Davos days
Fashion friends – A Timberland boot, Gucci boot and a recycled pump! - guess mine!
Robert Polet, CEO of the Gucci group, Saf and Jeff Swartz CEO of Timberland
Is feminising economics the key?
I attend a number of riveting sessions that look at the female/male mind with anthropologist Helen Fisher of Harvard (Read her book The First Sex for more information).
Just hold up your right hand and study your palm to check if your ring finger is longer than your index finger, if it is this proves you have had more testosterone washed over you when you were an embroyo (in my case I am more male than female!).
There is a lot to be learnt including that what international business leaders judge as management ability, including flexibility of thinking, multitasking and team work are considered female attributes.
Could it be that male dominated management has got us into the current mess of an unsustainable economic system? After all male features we are told are focused which typically results a short termism, un-joined up thinking and a less holistic approach
Certainly all the male ecologists in my life seem to have their feminine side intact. According to Helen what women lack is this ‘focus’ – minds wondering whilst in the throws of passionate sex being a common feature (no comment!).
Water is local
My next session is helping working on a session on ‘water.’
The world seems finally to have woken up to water being a critical issue. Did you know it takes 100 litres of water to make one litre of cola? Industry is embracing the issues because the lack of water will put them out of business if they don’t.
We spend a lot of time talking about how to solve these problems and approach these issues. Isn’t it about watershed management and involving the multi-stakeholder decision? Of course some environmental groups and social enterprises have been active in this field for 20 years or more!
The eco-system has broken down, we have to write down what the tipping point was – all rather depressing but it demands all to focus.
Road to Davos - Impatient for change.
A definite highlight was meeting Social Entrepreneur teenagers from 6 countries – check out these stars that are representative of a larger group of impatient youngsters who are changing the world. They were all fabulous!
Road to Davos seminar
Friends of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship
Saf with Mr Faisal Abid, BRAC, World Toilet Organisation and Waste Concern boys – Iftekhar and Maqsood.
The boys from Waste Concern – Iftekhar and Maqsood
Change is all around us.
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