Can you feel it? This quest for more purpose, more meaning, more impact. This is not a simple vision of a few early adopters. A revolution is happening and it is bringing scary and exciting transformations.
The digital shift, beyond the tools and the impressive number of connected devices, has created a psychological empowerment for many users. This is especially true amongst the generation Y who were the first to grow up with the Internet at home. I strongly believe that my generation can use this powerful shift and new context to put values that matter back on the table.
As "digital hippies" we are driving this new mindset. Values such as community, transparency, authenticity, and sustainability were already being discussed at Woodstock.
But in this new era we have the world in our pocket. So we want to spread these values faster than ever to take action. There are all these stories, people and problems that need to be fixed that I cannot ignore anymore. Instead of being scared, a whole generation has decided to embrace change and to reinvent itself while challenging a system that has hit its limits.
You cannot hide from the truth anymore, you cannot expect me not to be shocked by a factory collapsing and killing 600 hundred people on the other side of the world. I know about it. I care about it. If you were producing your clothes there I will no longer buy from your stores. Legitimacy will be based on trust and honesty, not merely on the power of your brand. Government and business leaders have not only to adjust, but also empathize with people. I have this perception that I am always just one click away from learning more, discovering more, contributing more. It creates a deep sense of meaning. There is something bigger than me; I can impact for the greater good. Do you really think you can escape this new era of meaning?
Irving Babbitt said at the beginning of the 20th century: "The industrial revolution has tended to produce everywhere great urban masses that seem to be increasingly careless of ethical standards."
The digital revolution is exactly about the opposite. Technological innovation allows us to embrace our humanity even more. This era, if we believe in our ability to impact positively our planet and fix it, has the potential to create new businesses and corporate mindsets.
Simon Sinek affirms, "100 percent of customers are people, 100 percent of employees are people. If you don't understand people, you don't understand business."
People first, profit second. That is one of the new rules.
Businesses need to embrace this change. Or even better, drive it. The B Team is taking on this new responsibility. In a world where many institutions are collapsing or experiencing a trust crisis, it has become imperative to redefine business and success.
Many citizens spend a lot of time in this new "shared public space," becoming a voice and listening to new ones. Forget the passivity of your user consuming information or a product without questioning your intentions. Participation is the new normal, transparency and responsibility our new expectations. Paul Polman, one of the founders of the B team, recently said in an interview, "Increasingly with governments being gridlocked, the need for change increasingly has to come from responsible business. If businesses understand that, they'll have a bright future. If businesses don't understand that, I think the consumer will increasingly vote them out of business."
Many citizens are reinventing themselves as makers, not only consumers. A revolution is bringing a new mindset that expects more for and from businesses. We are looking for purpose. It is already here. Yes, you actually can feel it.
I love to believe a big idea is one that resonates with its time and one that many people from different industries and backgrounds share at the same moment. The B team is a big idea leading to concrete actions. Do not applaud it or like it without participating.
This is so 2000. Join the shift. Be a shaper of what is next.
The leaders of the future in a world where the future is now, are us. Don't think about having a potential impact, there is no excuse to wait for the change.
Just Be It.
Just Mean it.