Tweet

Green Shoots?

Written by: Neil Crofts

Article Overview: The last 18 months has been about the most pivotal for our collective future since 1945.

Green Shoots?

The last 18 months has been about the most pivotal for our collective future since 1945.

Lets start with a little review - the credit crunch started with a boom in easy credit. Banks used the assets that backed loans (people’s houses) to make more loans.

In summer 2007 the frenzy was reaching it’s peak and the cracks were beginning to show by September. The Spanish Costa property bubble burst and the consequences of “sub prime” mortgages were beginning to show with Northern Rock crashing in the UK.

Over the winter property wobbled and then in the spring of 2008 the money moved from property to commodities and oil. Speculation created spectacular spikes in oil and commodity prices and untold misery around the world.

Banks had “created” (see Authentic Wealth e-book) hundreds of trillions of Dollars, Pounds and Euros from their lending. With the loans defaulting, partly because of the rise in oil and food prices, the security had disappeared and so had the money.

Analysts estimate that around $300 Trillion left the world economy. Governments stepped in in an effort to prevent complete melt down, but the $5 Trillion or so that has been fed into the system is dwarfed by the scale of the problem.

When we went back to work in September 2008 everything came crashing around our ears. Bank investors got out fast. Carefully nurtured share prices went off a cliff and for three months we held our breath.

By January 2009, in spite of the media drama, it had become clear that the world was not ending, that people still need to be fed and that most are still working.

There is much talk of change, but what to?

What I have noticed in my work is that over the last five years there has been a very significant awakening. In working with global corporations, with funky business schools and with individuals, I find people are becoming more and more aware of humanities interdependence with all life and the vital necessity of responsibility, authentic leadership and innovation to new ways of working.

In the last six months this has accelerated, more and more people (especially women) are articulating “leadership”as their core talent. More and more are articulating a high level purpose connected with contributing to the raising the level of consciousness of our society.

Of course my sample is tiny, self selected and taken from a very specific segment of society. Those things have not changed over the last 5 years and the results have.

What future do I see?

I see individuals growing in confidence and claiming their responsibility and leadership. I see this process transforming the industrial hierarchical architecture of businesses to a new model.

Maybe we can call this the “Networked Economy”. For I see a shift from vertical and hierarchical to cellular and connected. Individuals connected and collaborating in every direction both within and outside their employers organisations.

Internet social and business networking accelerating connections and collaboration so that individuals and businesses shift to generating their income by solving the big challenges of our society.

The need for clean, sustainable energy, the need for clean water, the need for healthy, sustainable food, the need for low energy buildings and sustainable clothing. These are the drivers for the Networked economy.

The flip side is not progress, but regress. The shift goes the other way, away from networked and towards nationalism. The lesson we need to learn from the last century and from the credit crunch is that we are all in this together and that protecting our patch will not protect anyone in the long run.

The sooner each and every one of us can understand and fulfill our individual role in the network the sooner we can breakthrough to a peaceful and sustainable way of being.

Do you know your role in the network?

Neil Crofts

Related Articles
  Beware greenwashing your business
  Trains going green
  Consumers Abandon Green to Save Money
  Should You Switch to Selling Green?
  Going Green = saving money

Article Tags: authentic leadership, bubble burst, business schools, commodity prices, credit banks, credit crunch, e book, food prices, funky business, global corporations, interdependence, oil speculation, share prices, spikes, sub prime mortgages, trillions, untold misery, vital necessity, world banks, world economy



Related Forum Posts
Re: 10 ideas to make you money in 2010 - I think Education would be hard to break into. Baby Boomers, Life Support and Trading Down, however, seem like good markets. As for Green technology goes, I don't think the business has to be entirely based on Green ideologies, but rather a business that embrace Green philosophies and use that as a marketing tool.
Re: OmnivoreInk: webzine publisher and more... - [quote="mphcoach":h9y1s4es][quote="OmnivoreInk":h9y1s4es]Hi, old and new friends years.[/quote:h9y1s4es] I feel sure that you would be highly amused by 'Eats, Shoots and Leaves' Barbara. I wonder if you have read it or listened to the audio? Regards Martin [/quote:h9y1s4es] Hi, Martin Yes, I recorded it from BBC 7 a few weeks ago, and it's great. Haven't read the book, though.
Re: Are you a Blue, Red, or Green? - Hum... a lot of reds responding... Business owners must be a very aggressive community. Now, I was surprised when I took the course personally to find out I was a Green, secondary Blue. Of course, not believing this, the first thing I did was turn to those around me to get their opinions on my colours (typical Green!). The only thing I can really say about STRUCTOGRAM is that it was fun to explore the depths of my social and physiological make-up... I did this a over a year ago now and still use it in my daily interactions (always be on your toes with Reds).
New Kid in Town - Hi everyone, I am Mike Martel, a former Special Forces Green Beret who moved in the corporate world a few years back. I found that my training and experiences were very applicable in helping people get results. I wrote a book - "Get ER Done: The Green Beret Guide to Productivity." With my coaching, I work with people to achieve massive results for themselves and their businesses.
Re: How Much Of Ourselves Should We Give Away...? - Fill me in on who Mr. Green is, please.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

The Value of Small Businesses

3 Health Insurance Misconceptions

Adapting to Technology and the Internet

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.