Three big changes the world?needs

Reflections from The Xynteo Exchange/Norway held in Oslo, November 2017

We must change the way we see.

Auggie can’t change the way he looks. Maybe we should change the way we see. – Mr. Tushman, Wonder. 

Keren Elazari has to be one of the most uniquely talented young leaders I spent time with at the Exchange. In her speech at the Xynteo Exchange/ Norway, Keren, security analyst and senior researcher at Tel Aviv University said something very significant - "we are hard-wired to relate and connect to those who are similar to ourselves. It is not always easy to go beyond our comfort zone. But if we do so, the rewards will be immense."

She spoke of Hackers as “an immune system for the digital age.” A far cry from the way the world sees hackers. The benefits of hackers are now becoming increasingly recognised. Indeed, several leading companies, including Tesla, are now actively inviting hackers to come work with them.

Keren closed her speech by encouraging us to change the way we see the hacking community.

“Hackers can seem scary, and we might be outcasts. But these are exactly the people you need to work with. Can you afford not to?”

Just the way Mr. Tushman in the movie wonder, asked Julian to change the way he sees Auggie, I believe that the strength of that message needs to travel far and wide. We need to change the way we see. We need to embrace and collaborate with those who are different from us. That is when we will truly grow.

We must change the way we do business.

Business as usual is not an option anymore, and the sooner we realise this the better. — Svein Tore Holsether, Yara CEO, speaking at the Xynteo Exchange/Norway in November 2017

I had the privilege of spending time with Svein Tore in the green room during the Xynteo Exchange/Norway. Then we spoke again at the Yara Studio. Every time I heard him, I was conscious that I was part of a momentous discourse in the narrative of change. 

Mr. Holsether said, ‘business as usual is not an option anymore, and the sooner we realise this the better. Traditional thinking is often keep doing things the way that they have always been done, not to rock the boat so to speak. Maybe that has worked so far. But if we choose to sit still in that boat, it will capsize!”

As part of a drive to find new business opportunities, Yara has looked at the possibilities of linking business outcomes to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It found that the SDGs represent a total commercial opportunity of up to $12 trillion by 2030, which equates to 380 million new jobs!

That’s why, we do need to change the way we approach business. We need to find new ways to grow our organisations that deliver both commercial and human returns.

We must change the way we grow.

“The world is changing whether we like it or not – we have to evolve and adapt, make sacrifices and choices everyday for our and future generations.” - Navjot Sandhu, senior advisor to the Norwegian Armed Forces

We are the “first generation that can tackle global poverty; we are last generation that can tackle climate change before it’s too late.” - Pamir Ehsas, CEO, Brighter Tomorrow

Navjot and Pamir are two of the most visionary young leaders I had the privilege of interacting with at the Oslo City Hall. They spoke about growing differently. They said that to change the way we grow, we know that we must lead differently. Across geographies and sectors, trust is declining in our leaders, as society’s needs – and expectations – change.

Navjot challenged our perceptions by saying; “In this room today, we have hundreds of views, mindsets and thoughts. But what’s the point if these mindsets only cross each other and never meet?” Pamir expanded on this idea by reminding us that we are the “first generation that can tackle global poverty; we are last generation that can tackle climate change before it’s too late.” “The future belongs to us!” he said.

We need to change the way we grow. We need to change the way we approach growth. We must combine forces and act now. The world doesn't need further fragmentation, it needs conscious collaboration.

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To watch a full roundup of the Xynteo Exchange/Norway visit https://youtu.be/2l0VbgaHC54 | or read all about it here

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