Best way to test one’s position on the impact we have in our world? Put oneself ‘out there’ in direct conversation with Mother Nature.
And so, the moment came. Destination: Antarctica.
For over 3 decades, I have been incredibly blessed to work worldwide on a professional path and within critical economic sector that has always stretched my vision, pushed my mind, and filled my heart: global Tourism, Aviation & Development. Acutely aware of the scope and scale of interdependencies of the sector that must, must work together to ensure a world connected by travel is truly good for not only the visitor but the visited to be able to stay true to principle of travel as a force for good for all for generations to come, the past 3+ years acting as a ‘behind the velvet curtain’ advisor to leaders across the globe rebuilding their economies, societies and environmental policies has been the honour of a lifetime.
As we as an industry work to reconnect the world the right way, at the right time, through the right decisions, as captured in my latest book authoring THE CALL TO LEADERSHIP – https://thecalltoleadership.com/, we as global leaders are being loudly, clearly and urgently called on to own the impact we will have on those near and far, now and in the future.
Which is why a recent hit of the professional pause button to undertake a journey of a lifetime to the bottom of the world was, without question, one the most penetrating tests of my position on the value and values of Tourism Development.
11 days on serious expedition including 4 days of intense sea kayaking through iceberg waters, visiting the frozen world homes of tiny little tuxedoed locals waddling about as sea lions stretched out on shorelines, while Orca and Humpback whales puffed out signs of their presence nearby…all across Mother Nature’s breathtakingly beautiful canvas of icy blues, greys and whites. And of course, the Polar Plunge – joining creatures great and small in their frigid environment of play.
‘Holiday’? Perhaps in traditional terms as a carefully crafted time laptop-free (especially as anticipating network challenges being at the southern tip of the world where creatures great and small have absolutely no interest in email). Very, very special thanks to Al Merschen for turning a lovely, loving, milestone-celebration idea into an adventure of a lifetime.
Soon, very soon however, and as sensed it would be, active vacation time to be shared became a call to action connected to vocation. As soon our port of departure started to fade into golden sunset light, an ‘Impact Immersion’ began, masterfully executed travels to the bottom of the world by the team at Quark Expeditions – http://www.quarkexpeditions.com, leaders and firm advocates of our possessing a deep, sincere understanding and sense of responsibility towards the world we are blessed to explore.
Their mission was on. Day after day, both at sea and when anchored, time was filled with not only seeing a truly untouched part of the world, but understanding it, feeling it, and deeply appreciating it, stop after stop, paddle after paddle, landing after landing, sight after sight. The awareness and appreciation building was not through simple exposure, emotional osmosis. The learning was direct, the expertise of the expedition staff positioned front and centre so that each leg of the journey carried with it exceptional insight into what was there before, what will be found now, and what is at risk in the future. Lecture after lecture, the learning added layers of richness to the experience: maritime history, marine biology, natural physics, ornithology, glaciology, climate science, safety, the keyholes of understanding were there for us all to unlock. Participation was mandatory, as was commitment to protection and preservation because this we all knew and felt to be true: presence in the places we explored was an absolute privilege.
Returning ‘home’, back to the busy days, streets, and screens that shape what we define as our real world, it is impossible to simply release the pause button and return to business and busyness as usual. Our vision has changed. What was once conceptual is now crystal clear. What was once take for granted now stings as we see, and feel, what is being taken.
To Mother Nature, my immense, loving thanks for not only making the journey through the notoriously treacherous (8m – 12m swell high) Drake Passage extremely unusual with its (relative) calm, magically accented with a magnificent golden full moon rising over wide open waters, but for allowing us, through your daily (often hourly) changes in climate to stay, to see, to silently absorb, and to so deeply feel both the blessing and the responsibility of the awe you have created all around us.
Why write this post?
Because her message is clear: our ability to see her increasingly fragile world is a privilege, not a right, and we as her messengers must never forget that. Nor must we fail to remind others – especially the decision makers shaping the future of our industry, and therefore sharing responsibility for the shape of the world we are influencing, impacting, and hopefully inspiring, near and far, now and for generations to come. Talking about the climate crisis, embedding the word ‘sustainability’ in our strategies, hash tagging the need for action is one thing. Seeing the impact of inaction is quite another.
Mother Nature, I see you, I hear you, and I thank you. x
Numbing. The feeling was simply numbing. And it was becoming all too familiar.
First a high. A high that would carve a line in the history books of the 21st Century. And be a defining moment for millions looking on. Never did they, we, never did we all think the day would come.
As global media looked on, the sounds of pure, personal excitement in their voices were unmistakable. Real, raw. Almost relief. This was a moment they official voices of global networks would be forgiven for getting emotional. They never thought they would see the day. Air Force One’s wheels touched the runway of Havana’s José Martí International Airport airport with a profound feeling of exhale, the strength of the Boeing 747’s brakes feeling almost as though a metaphor of the strength of the brakes being put on a long, heated history of distrust, disrespect, deprivation, and for millions, imposed distance of peoples. AIR FORCE ONE LANDS HAVANA – MARCH 20, 2016
As President Obama and his family descended the staircase and walked onto Cuban soil, the first visit of a US President in almost 90 years, the promise of possibility was released. As the following hours of protocol, appearances and press conferences unfolded, history was being rewritten second by second. But no moment more powerful that when the hands of President Obama and President Castro reached out. With one simple handshake and a look into one another’s eyes, the words of the US President made clear that nothing was ever going to be the same again, saying with the sound of hope in his words,: “We have half a century of work to catch up on.”
It was, and will remain, a moment where just a for a moment, the world seemed to be looking forward as one. Hope comes alive in a handshake. Higher and higher eyes looked up, hearts soared.
And then it came – the low that would send the world’s hearts crashing down.
Half a world away from Havana, the people of Brussels would wake to look horror in the eye. First an airport bombing, and then within the hour, a metro station. 60 minutes, 30 lives taken, 230 lives escaping end with only injury, yet still shattered.
Within a period of 24 hrs the world saw, felt, shed tears, as the highs of possibility of peace and partnership, people coming together despite the history and the odds, turned into the depths of horror as terror pushed people into dark, desperate corners, grief of the day beyond comprehension.
With it, worldwide, acknowledgement of the exhausting continuation of what has become a merciless means of uniting the people of the world in terror – a terror that tries over and over to divide with its modus operandi of death and destruction. All shamefully and unjustly in the name of religion.
Now. just a matter of days on, as the experts and analysis dig deeper into what happened, why, and because of whom, the only certainty that the global community can around what lies ahead comes from one human truth: we need one another.
Across the globe, people are turning to keyboards to express their confusion, their compassion, their hurt & heartache, and their undying hope that this horror can stop. Theories around how to protect ourselves are emerging on all sides. So too are expressions of care and camaraderie for those suffering. One month it is Tunis, the next Lebanon and Paris, the next Istanbul, now Brussels….and soon, who knows. In so many ways it feels that nowhere is safe, no one is safe.
But putting up barriers, physical and psychological, will not keep us safe. Quite the contrary – this is where the danger breeds. Through judging others, damning others, and seeking to be apart from others, we lock ourselves into dangerous bubbles of ignorance, intolerance, inhumanity. We fuel the fire.
How will our world find a way to stop this tragic story of terror from writing future chapters? How can the roots of extremism be pulled from the ground, deprived of oxygen? How can the meaning of one of the world’s great religions be brought back to its true meaning as it is meant to be lived, celebrated, no longer linked to the selfish, barbaric motives of those using faith as a shield to hide behind, falsely fighting for its protection and preservation, pushing separation over diversity within unification?
There is no one solution, no one focus that will yield triumph over those resorting to such horrific means to make us stand apart from one another, in fear, inflamed by intolerance.
But there is one truth that cannot be overlooked: Ours is a world to be shared.
Time and again, history has shown us that separation only causes our decay as societies, and as economies. We need to keep working at understanding our differences, being able to be secure in our celebration of others, recognising that while externally so much may seem to differ, our hearts are the same. We love, we laugh, we dream….we cry, we grieve, we bleed.
While completely unconnected, the events taking place this week in Havana and Brussels do, in fact, share a vital connection. Events unfolding, shaking the course of history, changing the lives of millions. One – Cuba – showed how, at a time when so many forces are pushing us apart, rewriting history based on fear and fundamentalist thinking as witnessed in Brussels, there are those working to shape a future as one. This same spirit, this same determination to extinguish fear and find a peaceful way forward, is needed to face this latest challenge.
How can this happen? How can a movement of understanding occur, defusing fear in differences and setting alight appreciation of diversity of thinking and living, take off? It already has – through tourism. At its essence, tourism is about going to places unknown, exploring and understanding others’ lives, lifestyles, loves, getting to the heart of what makes them who they are, and in so many ways, discovering how similar that is to oneself when it comes to core beliefs and values. Here too, hope comes alive in a handshake.
Today two of the most previously ‘locked out’ nations across the globe – Cuba and Myanmar – now represent two of the most sought after destinations for not just travellers, but also investors in the travel & tourism sector. At the heart of opportunity for the Cuban people is the tourism industry. Not only will it bring much needed jobs, investment, earnings, essential skills, infrastructure and taxation to and for the people of Cuba, it will bring invaluable respect and appreciation for the Cuban identity. And it will bring a change to the nation that will allow it to blossom as a member of the global community.
Underlying the reengineering that needs to take place around Cuban policy, economy and industry is the very human component that will form the foundations for the future of the Cuban people. A foundation that will make the real difference when it comes to ensuring longterm change. For as was optimistically said by President Obama while standing alongside President Castro, just days ago in Havana,:
“I have faith in people. If you meet Cubans here, and Cubans meet Americans and they’re meeting and talking and interacting and doing business together, and going to school together, and learning from each other, then they’ll recognize that people are people, and in that context, I believe that change will occur.”
As differing as the world’s geography, politics, policies and populations may be, there are some things that create a global connection. Faith. This universal connection was recently on display at a level rarely seen – but clearly it is felt.
Throughout the month of March, the eyes, and in many cases, spirits, of the world have been intensely focused on a tiny location on the planet, a place so small that its population does not even reach one thousand inhabitants. Yet, while not actually living in this city, 1.2 billion people worldwide, just over 17% of the world’s population, call this place their spiritual ‘home’. Vatican City.
It all began on the 11th of February, when Pope Benedict XVI announced, to the shock of many within the cardinal community, Catholic Church and across the globe, his resignation for personal, age and health related reasons. The last day of the month would be his last day as the spiritual leader of the Catholic Church.
It was a move that shook the faith, raising the voices of millions to question not just variations on a ‘why did he really‘ theme, but for devotees, an emotional ‘how could he?‘ God only knows.
With his unprecedented departure – the first papal resignation in close to 600 years – Pope Benedict XVI took with him a sense of the end of not just a papal era, but the end of an era of the Catholic Church per se. The College of Cardinals saw the signs, embracing the calling to rise to the challenge, recognising that for the Church to move forward, it was critical to recognise how the world around them – faith and followers – had moved on.
And, importantly, the world’s Catholic population was watching to see if, when, how, the Church would respond to the growing crisis of confidence and conviction, challenging its relevancy and credibility.
But it was not just Catholics keeping vigil. Across the globe, billions were watching the chimney of the Sistine Chapel for Papal conclave voting. Remarkably, in just two days a decision was made.
The sign of change came, not just in the colour of the smoke, but in the speed of the decision making process,
and the choice of a Pope from South America,
and the new Pope’s choice of name – Francis, a humble, compassionate, there-to-serve-the-people spiritual leader,
and the choice of the new Pope’s personal lifestyle as the leader of the Church – from rings to shoes, from vehicles to new home.
Significant decisions of both symbol and substance, critical to the minds and hearts of Catholics worldwide.
But why did, the world, Catholics and non-followers alike, watch the selection process so closely? Why did it matter to billions beyond the official population of followers?
Why did the choice of the next Pope touch so many, so deeply?
Why? Because of a bond that connects billions, regardless of location, language, lifestyles: believing in believing
The Catholic Church getting it right, banishing the ghosts and guilt of the past, matters to more than can be imagined. It is not about the institution, the structure, the face. It is about the need to believe in something better that all that burdens, something that still inspires right when there are so many examples of wrong, something that keeps us waiting for the dawn through the long hours of the dark. It is about keeping the faith.
As said by Ben Wedeman of CNN while covering the election of the new Pope, “Rome was not built in a day, and the Vatican will not be rebuilt in a week.”
Will Pope Francis be able to lift the Vatican, the Catholic Church and the minds of millions, to a higher place?
Since the first days of the 21st Century people around the world have felt ‘something different’. Initially the world seemed ours to embrace, control and command. It was safe to live somewhat asleep, rhythmically and confidently moving from day to day – one’s own day to day. Worldview was limited, self-focused, through selective glasses…some with rosier tints than others.
And then the clock stopped. 9/11. Even today, years on, saying it stops one’s heart for a moment. Instantly the world as we knew it, as we chose to know it, was redefined. We were forced to open our eyes to the world around us, forced to see how we were in fact all connected. We were forced to wake up.
From that moment, consciously or unconsciously, people started to widen their view of the world – looking into the world, not just at it.
And looking more closely at themselves. Values, belief systems, hopes, fears, wishes, dreams and legacy become more clearly defined, more loudly shared. A vividness occurred.
Over the past decade as peace, unity and stability of nations have been openly challenged, and as Mother nature has unleashed her fury in ways unimaginable, people from all corners of the world have started to look for ways to make sense of it all, ways to connect the dots. Borders have dissolved as nations have united in the quest for peace. And as a series of natural disasters from tsunamis to hurricanes to earthquakes swept away hundreds of thousands from their lives, the world began to reach out with a showing of kindness and generosity never seen before. The eyes of the world had moved beyond the ‘me’ to the greater ‘we’.
Our ability to live ‘asleep’ is gone forever.
This awakening of social consciousness has become the signature of the 21st Century. Wherever one is in the world, the issues affecting the world are being adopted as issues which effect individuals. Social networking and citizen reporting has dramatically broadened and deepened the ability to leave one’s world and enter that of another. As a result now, like better before, the world is awake to the implications of its actions, and therefore the responsibility of the individual.
The Messages are clear: Climate Change; The War on Terror; Poverty Alleviation; Active Democracy and now Global Economic Crisis – these vital forces are shaping our security and wellbeing today and in the future as societies. They have become the basis for the global agenda. What was once socio-political theory is now practical focus.
Interestingly this shift of understanding was first unlocked at a mass scale through some of the world’s most unlikely Messengers. Individuals traditionally associated with pop culture – musicians, celebrities, artists, public speakers and business leaders – became the bridge between political rhetoric and real action, unlocking social movements determined to bring an end to the issues and ailments threatening the health of western society and the world at large.
And, equally deserving of credit, the dramatic interest and growth in activity in travel and tourism across the world has resulted in a profound growth and appreciation for other places, other cultures, other belief systems and, importantly, the dreams and needs of others.
So where has this brought us? And where to now?
There is no question that the first decade of the 21st century has been one of intense awakening. And with this awakening has come a growing commitment towards action.
A social consciousness has emerged, causing people to think, deeply and purposefully, about their choices and actions and how these impact the world which they will leave behind. Pride in, and responsibility for, global citizenship has become a mass consideration in daily life and lifestyle, no longer a niche campaign.
With all this goodness of spirit and intention, the challenge now becomes how and where to channel all of this positive, productive, purposeful energy. How do we move societies towards ‘living’ their belief systems.
And when there is an immediate need by nations, regions, people in crisis, how can one single individual make a difference to the future health, stability and happiness of others?
For all the rising goodwill and generosity present around the globe, willingness to opening one’s heart and wallet diminishes dramatically due to the difficulty in identifying which issues of today, and tomorrow, are: • Priority, most in need of support • Easy to support • Able to make the greatest impact • Able to go beyond simply sending money, offering a more participative role • Able to show the difference made • Safe to support, free of risk of loss and/or wastage of funds and energies • Able to go beyond once-off ‘charity’ and actually improve the lives of others, sustainably
Human nature takes over, questions regarding validity and enduring value emerge.
And, the deep compassion in our hearts over one issue is either forgotten or replaced with another worthy cause. Today’s need fades as tomorrow’s news unfolds.
But we cannot let these questions and concerns defuse and destroy efforts to collectively create a stronger, more secure, more just world for all. Especially when it means actions which can help lift others out of poverty, anonymity, and catastrophe.
Instead we must recognise and respect these concerns, using them as the framework for turning appeals for support into social action.
So how do we make the desire to ‘do good’ actually do good?
The lessons for tomorrow can be found in the actions of today.
Looking closely at the efforts and effect of global initiatives past and present focused on creating positive, sustainable impact for people of the world, here is a list of reminders to ensure that good intentions can indeed be turned into meaningful, sustainable global impact:
1. MAKE IT PERSONAL: put a face to the issue. Enable people to understand the individuals behind the need – where they live, what their lives should be, how one individual can change one life for the better. Turn appeals for help into a hand to be held. A wonderful example of this is CNN’s “Impact Your World” initiative CNN.COM/IMPACT which offers global viewers the opportunity to directly assist people and places in need which have been profiled on the global news network.
2. MAKE IT SHARED: enable people to feel part of a larger community working to make a difference, able to tap into a greater sense of meaning and impact, not a single blip on the radar which goes unnoticed and can have little real impact.
3. MAKE IT INSPIRING: provoke involvement through pride and positive inspiration, not burden and guilt. Enable people to feel they are doing the right thing because they are lead by a set of values right for today’s caring world, not because they are trying to make things right so they won’t feel bad. Al Gore, the world’s Messenger on Climate Change, has succeeded in turning a global crises into a global culture of environmental consciousness and care.
4. MAKE IT EASY: the ‘how to help’ needs to be clear and easy for people to participate. Keep the need and the method for support simple. Turn a grand issue into a simple gesture which can be made by individuals…with grand impact.
5. MAKE IT PERMANENT: ensure that the issue, the reason for the appeal, can be positioned as a long-term solution, not a bandage. Inspire people to participate in the building of lives, the building of livelihoods, the building of tomorrow through their actions today. “Habitat for Humanity” represents one of the world’s most successful, most visible and most celebrated efforts to literally and philosophically help people rebuild lives.
6. MAKE IT TOUCHABLE: allow people to turn their daily actions into impact, linking consumer activity to vehicles for impact through, for example, • regular consumer purchase decisions, • corporate social investment initiatives directly tied to business results, • foundations which channel goodwill directly to programmes for tangible good. Credibility comes through visibility. Without question one of the shining examples of initiatives of this nature is “Product (RED)” www.joinred.com , imagined, inspired and implemented by BONO, one of our generation’s greatest Messengers of the moral responsibility to create a healthier, more secure and more responsible world.
7. MAKE IT INVOLVING: programmes seeking to (re)build lives for a more better tomorrow offer a wonderful opportunity for people to become personally involved as participants in the (re)building. Making it possible for people to give of resources beyond money, giving instead of their time, energy and/or expertise, can dramatically accelerate the desired impact…all in a way which touches the lives of all involved in ways never imagined. A number of travel companies have become focused on voluntourism (ie www.godifferently.com, www.responsibletravel.com) , enabling travellers to visit parts of the world with a desire to experience in a way which directly and meaningfully helps the local communities which they visit with emphasis on those needing post-disaster recovery, ie Asian Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina.
8. MAKE IT MAKE SENSE: meaningful connection to what is important to those wishing to help and give is vital. Tap directly into what is important to people within their life worlds and at a practical level. • Make it make sense for the common man by tapping into social interests and activity, synchronizing goodwill with regular lifestyle habits and behaviours. • Make it make sense as a means of business through logical, active participation in initiatives which stimulate both consumer activity and corporate responsibility. Anita Roddick, founder and guardian angel of “The Body Shop”, was the first to institutionalize conscious consumerism, successfully weaving together global issues with consumer purchasing power.
9. MAKE THE CONNECTIONS: the most effective initiatives are those which manage to transcend ‘ownership’ and ego. Magnification of impact comes through magnification of involvement. By bringing in other parties to help drive the initiative through their roles as Messengers or Mechanics will dramatically increase the ability of an initiative to be: • exposed to the widest audiences possible • known of, • understood, • appreciated as trustworthy, truthful and accountable, • inspiring of action. “Product (RED)” once again provides an example of a cooperative effort uniting various products, organisations and Brands around one shared cause and identity.
10. MAKE IT MARKETABLE: the fact remains that today’s world is driven by media – marketing, advertising, PR, social networks, charismatic messaging. Whatever the cause, whatever the goals, the Message must be able to be marketed through effective Messengers – individuals, images, icons – to gain the awareness and appeal to not only attract attention but retain interest and social appeal. The global campaign “One” www.one.org focused on elimination of poverty has utilised star power to attract consumer interest and appeal. Similar to “Product (RED)”, “One” has made active caring for the global community fashionable…and even sexy.
The 21st Century has brought with it a social consciousness which has dissolved global boundaries, uniting people of the world across world that share common values and hope for the future. The lens has shifted from ‘me’ to ‘we’ as people are reminded every day that our world is more than just about ‘me, for me, today’. And the definition of wealth has evolved to include the degree to which we can give back from what we have achieved and acquired.
We are awake.
As we move forward as a global community working to create a healthier world at social, economic, political and spiritual levels, we must ensure our efforts truly ‘work’ as results-orientated initiatives focusing on the highest level and farthest reaching impact possible. There is no time to sleep.
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