Values, priorities, targets, strategy

To make a long story short, I am now looking at a handful of broad project and program targets to structure and define my work experience and contributions over the remainder of this decade. This boils down to . . . Identify a personal project bouquet: I have set out to identify a limited portfolio (I prefer the term "bouquet") of projects, partners, institutions and associates with whom I can collaborate in the coming years on a limited range of high priority, high creativity assignments which build on my expertise and life time commitments. Stick to my last: The strategic links between technology and sustainable development and putting them to work for people in their daily lives have been my career concern and activity from the beginning. And there is no reason to think or try to move away from this agenda in the years ahead. After all: "Sustainability is the emerging operational framework for all activity organization in the 21st Century." And that is not about to change. The Commons: Based on what has been achieved thus far and working with only limited personal resources, there is plenty of evidence that this is well worth not only continuing but also improving, expanding and somehow getting it over to a much larger "ownership" base. This is going to be a significant challenge for me personally. Long term perspectives/short term actions: Sustainability is almost always associated with long term views and proposed solutions (and, sadly, lots of non-solutions as well). But as Keynes reminded us, in the long term we all are . . . So, I have decided to focus 100% of my work in the years ahead on identifying strategic actions and projects that can get visible results in a period of two to four years at the most. And thereby moving us just a tad closer to our long term objectives, while at the same time helping us to learn about how to come together to make real inroads into the sustainability agenda. Women and leadership: Every project, every program that I get involved with needs to be thoroughly infused with and informed by this important, this vital theme. There is no doubt in my mind that much of the mess of unsustainability that we have created for ourselves is the result of the fact that we have continued to rely on male-dominated forums and thinking. (I expect that this will annoy at least some of my clients.) World-wide networking: I intend to continue my career-long pattern of identifying, communicating and working with key people, groups and resources around the world. For the most part these are strategic, long term relationships - they are working links and potential tools there when needed. In the meantime we mutually find ways to stay in touch and share experience, ideas and leads, even when there is no formal or contractual hook-up. Maintain the private/public mix: Given the nature of my work, it is critical that I continue to retain a lively mix of assignments and interactions with both public sector clients and volunteer groups on the one hand, but with a full balance of hands-on private sector consulting and advisory work. The trick to getting policy right in both cases requires a full awareness of, and sympathy with, the realities and concerns of all the key players. The Next Great Project: I am definitely looking to be associated in each case what I call 'The Next Great Project' - i.e., challenges and assignments that have as their goal to identify transforming initiatives and solutions paths, whether for a specific institution, company, part of the world, city, or other target area or group. Life is short: so let's try to make a difference. Lead by example: I want to make sure that my work and my attitude toward it, and the way that I execute, provides an at-least decent example for the young people who are the ones who are going to be able to do what it takes to make the difference. Our generation can begin the move to new and more sustainable lives, but it will be the next generations that are going to have to make the break. We have to leave them more than noble thoughts and exhortation. They will be shaped by our behaviour and example. Keep pushing technology As part of the necessary move to new and more sustainable ways of doing things, I intend to give even greater emphasis in the future to the use of ICT in order to (a) reduce to a sensible minimum unnecessary physical movements in my daily life and work and (b) to stretch my arms as wide as possible so as to be able to work with colleagues, programs and institutions around the world who are creatively engaged in things that I believe in. This means that I have to build on my three decades of hands-on experience and practice with these techniques to do better yet. And that is my plan. Financing The Commons This is the next big step to be taken. The first formal fund-raising effort to gain support for The Commons -- after more than three decades of proud self-finance -- is getting underway in April 2006. The objective of the attached -- draft -- document is to seek ideas, criticism, reactions, guidelines and support for a program to finance the future work of The Commons. For the latest working draft of our Financing the Future document, please click here A single decade is of course not a lot of time given the dimensions and urgency of the challenges before us, but if I am careful, work smart and just a bit lucky in my choice of partners, I am going to play a useful role with a small handful of outstanding projects and opportunities. And these are what are going to justify the next stage in my career and my contribution. But we have to take this step by step, starting here.     Home   About Translate   The Commons   Always On   Contact   Top Le Frene, 8/10 rue Joseph Bara 75006 Paris, France, Europe. T: +331 4326 1323 Copyright © 1994-2006 The Commons ® All rights reserved. Last updated on 19 April 2006