The Movement of all Movements
The waters are churning with “movements.” From trends to full bore social activism, a bird’s eye view of our planet would show a swirl of activity, a wobbling on its axis.
Who could have guessed that when the Fifth Dimension sang about the dawning of the Age of Aquarius, that today, the destination is more critical than words in a catchy song - “Harmony and understanding, sympathy and trust abounding, no more falsehoods or derisions … then peace will guide the planets …” have become our mantra and deepest desire.
Calls for each of us to step up are happening daily - its dawned on us that we had better take a look around and focus on fixing this mess that we have created. Choose our battles and pick our wars, the cry is to get hustling. People-powered movements are more prevalent than ever in the face of some of the most serious challenges our humanity has awakened to, ones that touch many of our lives on a daily basis.
Many of you have taken to the streets protesting a cause near and dear to your heart as we have witnessed here in the United States, most recently with women marching for equal pay and diversity and teenagers advocating for gun control. In other countries, governments are toppled with more frequency than ever before. Word of mouse is king as social media brings every issue to you by the minute, via your Apple watch, giving you immediate access to use your voice.
And use your voice you do! Beware for those that think they will escape the riptide because transparency is the primary lyric to our new song. There is little that is not known about each of us from our health records to our financial information to our genetic history – the information is housed somewhere. What we thought was confidential, simply isn’t. The call is to get your own house in order while you tell the world to get its act cleaned up.
Before the word “movement” becomes tiresome I suggest, that as an active participant in life, to simply find an issue that tugs at you, one that you think about and talk about. Find others who light up when you mention it, exchange ideas and thoughts, and start walking hand in hand to the destination. And with this one simple act, you will have joined the largest movement of movements ever.
It’s no secret that mine is finding a tribe of people that want to fuel positive change in our business world, to ensure that companies are as committed to helping our world and its inhabitants as their loyalty to increasing their bottom line. There are many words for this movement from social responsibility to social impact, but one that consistently bubbles up is conscious capitalism.
This past week, I went to the Conscious Capitalism Summit with a thousand other leaders who believe that our companies must step up to the plate with unfiltered lens and a view toward humanity and this planet that we live in. These gatherings are like brain candy for me, my tribe is there sharing and learning. We are growing at such an outstanding rate around the world that soon, this band of unicorns will be a thing of the past and the principles will be the new norm.
Which movement have you joined? Are you committed to opening the doors of communication through your book club, contributing to our environment with a beach cleanup or the selection of products that you purchase? Have you started a social enterprise or actively looking at the programs within your company that could use adjusting? Are you writing your state legislators advocating for new laws or voting at shareholder meetings or your school PTA?
Most importantly, are you educating yourself and becoming informed in this swirl of rapidly changing information? We know for a fact that trying to hold on to a stationary object when you are in a fastmoving current won’t bode well for you. It’s likely that you will get left behind, wet and cold, while the boat makes it way down the river. If you aren’t quite sure where to begin but know you are ready, pick up Solutionaries – You are the Answer. It will guide you through the process.
I for one, joined the first cohort of the Conscious Capitalism Consultant training last week. I am committed to bring my clients any information and best practices that will help them move forward in this new world of business. I want to make sure that they are on the front of the movements leading the way not trailing and failing. I continue to add new tools to my toolbox daily. Are you?
Copyright © 2019
Linda Lattimore - all rights reserved