The Vision Pioneers Blog

by Miriam Garvi

Of all the research interviews I have done, one particular conversation still stands out in my mind. A serial entrepreneur, founder of a VC company and keynote speaker at many a growth event described himself as an «enlightened despot» whose leadership style was based on a fondness for what he called «doers» - meaning people who would execute strategy. Needless to add that in his world there were clear boundaries between «thinkers» and «doers», between the elite who could read the strategic game and lay out the next move and those who were to implement decisions and report back on their effect.

In other words, any real thinking should only be done by those behind the scenes?

As I was tracing the origins of the venture capital phenomenon, I became aware of how easily something is labeled «the solution», endorsed by those institutions which will give it credibility, and of the strong impact that such labeling will have on business and policies (see chapter 7 in my dissertation).

It is interesting to note how little attention is given to understanding a problem and the real causes of observed symptoms in favour of cure-all remedies. The promotion of microcredits, laureated with a Nobel peace price, illustrates this trend in a different setting.

Are cure-alls becoming the new religion? As long as someone is conveniently labeling the solution no one is asking us to think for ourselves. We are urged to buy into «inconvenient truths» and endorse whatever is promoted as the next panacea for growth, world poverty or for saving the planet.

But if we choose to put our faith in ideas and technologies that are placed on a pedestal, we will inevitably be deceived. Because real solutions demand that we go beyond the symptoms and ask ourselves why a particular choice is important and what goals are fulfilled in the process. There is no easy way out for true progress.

by Miriam Garvi

There is a tune that is played quite frequently these days. It is the anthem of social responsibility.

Basically, the lyrics go like this:

• start off by condemning child labor
• then enter a few couplets on environmental concerns
• end with a chorus of «we make the world a better place…»

This pleasant song celebrating high-standing codes of ethics and morals confirms the virtues of the global corporation and dispels any doubts or uneasiness that we might feel about the globalization of production flows and the concentration of power in a few nodes - reminiscent of a «space of flows» à la Manuel Castells.

Outsourcing has become a global application of the «law of supply and demand in self-regulating markets». Multi-national corporations assure us of their high-standing social responsibilities. But beyond codes of ethics is a reality that seldom corresponds with what we profess. In the new ‘hinterlands’ overseas, away from the public eye, production is outsourced to production facilities which take us back to working conditions of the pre-industrial era - times where one man’s life and well-being carried little value because there would always be another individual ready to take his place.

The recent example of Bangladesh and GrameenPhone raises important questions. Is our consumption pattern sustainable in the long run? Or does it rely on other people’s desperation to work in countries which have little industrial history - such as Bangladesh - and where production costs can be kept at bay with minimal concern for security and environmental issues?

Sometimes when codes meet reality even the most pleasant of tunes rings false if you listen more intently, blurring the lines between corporate social responsibility and corporate social hypocrisy.

by Miriam Garvi

Look at this picture. Nothing but bare skies over a bare, snow-covered landscape.

But beyond what is captured by the camera lens is a moment rich in satisfaction and peace, a moment of untouched open space that awakens the hope of new beginnings. A breather from all the musts and the matters of course that frame our everyday life.

In our relentless pursuit of knowledge, we assemble everything we think we need to know about the ‘how tos’ and the ‘how not tos’. But this structure of fragmented pieces robs us of a quality so fundamental that it is known by the smallest child: that childlike innocence that allows us to believe in the unwritten page of new beginnings.

All too often what we see is blocking our sight. Unless we make room for the invisible qualities of life they will fall into oblivion, quenched by conventional professionalism. Vision pioneering is about unwritten pages and new beginnings: to start afresh by allowing fulfilling qualities to be brought out into the world. It is about new seeds taking form, germinating and growing so that we may be enriched not just monetarily but in a wider, human sense as we experience true fulfilment.

by Miriam Garvi

The other day I was walking around among the glass skyscrapers of Hong Kong.

In business ideals of competition and growth have been put on a pedestal. Markets are redefined so we can claim to be the best or the biggest at something - but what that something is is of little importance as long as we can claim the position. We take great pains to belong to the beautiful people, that exclusive crowd of world citizens who can walk through life in luxurious air-conditioned gallerias with marble flooring where the daily pains of the unfortunate are far from sight. Great image, but what’s our contribution to the world?

Some fifty years ago, venture capital pioneer Georges F. Doriot raised a challenge as he was teaching future business leaders at the Harvard Business School: “Do we want to build or merely enjoy what others ahead of us have made possible? Really, how can one enjoy anything if one is not building for the future of others? Remember that our happiness is in direct proportion to the contributions we make.”

In the era of image, we seem to have forgotten all about legacy - forgotten about the strong imprint that is made when somebody is dedicated to making a difference even when there is no instant pay-off in sight. Such pioneering initiatives inspire us to find our own way of making an enriching contribution.

Image is exclusive and lies in the eyes of the beholder. Legacy is a challenge for each and every one of us and it is there for the taking.