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Imprisoned Thoughts by vincenzorizzo
Seeing Beyond False Choices
Have you ever been told that you couldn’t do something because it was not the way things were done? Usually, when I hear that, I like to answer that things will change from now on. I know. It sounds pretty condescending, but that’s really not my intention. I just think that sometimes (not always), we need to question longstanding practices. The world would never evolve otherwise. Don’t you think?
Imagine if France’s King Louis XVI had told the masses: “Sorry guys but you can’t rebel and proclaim a republic. It’s just not the way things are done around here.” And then imagine the masses responding: “Oh… sorry… we didn’t know. We didn’t get the memo. We’re really sorry your Highness. We’ll try to figure out a way to put your head back on.”
Obviously, I’m not talking about starting a revolution. I’m thinking more t a smaller scale. Just like when I’m ironing out my shirts. I’m thinking regional.
I’m sure you’ve seen that this-is-the-way-things-are attitude when you tried to change something that people had been doing in a certain way for a while. But you’ll also get it when you discuss what many people call, false choices.
The Environment or the Economy
Let’s take the whole environment versus economy debate. That’s a great example of a false choice. Can we afford to protect the environment? If we do, aren’t we going to destroy our economy and lose even more jobs? There’s always a third or a fourth option. There’s always an in-between solution. There’s always another angle or way to look at the challenge.
That’s why people are investing in green technologies. That’s why some companies are improving their environmental performance. And if you consider that commodities are part of the environment, this debate becomes surreal and a big waste of time.
Profitability or Social Responsibility
Another debate revolves around the attempt to reconcile profits with social responsibility. At first, some stuck with Milton Friedman and said that the business of business was business, while others argued that it could be done but at a significant cost.
Over the past few years, however, people have discovered a third argument: being socially responsible could actually mean being more profitable. Tadam! Reducing your energy consumption and waste generation has a direct positive impact on your bottom line. Being socially responsible could also mean being more competitive.
Got it? There’s no conflict. It works. Magic!
Taking the leap
Can by vincenzorizzo
Frequently (“all the time” would be more accurate), we don’t believe something is possible simply because we cannot conceive it in our mind. We all do it. I do it. The monarchists could not conceive a republic. That’s not what they knew. And what they knew worked (according to them obviously).
Can you conceive an economy that would not be based on growth? I can’t. Not yet. But I’m open to suggestions, if you have any. Some days, I feel exactly like Louis XVI… although without the money, the crown, and the attachment to absolute monarchy.
The trick is to be able to reconsider continuously the way we do our projects and think about our business. We have to constantly remind ourselves of the need to question the status quo. We’ve got to take the leap, take some risks, and storm our own little Bastille.
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