6 Things we can do to change the world for the better, make that 7

Over the years, I have picked up a few concepts that I believe could change our world for the better. All of us, I believe, encounter such opportunities as we go through life, we just don't always do something about them. Hopefully this can be a small start towards changing that.

I have 6 items on my list.  6 simple items, yet requiring an incredible high level of personal and group accountability; items, that could result in great personal cost if we don't do something about them.

So in no particular order:

 1) We need to get rid of corruption.

Yes because its wrong, it is unjust; and if that is not good enough for you, know that it drives inflation and devalues human life- your life– it costs everybody including you. It even costs the person thinking they are benefiting from the corrupt activities.  

From what I recall at least 8% of anything you pay for goes towards covering the costs of corruption (even more in certain parts of the world) – so apart from the legal and ethical argument, if we get rid of it, things will be cheaper for everyone. You will have more bang for your buck. 

Personally I wonder what we would find if we bench mark some major global supply chains- right from their source through to consumption; totaling up the value add activities, extrapolating reasonable margins for investment returns and then comparing those to total actual costs. I bet the anomalies could be very interesting to explore and in this world of bigger and bigger data, I would venture to say that we are not that far off from being able to do so.

On a simpler scale, just exactly how difficult is it to identify a Pencil that costs 10 bucks each, or diesel being bought at inflated prices?

2) We need to have vested Employees: we need employees that are invested in the businesses they are working for, from day 1.  (this is also a simple empowerment solve that is person to person, not person to government to person)

I would love to see a world where employees and shareholders are equally and visibly vested in the risks and rewards of business. I would love to see “sweat equity” not only being a concept but active and living in our business as we work together, and get rewarded together.  That is, employees who's share in the business grows as their tenure does, at all levels. 

3) Coordinated volunteering creates wealth and kick starts economic growth:

Outside of our businesses, we need to create an expanded culture of volunteering– there is simply nowhere else were one can create value like this; at the macro coordinated scale this would positively offset inflation and drive growth in real terms. Simply put there would be more good stuff, a better quality of life for all, and less money needed to get us there as humanity. A 5% volunteer rate, would effectively add that to the GDP bottom line, exponentially for the years to come. It’s a non-debt driven growth investment.

4) We have to get rid of the waste we are all in effect paying :

I worked in retail supply chains for a number of years and the costs of reverse logistics and back door returns was well in excess of inflation.  If we reduce waste, the total cost on the system reduces and as consumers we pays less for the same products, whilst having less of an environmental impact.  

Once again, coming back to the value chain view, if we start with the big value chains and work them down to the point where we can prevent the majority of the waste, or use it for good if we cant, we could swing cost by 50%

5) Which leads me to living sustainable and for the long term.

We need to actively reduce the living costs and environmental impact of every human being on this planet. Giving each person access to basic, yet quality services; simplistically I am thinking of sustainable electricity and water, but this foundation would open up the path for further development, growth and trade.

6) Provide free, high quality, unlimited education.

For me people growth should not be artificially constrained because someone can’t afford to study. I would love to see a situation where the only limiting factor to our own personal growth trajectory is ourselves; our own desires to grow, our own character and determination.  I want to see a pool of people where character and talent is the primary determinant of success.

Extending this to the working environment, I would be a strong proponent, extending from item 2, of having a fixed % dedicated to personal development each week. So that, for example if a person works 45 Hours a week, 2 hours (on top of that) be dedicated routinely to Development and learning –regardless of the persons level of entry. So that no person entering our work places, leaves at the same level.

 7) We need to re-affirm the good values we have been taught

Because to support the previous 6, we need to enable a culture of “Live and let live”, a human rights value orientation, with a greater sense of common justice and accountability.

Not justice founded in our own desires to rule and lord over others - to group together in little cliques.  And also not the kind of justice where we impose our own believes blindly on others – and only partially on ourselves or those we support.  But justice flowing from the freedom we should all have to believe and express our own individuality; our own faith, spirituality and opinions; freedom to make up our own minds without fear or discrimination of back lash, yet in a common relational economic framework.  

In saying that, we should also agree to disagree at times. in the normal run of things, that means the right we have to hold a point of view,  allows others have the right to disagree.  It’s not a personal attack.

Simply put, we can't expect everybody to think our way, or be morbidly unhappy when others don't think our way, making a scene about just how affronted we are.  Yet in demanding our freedoms, denying others theirs.

Having the freedom to express, discuss, debate, disagree – even complex multifaceted issues, without taking away the humanity of each other, to me, has the potential to unlock great learning and growth for all of us. Yes even more so when we don't agree. There is a wealth in diversity we are yet to tap. A common course to greatness we are yet to walk.

Okay, so before you blast me for being unpractical.  I never said changing the world is going to be easy. I just implied that it would be well worth while.  Personally I believe that one day all the weapons we now use to fight one another will be used to grow and develop together.  Or at least will be relegated to being memorials of yesteryear; reminding us that the cost of not doing the right things now, has very real future impacts. Make no mistake, we will pay the piper. What we sow, we will reap (the strategist in me says "on a risk adjusted basis, but directionaly yes)

 And sure it’s a dream, but what a dream it is. What a world this could be. If you could just grab hold of that vision, just imagine what the next 5,10,50 years could hold.