dinsdag 16 december 2014

Modern Economy 1.01 What makes a healthy Business?

Be healthy for your community.

When CEO's get richer while many, many get poorer, we know there's a problem. The problem is simple. These men (mostly men) have not understood what business is for.
They may think they know, but they do not. They think it's to make their shareholders happy, they tell everyone is how business works and will lead to new work for many. Is it true, yes and no.   The huge American companies that raised profits by offshoring work to China, provided work for thousands overseas, yet deprived their fellow countrymen of their jobs. Profits and stocks up, local economy down.

A local business works for the community as much as it works for itself. Local business owners are aware they provide livelihoods for themselves and others. If the gap between them and the rest of the village gets to big, they damage their market, relationships and future in their own community. They will, because of their disconnectedness to the community that does the work. They live among the elite community and all workers are playing pieces on a huge money chess board. In their logic and frame they make all kinds of choices that affect many lives. Their choices may lower wages, introduce more pollution, diminish working conditions, etc purely out of strategical choices that make sense on the money scale and sadly too few others.
This is how it should be! A healthy business should work for a healthy community, for this is in the long term interest of all, including the business. Read that again for that should be the essence of future economics: a healthy business works for a healthy community (including the environment), for this is in the long term interest of all.



The current leaders are the real danger.

The fact that the superrich can afford to disconnect from their markets, their workers, their local community and even the health of the planet makes them dangerous madmen. Yes, you read that right, more and more studies show being too rich disconnects and makes amoral. We need to take the consequences of these insights fast. For their logic is pulling us into wars, poverty, a damaged planet and a damaging economy for all, but the CEO's and the big shareholders. And it is this elite of super rich that can stay away from all personal experiences of those bad consequences. In fact CEO's that have never been close (other than reading reports) to what war, sweat shops, poverty does to people, are as blind men leading the seeing. And those that counter that many of them are big in welfare should read this post by Charles Eisenstein: http://charleseisenstein.net/a-neat-inversion/

Solutions

A healthy business should work for the community, for healthy workers and a healthy planet. If it does not, the business is not healthy. It's that simple. How to make it so?
People at the top should not be able to decide their own income and bonuses. That should be decided by the lowest workers, and even the communities where they operate. Why, than fair and healthy conditions become most important. Then the people you work for must have your best interest at heart. Then their power hungry , work obsessed, greedy nature will incite them to get results where they matter for all of us. Than our society, nature, our planet may have a chance for a future.

Support local businesses, local produce, local cooperatives. Buy as little as possible from businesses that have shareholders. Buy as much as possible from people you know and believe in. Make life personal again. It may take longer, you may be able to buy less, but boy, you'll be part of society again. 

Apply no longer for jobs in big business, don't sell your great idea out to them. Seek to establish cooperatives, shared ownerships, work for people you know, like and trust. 

And if you work in shareholder owned constructs, ignite conversations that matter. Be less afraid of your job. Many around you have the same worries about our planet, their contribution and position. Try to open the conversation. You may even post anonymous posters with questions that should be asked. Seek out information outside that supports your opinions inside and will help support transformation of the corporate culture. Have and develop a life outside work.

And for God's sake stop reading Fortune 500, like being a thief of us all is something to strive for. Why do we value business leaders that know how to earn millions and hide bonuses on the Cayman Islands, and avoid paying taxes that would have benefitted the whole of society more than their cleaners who work as many hours, doing a dirty job often without social security? 
When you see the palaces of the super rich, consider them specialized detentions centers for predatory minds, plastic bubbles of distorted reality, the homes of the machines that keep the Matrix running. Stop believing smart greenwashing by stupid intelligent marketing spin doctors. Real Green improves nature, not damage it slightly less. Start making money by inventing the Natural 500, the Future Thought Leaders list (put Charles Eisenstein on it) the most Health Communities List, best places to live list, flourishing planet creator list, etc. In short seek and support the what together with heroes that have us all in mind.



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