We must choose to prosper as a society, not just as individuals.
As unlikely as it sounds, the best way to get ahead is to figure out what you have to give to a world seemingly obsessed with only one question: "what do I get?"
In my new book, Love Leadership: The New Way to Lead in a Fear-Based World I've identified the current environment as wracked by fear, and fear as "the ultimate prosperity killer." As an alternative, I share the lessons and practices of love-based leaders, including my own experiences, in Love Leadership: The New Way To Lead in a Fear-Based World (Jossey-Bass, Sept 2009).
Love Leadership recognizes that you want to do well in life, but it also suggests that the best way to do well and to achieve true wealth over the long term is to do good, and you'll never be wrong doing right. For example: Bill Gates is off to his second big idea, with his Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Doing well by doing good.
But right now we look around and it is apparent that our great nation, and its leaders, have simply "lost our story line" and, about 20 years ago, started focusing on the me instead of the we. It isn't a matter of "love vs hate," that takes too much energy. It is a matter of indifference that we can correct. Take, for example, Steve Bartlett, CEO of FINANCIAL SERVICES ROUNDTABLE. Steve does not simply reject every piece of legislation and regulation that impacts banks. He actually reflects on whether it is good for America, consumers, and yes, his banks too, and tries to find the happy medium; the balanced response. He also makes sure the a big part of FSR's commitment is giving back and reinvesting in communities that his banks serve. It is simply smart business.
We've lost track of the vision that made America great in the 20th century, such as that of Henry Ford. Henry Ford innovated the automobile, he was not the inventor. Ford made cars, and then paid workers enough to purchase the cars they were making. Smart business. These days, it is too easy for people to wake up in the morning with the wrong question on their minds; saying, "I want to make more money" is the easy path to success -- or so we have been lead to believe.
And who can blame us? It is hard to keep from putting ourselves first, when it seems like that's what's all around us, versus the idea that made this nation great in the 20th century: "I have an idea, and it will advance society," and then individuals along with it. Warren Buffett cannot seem to give his billions away fast enough, and done without ruining his own kids by giving them too much of anything they have not earned with their own effort, and was never focused on making money for the purpose of making money in the first place. Or my friend Oprah, who started her Angel Network and foundation to give back to those making a difference with their live in helping others and to educate young girls in South Africa.
Love Leadership shares what I've learned about love-based leading into five fundamental laws:
1.Loss Creates Leaders. The storms of life offer an opportunity to respond in one of three ways to personal tragedy or failure: you can give up, you can try to cope using whatever dulls the pain, or you can grow and create something useful out of your experience or loss. The choice lies between legitimate suffering now and illegitimate suffering later. Only the last option allows you to harness fear and turn it into the strength to lead with love.
2.Fear Fails. We have all faced plenty of situations where it would be easier to allow a lack of self-awareness and high energy to bring down the people around us. But doing so is a reaction of fear: fear of oneself, fear of imperfection, fear of failing. Fear doesn't work. In the long term, letting fear motivate your actions - how you treat others, how you conduct business, how you live your life - leads to failure.
3.Love Makes Money. Over the long term, to succeed and to be happy simultaneously, you need to lead with love. If you lead with love for the long term, people will follow you forever, wherever - for their own good as well as yours - and you will be remembered as a person of greatness.
4.Vulnerability is Power. Admitting weakness and owning up to mistakes have counterintuitive benefits. When you are honest, people are more likely to forgive you for any weaknesses and mistakes. You are also able to make a stronger connection with others. Ultimately, this gives you an ability to persuade and influence people, which in turn strengthens your ability to lead.
5.Giving is Getting. Giving is a long-term commitment to others. When we start serving those who work in our organization and expanding out to serving partners, vendors, and customers it translates to success. No great business was ever built on giving the bare minimum. Doing good for others pays off.
The "thing" that is going to get us there, the thing that powers the American ideal according to my friend and Accenture CEO William Green, is our collective "special sauce." Sure, America is a country. But it is also an idea -- a powerful, emotional, and even inspirational, idea that attracts people with hope for more from all over the world.
We are not in the midst of a recession. It is a global reset - and America will lead the world out of it, just like we led the world into it. And in doing so, we will refashion capitalism and free enterprise so that it actually serves, empowers, and informs people - not just the gilded elite - and it will add value too. I call that Good Capitalism.