Insights into leadership with Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus
One the many benefits of being part of the Leadership Victoria family of alumni, partners, program participants, staff and other stakeholders is you get to hear about the wonderful events focused on leadership, and usually you get to go ‘behind the scenes’, or get a special rate for paid events.
And it was just such an event this last weekend when I, along with other Williamson Community Leadership Program (WCLP) alumni, went to a very special lecture by Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank and a numbers of innovative social businesses.
I’ve talked about Grameen Bank in many of my presentations over the last 10 years as a great example of innovation, particularly social innovation, so I was delighted to hear personally from Prof Yunus so much more to the story, and of the success Grameen Bank has helped create.
In listening to his story, so many things came through, such as…
His personal epiphany on academic economics vs real world economics; and how it is so much like what many of us have experienced and actioned.
The impact even a small personal contribution can make when done thoughtfully; and in his case how it rippled out to so much more.
The barriers of traditional systems and thinking that shut down innovation and progress, the sorts of things I see holding so many people and organisations back.
How doing exactly the opposite of others can create a whole new business model that just works; perhaps this is the Blue Ocean style leadership I was speaking about recently.
How the focus on who you lend to and why, is far more important than traditional lending criteria; essentially breaking the ‘rules’ to shift our world perception.
How putting ‘social criteria’ on lending can slowly, but significantly change mindsets and entire communities and cultures; ‘from little things, big things grow’.
That when you challenge traditional systems and thinking, there are many who will want to bring you down; so many in authority don’t like it when they realise they may be wrong.
That ‘getting a job’ after getting a good education is just traditional thinking in a broken system that is no longer able to deal with current challenges; who says that because you don’t have a ‘job’ you aren’t valuable – I’ll been ‘successfully unemployed’ for 23 years!
That rather than being a job seeker or taker, we could try becoming job givers; the future relies on the entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs.
And how one social impact can start a ripple effect of compounding social impacts that literally light up the world; could we be seeing the start of a realization of Buckminster Fuller’s grand vision of a fully powered world?
In future Insights to Action I want to talk more about some of these lessons from Prof Yunus, and how they reflect similar stories from many other people I’ve met and worked with. I have constantly been amazed at how these people have inspired and empowered others to take action on what they imagine the world could be, rather than simply accepting systems and thinking that is no longer sufficient.
These true Imagineers have inspired for more than 25 years now, and I guess that’s why I still have so much fun doing what I do.
“Those who say it cannot be done, should get out the way of those who are doing it.” Joel Barker, Futurist.
Ask yourself, have you and/or your organization stifled innovation, growth, change and success with traditional thinking in a system that is no longer enough, or are you turning things upside down by visualizing a whole new way of doing things, and then taking action to make it a reality?
As Leadership Victoria’s resident Imagineer, Bill Jarrard (WCLP '90) helps people and organisations Imagine the future they wish to achieve and then Engineer it into reality. Bill focuses on people, leadership, and organisational development, with a particular passion for continuous improvement, creative thinking, and applied innovation.
Bill designs and delivers Leadership Victoria’s Creative Leadership Program; including Thinking Strategically - Imagineering Your Organisation on 13 November. Limited places so Register Now!