Investing Differently in Our Future

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I’ve been reading about Gen Z’s and Millennials experiencing conditions that they find demoralizing at best, and debilitating at worst. 

The biggest challenges seem to revolve around our economic and social systems that are begging to be revamped. 

Perhaps it’s an oversimplification, however the following seem the biggest hurdles facing these two groups: 

  1. Money Wellness. Many in these groups are living hand to mouth, regardless of education and social status. Owning a home and planning for a comfortable life upon aging seems out of reach. The old model of getting married, buying a house, raising a family and retiring at 65 is just not relevant or realistic for most.

  2. Mental Wellness. Anxiety and all other forms of mental illness are skyrocketing. Historical institutions (family/church/community/work) are not the social system core of support for many. TikTok and social media won’t suffice as a substitute.

I focus on organization culture and leadership. It’s worrisome to see these macro trends and I think advanced organization leadership can do something about it. The following are a couple of BIG idea suggestions: 

  1. Hire and invest in personal equity growth: If I had a magic wand, I would make it public policy that all organizations needed to hire people with the understanding and commitment to grow each employee's personal equity, rather than narrowly hiring people to simply do a job. Of course, employees need to reciprocate by making a meaningful contribution to their employer. Everyone has a last day at work. Success would be measurable in terms of personal growth in every way; financial, experience, emotional , spiritual and even physical. If anyone is let go from any organization for reasons beyond egregious legal or moral behavior, they would be given a bridge to their next role. ( e.g. minimum six months pay/benefits/career support/retraining, etc.) This is not a hand out. It is an investment for the entire community. This idea would obviously require government entities, and employers collaborating on how to invest in this approach. 

  2. Close the wealth gap: I’m a fan of execs getting paid very well. However, it is not sustainable to have people fully employed not being able to save money at the end of a paycheck. In many cases, this is not a lifestyle choice for people to remain poor, it’s a reality. When 50 to 80 percent of all income goes to food and shelter, there just isn’t anything left. It creates frustration and hopelessness. We need wiser constructs than traditional labels like socialism and/or capitalism. I know that there is an emerging belief that greed is actually better than good. An argument is evolving that we just need to eliminate any regulation or public policy, and let the Darwinian market rule. How well do you think that’s working right now? Someone like Jeff Bezos makes $30,000 a minute, while many people don’t have $30.00 at the end of a month, it’s just not sustainable and history has proven that time and again. An abundant mentality on this would require the government and the investment community to openly and positively think about how to rebalance the wealth equation, without getting trapped into outdated concepts like socialism and capitalism. We need humanism. People like Warren Buffett and many other big brained thinkers would have advanced views that might be able to guide us to better ways before they leave this earth? This requires more than people hanging out in Davos each year. We need more than a gathering. 

I genuinely believe that organization leaders need to spearhead these considerations. Political figures seem dysfunctionally capable based on zero sum philosophies. Investment institutions are incapable of getting beyond quarterly returns. If wise leaders open up a conversation to “how might we?” new ways of enlightened working could evolve. Imagine if a common thread throughout all work cultures was the financial, mental, and emotional growth of all people? I’m not expecting we could ever find utopia. However, what's the merit of any society if the majority of people cannot live well overall?

I know it’s a small contribution, however that is why I wake up everyday focusing on advancing organization cultures and challenging leaders to create conditions for people to thrive. 

Think Big, Start Small, Act Now, 

- Lorne 

One Millennial View: I don’t care to complain much about big dogs (capitalism or other models, the government, spectacular outliers like Jeff Bezos). I do not relate to Bezos, and that’s ok (I also do not employ 1,525,000 people worldwide like Amazon). Bezos and my world are not the same. That is fine. His success also does not in any way diminish mine, or limit my opportunities. Us Millennials and younger can accept and navigate our own unfair worlds. 

I like focusing on smaller dogs. First, we will all have mental struggles, so how can we best combat them in a healthy way? Instead of wasting a minute on Bezos, can I find a mentor I actually know? Is there a superior with a career path I can learn from, admire and emulate? Tend to your own, controllable garden before dreaming up a new world order. Worse than being told we cannot, is being manipulated into submission, and tricked into staying stuck. We’ll pay for it mentally, emotionally, spiritually, physically and financially. 

- Garrett 

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