We all live under the same sky but each of us has a different view of the horizon. Some of us may have a wide, broad view while others have a narrow, partial view. Some are conscious that the view they have is, at best, limited while quite a few assume, with characteristic over-confidence, that they have the entire view.
In all this viewership, an important aspect often gets neglected. What is the lens through which one is looking at the world? We are not referring to a Western perspective or an Oriental standpoint. It is not even a question of whether it is an elitist view or a bottom-of-the-pyramid perspective. The vital concern is whether the view is taken from the standpoint of one who is seeking personal gain or whether it is a holistic view aimed at addressing societal concerns.
There is a widespread public perception that those who lead belong to a self-centred, closed-circle, highly networked strata of global society who tend to think alike, irrespective of the country they live in and regardless of their own background. It is as if this is an essential pre-condition to join this small, exclusive decision-making group in the world that openly proclaims: conform or quit.
It could be argued that this is not entirely true. Indeed, there are quite a few exceptions. Regardless, what can no longer be ignored is that the chasm between the well-to-do and the rest has grown unremittingly, and the gap between “what is” and “what could be”, or “what should be” continues to become larger. There is a widespread cognisance of this gulf and yet no sincere attempt has been made to foster worldviews that could catalyse shared, corrective actions.
Noticeably, most of the leaders who have led us in the last few decades were unable to align themselves with societal expectations. They promised but barely delivered. They sought power and fought for it but, after securing power, displayed little responsibility or accountability. Barring a few individual exceptions, they collectively failed in country after country. Responsible leadership has become a mirage.
The dominance of the role of the corporation is incontestably perceived as a major handicap in transitioning to a better world. To shift from “shareholder primacy” to “planetary primacy”, part-time “corporate social responsibility” (CSR) must give way to “socially responsible corporations” (SRC) – a shift from CSR to SRC.
This book identifies discernible signals that humankind has taken the first decisive steps in changing the course of future history. It is a call to create a new Magna Carta, a new Global Charter of People’s Rights that will need to be enshrined as a non-alterable and inflexible component of every constitution in the world – a 21st-centur enunciation of how citizens hereafter will demand to be governed. Those in power may just have two choices:
Willingly and transparently initiate serious work for improving the lives of the less well-off and create new benchmarks of inclusive development; or
Be prepared for an unpalatable or even unthinkable fate.
There is a small time-framework for the heads of states – both democratically elected or heading dictatorial regimes—to voluntarily change course before the people they lead force them to do so. This book attempts to carve a new path and portray the constituents of a new policy framework. It explores in depth what the leaders today can do, without losing power, and how they could do it.
I do not believe that our collective wisdom will be incapable of finding solutions to the persistent problems that plague us. There is adequate knowledge to articulate what needs to be done, but the enduring reluctance of leaders to take the requisite actions is the root cause of the continued malaise. This will not last long. The leaders who wish to remain in power must volunteer to transcend from a state of indifference to a state of concern, with a commitment to implementing workable solutions. As they do so, they will be surprised to see how the future unfolds, not only for themselves but for all of humankind. By leading this transformation, they will become the proud pioneers in a global turn-around story; generating better lives and livelihoods, and shared, collective human happiness.
This book identifies the simultaneous emergence of two interrelated and interdependent phenomena. The first is the transition from the Knowledge Economy to the Wisdom Economy which, in its wake, is prompting a multitude of fundamental changes in how we govern and how we are governed. This triggers the second phenomenon, the initiation of the pioneering concept of “Peopleism”, a system of governance that sensitively collates and meets the collective aspirations of all citizens, within sustainable resource parameters.
This book spawns a “think-reflect-do” agenda to reorganise and synergise our collective, unused potential. “One could be a pessimist by dint of reason or an optimist by force of will.” Our endeavour is to choose a path from the perspective of a pragmatic “possibilist” and a realist. The present reality is not being ignored; the focus is on visualizing a better reality than we have today.
It is an invitation to all leaders, and to all citizens who think they deserve better leaders, to join this quest – not just to imagine the future we yearn for, but also to create a path to get there. It is not about fantasizing a utopian world; it is about gathering courage and conviction and working relentlessly to mould our destiny into the shape we want. It is about not letting our future cave in under the legacy of history or the tyranny of custom. It is entirely up to us, people all over the world, to choose to ignore the possibilities or actually make it happen. But let us remember that while it may not matter as much to us, it will matter a lot to the coming generations.
Undeniably, we are all strangers to our future, more so now as we enter a new era when the forces of change are gathering momentum against the forces of status quo at an unprecedented pace.
This book identifies multiple silver linings that while we transition to a new future, we have, for the first time, the means to be consciously cognizant of many favourable scenarios that could emerge. Let us choose a scenario we really crave for and happily transition to the “Safe New World”, where every person matters. It is, after all, our future. The future of our children and grandchildren.
Excerpted with permission from Capitalism to Peopleism: Inspiring a Leadership Transformation, Ravi Chaudhry, Simon and Schuster India.
