Positioning To Win. Why Not?

People are capable of wonderful things. See this you’re reading on? Yep, created by humans. See this, I’m writing on? Oh right, you can’t no. But you can imagine. Yep, that too, created by humans. The work you’re doing today? That’s created by humans. The work your company does? Yep, that too.

We are full of an almost magical ingenuity.

Yet we’re stuck.

The planet is hot and getting hotter.

There is discontent.

People are disenfranchised.

People can’t see a way forward.

The jobs which many of us do will disappear. When, nobody knows.

Many more fundamental changes to the planet are on their way too. Quite how fundamental depends on what we do now.

We face huge challenges. And risk. And disruption.

Yet many are sleep walking.

More and more young people are, thankfully, coming to work looking for employers whose values align with theirs. They care. They want to make an impact.

To be a home for these people, to be worthy of their time and energy, companies need to dramatically rethink what they’ll do in the world.

The companies which win will be those with a heart. Not just ‘purpose’, that’s easy (to say). Purpose delivered requires heart.

The companies which will win will be adaptive, alive to the constantly changing context in which they work.

The companies which win will be those which make better decisions, less emotionally blind.

The companies which win will be those that set challenges big enough to draw on the full suite of human ingenuity, which ‘campaign’ to solve something big. Quartlery profits, Nah. So small! Be big. And positive. Be an activist. These organisations create an energy which draws people to them, whether customers, partners, employees or just more good shit.