At Human-I-T, we’ve always believed executing audacious ideas makes the world a more sustainable, equitable place. And it certainly does – we have no intention of stating otherwise. However, we think we need to examine and discuss this belief more thoughtfully.
It’s the words that have us thinking. Audacious. Execute. Excellent. Sure, they communicate a higher purpose and vision. But what if focusing on audaciousness and excellence alienates people from thinking they can impact on the world? We know what you’re thinking: “How is encouraging people to think audaciously or execute excellently stifling anyone?”
Well, think about it. Most people just want to excellently change their week – let alone the world. And, even if they do want to make a positive impact on the world, most people think that truly changing the world is only possible for the individuals who already have the time and resources to do it.
Rich people, in other words. You know who we’re talking about – people like Bill Gates, Folorunsho Alakija, MacKenzie Scott, and Mark Zuckerberg. The press always praises these ultra-high-net-worth individuals – commonly known as The 1% – for their philanthropy. This creates a vicious cycle, though. One where the scale of impact that one-percenters can drive becomes the standard for what changing the world looks like.
When it comes to cultivating a sustainable future, this is a very detrimental way of thinking. Least of all because it’s just not based in reality. Ask yourself the next question honestly. Who has really tangibly changed your life for the better: a stranger with a ten-digit net-worth, or someone in your community who went out of their way to help and improve something? If you’re like us, the second choice is the only real answer to that question.
We all know someone who fits this bill. They’re the people who go out of their way to ensure their community is thriving and, if they discover something needs to be done, they do it. They’re our friends, colleagues, neighbors, and even strangers at local spots around your town or city.
Heck, we are firsthand proof that small improvements change the world. After all, Human-I-T stakes itself on the belief that you can fix a global problem with a simple, local solution. If we’d let the belief that changing the world is a rich person’s game dictate what we did, there’d be hundreds of thousands of more people living without access to technology.
We’re through with letting billions of people feel like their efforts to improve our world are going unrecognized. That’s why we’re going to do something truly audacious: we’re redefining the term “one-percenter”. The new one-percenters are those who continuously improve something – even by just one percent – each day to make the world a more sustainable, equitable place to live.
To hear more from our CEO, Gabe Middleton, about what’s driving us to talk so much about the importance of continuous improvement, click here. If you agree with what Gabe says, then we have one request: share your thoughts on it.
The more people that understand doing good is as simple as making small improvements, the greater chance we have at driving sustainable and just opportunities for all people, organizations, and our planet to thrive.
