05 June 2015

This Blog is transforming - towards Changemakers and Leadership
"We must look within ourselves..." Nelson Mandela

After more than 8 years as a blog focused on "business as a force for good", this blog is transforming.

Mirroring my own personal and professional development, it is time to look beyond business. Yes, business is a major force for change and development. So what force then, is stronger? People. Changemakers and leaders. You don't need a title to be a leader.

Each person is a CEO, each of us a boss. Aware of it or not, each of us is the boss of our own life. This translates to greater self-responsibility and self-power. If one is less aware of this fact, they might not see themselves as the creator of their own destiny, but rather consider themselves as a consequence of their circumstances, upbringing, interactions with other people, etc… but that is only part of the 'story', at best.

There is increasing awareness that each of us is indeed THE change agent in our life. This relates back to leadership since at the core, we first lead our own life before we lead those of others. Because how can you authentically lead others if not by example?

Long story short, transformational leadership and self-empowering approaches have captured my imagination. I myself have seen the transformational changes that insights and breakthroughs from within can cause. I have also seen the non-effectiveness and lack of sustainability of superficial 'outside' aid.

Two examples, one from the the UN and the other about aid vs. self-development:
1) I have seen UN colleagues overcome deep frustration and blossom at work, after participating in a transformational leadership program. 2) Or take Youchaou Traore from Mali, who was this tree child and became an entrepreneur, a school and NGO director due to his passion, perseverance and can-do attitude. Those opportunities were not afforded to him otherwise.

 
Therefore, the Business4Good blog is going into hibernation. Something new about transformational leadership is going to arise... as a butterfly does from a caterpillar.