"DIVERSITY & INCLUSION 2" Photo ⓒ Cosmin Gheorghe
Disruption does not translate into destruction. Disruption is change of economics. Disruption is change of scale. Disruption is new products and services that couldn't even exist in the absence of that new disruptive technology.
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"DIVERSITY & INCLUSION", Photo ⓒ Cosmin Gheorghe
NO TIME TO READ? LISTEN TO THIS STORY FOR FREE (OR DOWNLOAD IT FOR ONLY $1)
We all like to believe -or at least those of us who live in democratic countries- that we are free individuals, able to make the choices and decisions we "want" and "need". As it turns out, however, our wants and needs -and therefore our choices and decisions- are heavily influenced, and often determined, by a specific set of values and beliefs, which we absorb unconsciously from the culture that surrounds us. Those beliefs translate into specific behaviors, most of which were acquired so early in life that we are not even aware of them. It is this lack of awareness that prevents individuals and organizations from achieving their global potential in an increasingly globalized economy.
With all the knowledge and ability to understand complex situations that I believed I have, what happened yesterday in Paris is beyond my capacity to anticipate.
What I do anticipate happening though is the same fundamentalist and/or meaningless reactions of politicians and people. It is possible and recommendable to refuse the company, benefits and services of someone who hates you and want to harm you, even if they are fellow citizens. But how that can be done, this is the key. How do you refuse to associate with those who plan to aggress you? How do you refuse benefits and refuse to foster relationships with them? I believe it is possible to be firm, to affirm and assert ourselves without becoming mindless, aggressive or violent. I said POSSIBLE, not EASY. And that starts with understanding how fundamentalism, extremism, self-esteem, unhappiness, happiness, love, and hate work. And understanding how social, cultural and ethnic systems work. Understand the POWER of a Culture to forge values, a belief system and ultimately IDENTITIES. Then and only then we will have a chance to make a serious and sustainable change. There is no better way of describing what is happening than this song of Jose Gonzales, an amazing artist of whom I just found out a few minutes ago:
What's the point if you hate
Die and kill for love, kill for love What's the point with a love Makes you hate and kill for You've got a heart on fire Bursting with desire You've got a heart filled with passion Will you let it burn for hate or compassion? 
If you were thinking that the current lineup for presidential elections is quite wild, here is a different kind of option: rumor goes that Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff is going to run for President in 2020. And to make sure the word gets out, a #DreamForce15 team is walking around giving away $2 for each tweet featuring the tag #Benioff2020.
Every other day I bump into an article that proclaims, or at least predicts, where the next Silicon Valley will be. If you ask me, the answer is clear: nowhere. A business environment doesn't develop in a vacuum, but in a specific cultural and social context. Therefore trying to clone a specific business ecosystem within a completely different culture yields often silly results. I believe we all agree that building a Tour Eiffel replica did not suddenly transform a town where people go to drink and gamble into Paris.
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Cosmin Gheorghe"You never draw out of the deep of yourself that which you want; you always draw that which you are." Archives
November 2015
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