Digital In Motion

Like the Whos down in Whoville...Possibility and Hope

Turns out that people cheat. And lie. And are greedy.

You could replace ‘people’ in that line with corporations, but in the end the corporate entity is inanimate and it is the people making the decisions.

 So while we grow up learning that lying, stealing and cheating are wrong, we see it all around us as adults and it is as pervasive as it is surprising.

 So is this a depressing blog about lying cheaters and Good vs Evil? Actually, no. It is about the fact that most of us actually believe that people are good until proven otherwise and we would like to make the world a better place. And that in this crumbling economy where every news day is more disheartening than the last, somehow what we're actually hearing all around us are Possibilities. Conversations about Hope. Perseverance. Tenacity. Like the Whos down in Whoville who had their Christmas stolen, but got up and circled round, held hands, smiled and sang with joy anyway we are finding that we really are a resilient bunch. And we don’t need to lie, cheat and steal to have a happy, fulfilling life. Turns out that happy and fulfilling comes, in part, from doing good deeds for others.

 So in this dark and depressing economic time, I find it brightly optimistic that more and more of us are saying that in addition to the work we do every day, we want to be involved in something that is meaningful, some way that we can use our talents to make the world a better place.

 Take a look at sites like Akoha, the world’s first social reality game; Games4Change, a group dedicated to supporting the development of games about the most pressing issues we face in the world; initiatives like Kiva, Ashoka, and Guy Kawasaki’s blog: How to Change the World, A Practical Blog for Impractical People. It’s about the surge in CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) and social entrepreneurship in corporations large and small. It's about building and fostering communities both here and abroad. 

And that's all good for the business of business, and for the business of life.

Be The Change You Want to See in the World

Thank you, Gandhi.

Back from 5 inspired days at PopTech (www.poptech.org) in Camden, ME and now I’m trying to simultaneously get back to business and distill what I learned there into actionable bits that I can infuse into my everyday life.

It’s difficult to describe why this conference is so special.

I tell people it’s like the World Economic Forum meets Wired Magazine. It’s about getting a world-class education in a variety of meaningful topics in 4 incredible, information-packed days.  It’s about 500 amazing people that are side by side as equals. All interested in being part of the change they want to see in the world and willing to travel great distances to congregate and communicate with compassion, respect, openness, and humility. Some of the most brilliant, creative, talented people come to this conference every year and I feel quite small in the presence of all of that brilliance. But most of us do not have the opportunity to mentally rub up against this type of intelligence and passion for changing the world. Speakers go on stage for their presentations and stay for the entire conference, sitting amongst us. We are one, talking about issues, sharing stories, and learning, speakers and audience alike.

We were awed by Stephen Badylak’s work in regenerative medicine, entertained by Imogen Heap and Amos Lee, educated about body language and human behavior from Joe Navarro and we applauded Jay Parkinson’s ability to innovate in the dysfunctional world of healthcare today. We saw Kelly Dobson engage with machines in really unusual ways,  cried with Laura Hinson as we contemplated the enormous topics of forgiveness and recovery as related to the genocide in Rwanda, and were absolutely inspired by Ben Zander as he gave a 15 year old cellist the lesson of a lifetime.

And like going to summer camp as a child, we bonded, and stayed up really late, made some incredible new friendships, hugged, and said goodby with promises to see each other again next year. 

Because of and in addition to all of this, I go because I believe it makes me a better person. Smarter, more aware. Humble. Braver.

For most of us, in our daily work lives, the softer side of business and life does not have a prominent place at the table.  For those of us in the digital communications space, we think a lot about business development, providing value to clients, forging new relationships, managing teams of people, staying on top of changing technology and trends.  It’s about core demographics, need states, user experience, coding, systems integration, marketing and results.

PopTech mixes hard science, economics, politics, technology, art, and medicine with poignant stories about how and why it all matters. Your head fills to the brim with all of this and invariably there is something said, done or shown that brings tears to the eyes and makes your whole being throb with what only can be described as true feeling.

And that is why I go.

To find and feel my heart every year, and to return to real life to share it with others.