Badass business heroes and why we need them
The movies that break box office records are often not just a testament to a good, entertaining movie, but to the greater calling of a cultural meme.
We are looking for leaders high and low. They are not found in politics. Politics sold its soul to the highest bidder a long time ago.
And they are rarely found in business. Business sold its soul to the god of profit at all costs, blind short-termism, and the hungry grab for turning things that used to be free into dollars.
Instead, we turn to movies and books for our heroes. The Batmans, the Supermans, the Captain Americas, the Ironmans. Katniss Everdeen.
These archetypal characters are the only ones who offer any form of bold, daring action towards a world that needs it.
All of these heroes are flawed. They have egos that need some form of clipping. They can be bulls at the gate. They screw things up. They break things…get it wrong. But at core, they are on a mission, and the mission is far bigger than the hero.
You cannot deny that they are pointed in the direction of good. Sure, there is a romanticised version of them. But they have to go through insurmountable odds to get to where they are going. It can look glamorous, but it is actually hard, bloody work, with much pain and suffering along the way. Worthwhile pain.
Perhaps we are seeing the early rise of a few of these characters in real life. Malala Yousafzai? Grace Tame? Francesca Albanese? Yvon Choinard? Greta Thunberg? You may not love them or all that they stand for. But we simply cannot deny that they stand. And are willing to break the rules. Fight the good fight.
We need badass business heroes. We need to screw business as usual. People want this to happen. Desperately. People want to engage with businesses that are a force for good. We want to feel like our purchases are more than just consuming. That collectively we can do something noble.
This is the cry and the calling.
Are you in?
(And who would you add to the list?)
Photo by photo-nic.co.uk nic on Unsplash
