Building the New Economy
September2009

Remembering What Matters
Volume 5,   Issue 9

Building the New Economy

Headlines like this are now becoming common: More Workers, Fewer Jobs, Less Money.  It's not easy to love your work when this is our state of affairs, even when you see signs of a recovery.  We all feel it, or know people who are feeling it.  It's one of the biggest crises of our lifetime.  But if it seems too big to do something about, keep reading to find your opportunity within the problem.

At LionHeart we know that a New Economy can and will be built.  The key question is, "How do we do our part to make it happen sooner than later?"  But first let's look at a few assumptions that will illuminate where we are coming from:

Assumption #1 - much of the work done over the past few decades has been unnecessary.  It didn't really enrich our lives.  Could we adjust to a new society that didn't have so many choices in soft drinks or any soft drinks at all?  What about the health care procedures that are offered only to protect against lawsuits?  We trust you can think of your own examples of unnecessary work.

Assumption #2 - there are many legitimate needs in our society that could put everyone to work who wants to work.  Just ask a non-profit executive, attempting to keep up with a growing plea for services, or an educator who sees good kids not getting the mentoring they need, or a scientist with an idea for sustainable energy solutions.  We have cities to clean up, local farms to develop, infrastructure to rebuild, and on and on.
Assumption #3 - there's enough money to support all of the ideas and initiatives that would add real value to our society.  There are always investors looking for good ideas and companies to put their money into.  If hope, values driven decision making, service to community, and accountability were to displace our fears, we could certainly accelerate our arrival to the New Economy.
Here's an example.  The Grameen Micro-Bank in Bangladesh provides small loans to help people get themselves out of poverty.  It has a 97.9% borrower repayment rate, is 100% self-sufficient, has almost 8 million members, and has helped 68% of their families cross the line out of poverty.
So what do we actually do? 

Get creative, bold, and intentional in each of the roles we play.

Consumers: spend money on what truly enriches your life and not on things that are unnecessary or worse.

Entrepreneurs: find a real need that is going unfilled and put your selves in a new game that has sufficient adventure, opportunity, and contribution to outweigh the risks involved.  Even if it is risky, put your heart and soul into something you believe in that will really help people.

Investors: play the game with your heart as well as your head; bring the spirit of philanthropy into your overall game plan.  You can't take it with you, so see how much you can contribute, as opposed to how much you can accumulate. 

Employees: speak up on issues of waste and organizational ineffectiveness; make sure the creative ways you can enhance your company's products and services get heard and acted upon.  Do not assume you have any security that does not involve your personal creativity and expanded contribution.

Business Owners: reinvent your value proposition and value delivery system, and bring an entrepreneurial culture to life by challenging your employees to cut out wasted activity, blow the whistle on what's suppressing creativity, and come up with innovative ideas to improve profitability.  Make it safe to have the real conversations and tell the truth.

Non-Profit Executives: expand your contribution, accumulate data that you are making a difference, and go after more money to put more people to work where there's unmet need.  Challenge your board to become better fundraisers.  
Voters: support politicians who put service and solving problems ahead of reelection.   Listen to the "other" perspective and find the common ground that's always there.  Invest in dialogue and don't get involved with adversarial negativity.

Volunteers: thank you!  Keep up the good work.

Real business leadership has never been more necessary.   All of these roles provide you with the opportunity to make a difference. Take a stand for a new economy and get into action in a new way.  Reflect on what is being asked of you! 

Many great empires and countries have gone by the wayside and into terminal decline throughout history.  The common themes are all too familiar.  Arrogance, selfishness, and apathy begin to trump creativity, wisdom, and service.  We are certainly a nation with resilience.  If we trust we have sufficient resources, we can proactively bring the best out of one another.

Let's not allow this economic wake up call get the better of us.  Let's build a new economy...together.