. There is no other way to learn but to experience life, and also have trusted partners and guides to help us navigate. The quality of the relationships in our life matters, and the closer we can know who and what is not healthy for us, the closer we will find the people who lift us up and share our passion for co-creation in life and work.
Britt is optimistic about her collective future:
“As we look ahead now, this story is not about what I am going to build anymore. That chapter is now closed, finally and fully. Now, it’s about what we are going to build together. And that’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
Opportunity-Creators Are Here
Today, organizations spend over fifty percent of their time solving the very same problems they create, and many of them are around poor communication, lack of collaboration, and limited shared purpose. Everyone is working very hard and spending too much time in meetings that do not produce much.
There is an addiction to being busy and working around the clock and being productive and efficient. Too often, we blame technology for our poor decisions, when the opportunity is to bring valuable technology into drive conscious collaboration, communication and alignment around achieving the true purpose of the organization.
There is a new wave of conscious leaders, who are opportunity-creators, emerging in the world who embrace opportunity and move away from a scarcity mindset where we spend our days solving problems we create ourselves. And the old guard will try to hold on as long as they can to a system that is cracking and breaking apart.
Some businesses will continue their ruthless business practices to drive profits at all costs, while others are bringing forth more meaningful products, services, and experiences to their customers, and focus on People + Planet + Impact. This is the time to invest in timeless human practices from trust, relationships to building healthy communities that help us thrive.
So much can change when we recognize how business can bring us together to live in deeper community and partnership. It is part of many timeless traditions to seek greater self-understanding, more profound wisdom, and better alignment with reality, and now such teachings need to be brought in more explicitly into corporations and organizations.
We want to bring people together — not in a naïve way that tries to force agreement or false compromise, but in a genuine way that looks at what is possible to create in deep partnership. It’s not an easy path as old mindsets are still deeply ingrained in many people who cannot let go and create meaningful shared purpose. It does take a new type of conscious leader who builds healthy systems and is on the edge.
Becoming aware of yourself — your motivations, purpose, beliefs, destructive emotions, and insecurities — is foundational to being an effective leader. A lot depends on your definition of success and failure, and knowing that to truly be innovative, you need to have a passion for learning. There is no success without being clear on what does not work well and falling down, a lot!
Talking and having a philosophy is no longer enough; you need to get your heart in the game and open yourself up like never before, as the opportunities out here are fantastic. So much is possible with a healthy and balanced mindset. People are hungry today to find others who share their passion and partner in healthy and timeless ways.
Just ask Britt what happens when we lift ourselves and each other up. And please watch her space, she is onto something.
Related: On Being Human in 2022 and Beyond