Building Bridges in a World of Walls

FYI: This isn't a rant (for a change), it's a plea to humanity.

It's a call to leadership.

In my journey to understand what being "the best" really means, I've found myself wrestling with some difficult questions.

Let me be clear from the start...

I'm not an economics professor. I'm not a history professor. I'm not a diplomat...and I'm definitely not a politician.

I'm a business leader who has spent years building and leading teams and partnerships globally, watching how leadership decisions ripple through our interconnected world.

And lately, I've been reflecting on something that deeply concerns me.

Just to let you know, this isn't about politics.

This is about leadership.

This is about understanding that in the 21st century, "winning" by making others lose is the surest path to collective failure.

A concept we use in our company and with all our clients globally is the difference between an ecosystem and what we call an egosystem.

Let me share an unlikely but powerful analogy...

Think about The Lion King (I know, stay with me here. It's not just a children's story to me anymore). What happened when Scar took over the Pride Lands? The water dried up. The herds left. The land died. Why? Because he ruled with ego instead of wisdom, with force instead of balance, with fear instead of respect.

In my role leading our global company, I've come to see our world economy as an ecosystem, not an egosystem. I've learned that in a healthy ecosystem, everyone answers to the natural laws that keep the system in balance - the need for mutual benefit, the reality that everything is connected, the truth that sustainable success comes through collaboration, not domination.

Think about it...

When did we decide that belittling others somehow makes us bigger?

It doesn't.

Never has.

Never will.

It's like trying to make yourself taller by digging holes for everyone else to stand in. Here's the spoiler alert: you're still the same height, just surrounded by holes you'll probably fall into later.

What I've also noticed is bullying.

Yes, blatant bullying tactics.

And here's what every playground teacher knows that some leaders seem to have forgotten: bullies don't act from strength. They act from hurt. From fear. From a desperate need to prove something.

But here's the fascinating thing about bullying... it reveals an uncomfortable truth. The bully doesn't have the power. They want something the other person has.

As I look around, I see a peculiar irony in attempting to build walls in an age where our world has become so beautifully small and connected.

Where our phones can instantly connect us with someone on the other side of the planet.

Where a small business in Milwaukee can collaborate with craftsmen in Milan.

Where innovation knows no borders, and creativity speaks every language.

In this new reality, we're not just sharing ideas, we're sharing destinies.

[Quick sidebar conversation needed here] - I'm not naive about the complexities of our world. I see the trade disputes, the security concerns, the competing national interests. I understand that global leadership isn't simple. That real threats exist. That trust must be earned and verified.

Now, I've highlighted that, I know some might say,

"But what about protecting our interests?"

It's a fair question.

Of course, we should protect what's ours.

Of course, ensuring the safety and prosperity of our people should be a priority as it should be for everyone.

But here's the thing about modern business and our interconnected world that I've come to understand - your interests and my interests? They're more intertwined than the pair of earbuds that's been in my backpack for more than five minutes (That pisses me off no end lol. Might be time for some wireless ones!)

When your gain comes at someone else's loss, that's not a win in my books.

Not in business, and certainly not in global politics.

In business, it's a short-sighted strategy that ignores the reality of our interconnected economy. If you haven't noticed, we live in a global economy now.

In world politics? I dunno, but it sure feels like a dangerous game that risks unraveling the very fabric of global cooperation that has brought us unprecedented prosperity and innovation.

And here's something I've been thinking deeply about: history.

They say those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it. As I study the patterns of the past, I find myself troubled. Time and again, I see what happens when powerful nations choose isolation over cooperation, when they impose aggressive economic policies on their neighbors, when they push away traditional trading partners and allies.

And I can't help but notice where those choices have always led... global isolation, shattered relationships, economic harm to all parties, and ultimately, consequences that took generations to heal.

By now, for those still reading this far, I know many of you won't be in agreement with my thoughts.

That's ok, we can disagree.

Of course we can!

In our company with team members, partners, and dear friends in the United States and across the world, we don't always agree. We work together every day, innovate together, succeed together. And yes, sometimes we disagree.

That's healthy. That's human.

Remember, you can disagree with someone's policies or beliefs while still respecting their humanity.

You can compete with someone while still collaborating for the greater good.

You can be successful without making others fail.

"My success doesn't, nor should it need to, come at your expense."

Because here's one of our beliefs: Being the best IN the world means nothing if you're not being the best FOR the world.

To me, I feel we stand at a crossroads.

One path leads to isolation, to walls, to a zero-sum game where I reckon everyone eventually loses.

The other leads to collaboration, innovation, to an ecosystem where success breeds success.

The choice is ours.

We can focus on being bigger than others, or we can focus on making the whole pie bigger.

We can build walls, or we can build bridges.

As for me and my company?

We choose bridges.

We choose collaboration over coercion.

We choose to be best FOR the world, not just IN it.

Because in the end, the greatest leaders don't need to make others smaller to feel bigger.

They know that true strength lies not in the power to dominate, but in the wisdom to collaborate. They understand that...

"We must attack problems together, not attack each other as the problem." - Dave Clare

The future belongs to those who understand that in our interconnected world, your success is my success, and my success is yours.

It belongs to those who can see past the artificial divisions and remember that we're all in this together – Americans, Europeans, Asians, Africans, and even us Can'Aussies (that is a Canadian Australian).

All of us working toward a better tomorrow.

So let's build something better. Together.

Let's remember that true leadership isn't about dominating an ecosystem, but nurturing it.

It's about understanding that in this interconnected world, we all rise and fall together.

The choice is ours.

For the sake of our shared future, let's choose wisely.

Dave Clare, CEO & Founder of Circle Leadership Global

It's time to lead different.

Together we can...

#evolvetheworldofwork

NB: Some of you may say I am a dreamer...please don't forget what John Lennon once said "but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us. And the world will live as one.”