“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has,” said Margaret Mead a cultural anthropologist.
TomorrowToday recently launched the Achieve Remarkable Things series of presentations and workshops. The essence of Achieve Remarkable Things is to inspire business leaders to move away from a mindset and strategy of incrementalisation and to embrace the mindset of a leader’s quest.
Here’s the thing: We are living in a world where breakthrough technology now means that the impossible is already – or quickly is becoming – possible. There are also massive challenges in the world and you can feel overwhelmed with a desire to turn inwards, protect more and take fewer risks. Or, you can ask: Is there a better way?
Asking ‘Is there a better way’ is perhaps the most powerful question that any leader can ask because it challenges the existing paradigms of what is thought impossible. It is humankind’s desire to overcome the impossible and make things that are better which gave us wings to fly. Asking is there a better way gave us light bulbs, penicillin and cars for the multitudes. Is there a better way has influenced our dreams and brought us longer, healthier lives. Many of the great protagonists like Leonardo da Vinci, Christopher Columbus, Magellan, William Shakespeare, Isaac Newton, Isambard Brunel, Henry Ford and more, are still revered today because they discovered better by venturing into the unknown, doing things differently, challenging the impossible and left the world they touched a better place.
We need more organisations who are striving to achieve remarkable things, in everything they do. Not just the big world changing quests, but things that make the lives of everyday people – colleagues and customers – better.
We need more organisations taking moonshots, we need more grand dreams and we need more quests to make a meaningful benefit in the lives of people who are important to us. We need more questers, explorers, tinkers, hackers. Anyone can go on a quest to make a meaningful difference in the world they touch and influence.
People can set their imagination and ideas towards accomplishing seemingly crazy impossible ideas and then using breakthrough technology bring them to reality.
There will be great opportunities for those brave enough to challenge the impossible and strive to deliver meaningful benefits – not just those initiatives that add 10% but those that add hundreds if not thousands of percent improvements.
A remarkable word awaits us. But it will not just happen. We have to make it happen.
X, the innovation team at Alphabet (Google) have produced an inspirational video which captures the essence of Achieve Remarkable Things. Enjoy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uaquGZKx_0&feature=youtu.be