A BRIEF WORD OF INTRODUCTION

My strongest desire is to advance the common good and to make the world a better place, every day, everywhere, by :


Advising and influencing CEO's and business leaders in my job as a consultant at KPMG ; Leading people into their most inspiring journey ever ; Teaching and helping younger generations - those who will shape the world of tomorrow ; Counseling and supporting selected political and religious leaders ; Organizing thought-provoking inspirational events like the Essentials ; Connecting people and ideas all the time ; Trying to learn and to write on a regular basis ; Transforming "think tanks" into "action tanks" ; Being a radical optimist ; Most importantly, making my wife Cécile and our 4 children as happy as possible ; Serving God and people ; Investing wisely the 86.400 seconds we get every day to make our world a better place ... And keeping up smiling, no matter what !


Tuesday, October 8, 2013

OUR COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY ! SOME LEADERSHIP PERSPECTIVES

Paul Polman CEO Unilever - One Young World 2013

At the One Young World Summit (OYW) last week, more than a thousand young leaders gathered in Johannesburg to take action. Basically to change the world and make it better. You have read my earlier post about the humbling and astounding testimonials from dozens of those young leaders who are running projects across the world to solve issues of eduction, hunger, poverty, diseases etc

1.300 young leaders is a fabulous force that can really solve problems and transform our society.

There were also some fantastic calls for action from top leaders such as Paul Polman at Unilever, Antony Jenkins at Barclays, Richard Branson at Virgin, David Jones at Havas...

Let me reflect on the main topic of Paul Polman at OYW 2013 : "RESPONSIBILITY".

Clearly, in our volatile and uncertain world, leaders must act decisively, taking into accounts all complexities, and responsibly.

The pillars of this responsibility are the following:

1/ Acting together, playing a collective game rather than trying to optimize locally on your own. Paul quoted an African proverb in Johannesburg: "If you want to go fast, you go alone. If you want to go far, you go together." Partnerships are key to change the world and make it better - NGO's, governments, corporations must act as one, with a common vision and positive attitude.

2/ Acting as inclusive capitalists, not exclusive. Exclusion is a short-term game, bound to fail, because society cannot sustain inequalities any longer. People left out at the bottom of the pyramid will not endure social gaps any more, and violence and revolutions will arise. Best way is to practice and implement inclusion. Leaders must now exercise their power and influence responsibly for the long-term, by including all constituents (the strongest and the weakest), with an ideal of common good in mind.

3/ Acting now rather than waiting. As Paul said, "the cost of inaction is bigger now than the cost of action". He quoted the example of Food Supply Chain total waste globally, worth US$ 250 Billion per year... It is worth acting decisively and responsibly NOW rather than wait. Saving US$ 80 Billion "only" would be amazing, as this amount would allow to eradicate hunger world-wide !

4/ Acting through social media. The younger generation leaders (OYW, Global Shapers, G20 Young Leaders etc.) are digital natives. This is an enormous force, with no frontiers, no obstacles, no limits to communication and collaboration ! Social media enable thousands of young leaders to aggregate ideas and actions to change the world. Digitalization gives more power than ever to the younger generation to take control of their future. As Paul remarked: "The young people represent 50% of the world population today... but they will represent 100% tomorrow".

In summary, our responsibility of leaders is collective and we must then, according to Paul :
  • Draw the future closer.
  • Make the present reality (the world problems) a reality of yesterday.
  • Show mutual trust and respect.
  • Seek the common good for all, always.
  • Have the greatest interest for the voices of the unheard...
  • Work together !
This keynote speech was at least 30 minutes long, and you should have seen the crowd - Amazed, energized and ready for action. With frequent ovations and a lot of respect for a determined leader, who is transforming the Consumer Goods & Retail world, step by step.

Paul has also joined the B-Team recently, the group of World Leaders who are preparing a plan to change the world. Their mission is "to deliver a Plan B that puts people and planet alongside profit"... Watch the space online via http://bteam.org/

Inspired and connected !











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