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Article by Dr. W. D. Staples (Kindly provided by James Cousineau)

“CEOship and Executive Management

A Whole New Paradigm – A New Way of Thinking.

We, as business leaders, have a huge responsibility. Consider how civilization has evolved and the critical role corporations have played over the years. Where would we be today without the appearance of the commercial enterprise in our daily affairs?

In the world of institutions, the commercial enterprise is a relative newcomer to the scene. It’s been around for about 600 or 700 years, a time inconsequential in the course of human history.

Yet consider its huge impact and incredible success. In spite of the fact the world’s population has exploded, especially in the last 100 years, it’s been the commercial enterprise that has sustained this population and allowed it to prosper in ways few could have predicted. By the thousands, large and small, sophisticated and not so sophisticated, these enterprises have created the wealth and the prosperity we enjoy today, yet often take for granted.

Consider what the United Nations said in the latest edition of its Human Development Report. The report states the world has made massive strides in lifting people out of misery and poverty and providing them with better education, higher incomes, longer and healthier lives, more democratic freedoms and cleaner environments. ‘…and many more people can enjoy a decent standard of living, with average incomes in developing countries having almost doubled in real terms between 1975 and 1998, from US$1,300 to US$2,500,’ it went on.

But on the darker side, it noted of the planet’s six billion people, 850 million are illiterate, nearly a billion lack access to improved water sources, 2.4 billion lack basic sanitation and 1.2 billion, or 20 percent, live on less than US$1 a day.

So as we look ahead, say to the next 25 or 50 years, our challenge only gets greater. The world’s population will continue to grow, projected to reach nine billion by 2070. Our natural resources will continue to be depleted. Our environment will continue to be at risk. Our population will continue to age. And our youth, as new entrants to the labor force, will want work but even more important, they’ll want challenging and fulfilling work, and a safe, satisfying work environment. Individually and collectively, they will want more than just a simple pay check.

While all this is going on, we know the commercial enterprise is still evolving, still experimenting, still trying to find ways to do what it does better. By no means could it be considered to be a mature entity. In fact, it’s an adolescent and like any adolescent, it still has much to learn.

When people, regardless of their political leanings, are asked today, “Why do businesses exist?”, the vast majority say, “To make money”. If this is the notion that capitalism evokes in educated and well informed individuals, we all should be very concerned. Surely in a collective and global sense, businesses exist primarily to contribute to society. There is a greater need that must be served than simply a client base. The fortunate few who have wealth – whether countries, corporations or individuals – cannot continue to prosper at the expense of the many who do not. It’s unjust. It’s unfair and it’s not sustainable.

In many ways, the commercial enterprise of today is a colossal under-performer and under-achiever. It has made and continues to make many costly mistakes that it must correct. In all too many instances, it ignores the consumer and focuses excessively on profit; it exhibits significant moral and ethical lapses, including criminal behavior; it consumes and wastes huge amounts of non-renewable resources; it pollutes the environment and scars the landscape; it has much, much more to offer regarding making meaningful contributions to communities and society at large; and, perhaps most importantly of all, it has a dismal record using to best advantage its most precious resource: its people, beginning with an efficiency level of only 50 percent.

There is now broad agreement that we have to move on to a whole new paradigm, to a new way of thinking. We have to consider a triple bottom line that includes people, the planet and profits. We can no longer accept the current practice that profits come first, people come second and the planet comes a distant third. People must come before profits. Mother Earth, now sick and dying, deserves better treatment than she is getting… much, much better.

This takes me to my main topic, change and transformational leadership in the workplace. “How does this begin?” you may ask. It begins; I suggest, with a revolution, a revolution in leadership…”

Preview excerpt from “Everyone A CEO, Everyone A Leader” (release Q4 2009) by Dr. Walter Doyle Staples, author of “Think Like A Winner”, “Power to Win”, “In Search Of Your True Self”, and “The Greatest Motivational Concept In The World”.  www.DoctorStaples.com

Courtesy of James Cousineau  www.ExploringSuccessPotential.com  © Copyright 2004-2009 Dr. Walter Doyle Staples Exclusive © Publication and Distribution by “The Winning Journey” (reprinted with permission)

I encourage you to visit www.ExploringSuccessPotential.com and to particularly watch the short video!