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01-18-2016, 11:27 PM
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By Samantha Thomas
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." - MLK
Like Martin Luther King Jr., I too have a dream. In fact, I have many dreams. But for simplicity's sake, let's talk about the common thread amongst them all...the one thing, that when stretched globally, can change the world. Can you guess what it is?
As a member of the World Economic Forum (http://www.weforum.org/) Global Shapers Community (https://www.globalshapers.org/)--a network of 4500 young people worldwide selected for their exceptional potential, achievement, and drive to make a contribution to their communities--it probably won't come as a surprise to you that I'm one of those people Steve Jobs was referring to when he spoke of individuals "crazy enough to think they can change the world".
That being said, it's only natural that I'd work for an organization called Dream Change (http://dreamchange.org), a nonprofit whose mission is to change the unsustainable dream of modern society (one of mindless consumerism, materialism and greed) to one of higher consciousness, compassion and true prosperity--where all sentient beings can thrive.
One day, while attending Management Centre Turkey's Human Resource Summit (http://insankaynaklarizirvesi.com/?lang=en) in Istanbul, it dawned on me what was missing from the many business and sustainability conferences I'd been attending since I began working for Dream Change. As I sat listening to lecture after lecture by some of the most distinguished business leaders in the world, I noticed they all seemed to be onto something...something different.
There I was, at the largest human resource conference in Turkey with over 1,000 people in the audience, and the common theme of nearly every lecture was how love, plus compassion and higher consciousness, are the most crucial elements for the way forward to creating thriving businesses.
It was shortly after returning to the United States when I realized the time had come for Dream Change to create an event that brought to light the driving force behind building a truly sustainable world--love. (Incidentally, if you didn't guess it before, this is the common thread I was referring to earlier.)
Recognizing the unprecedented power enterprise has to transform the world, Dream Change created The Love Summit business conference (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFREruAl1Xw)--a provocative event designed to be a catalyst for creating heart-centered businesses that put people and the planet along side profit.
If you're skeptical about whether heart-centered commerce can actually be profitable, take a look at the many studies on the relationship between love and business. In Harvard Business Review's recent article, "Manage Your Emotional Culture" (https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=manage%20your%20emotional%20culture), authors Sigal Barsade and Olivia A. O'Neill demonstrate why strong cultures of companionate love lead to higher productivity in the workplace, and lower stress rates amongst employees.
But building a heart-centered business not only benefits employees--it positively impacts all aspects of a company from its operations, to sales, to public relations, to decisions made in the boardroom. All of these components add up to cultivating happier employees, creating more purposeful products and services, making consumers feel loved, and perhaps most importantly--crafting decisions in the boardroom that put people and the planet alongside profit. The result? Successful businesses that can thrive in the long-term and drive global sustainable development.
The Love Summit brings to*light the mere source of all the seemingly complex problems we face today; the ones that so many have been bending over backwards for decades--even lifetimes--trying to fix, without realizing how shamefully simple the answer is. But what makes the event*actually unique is that it shares its message in a universal language--through esteemed science, applicable data and appropriate literature.
Dream Change's first annual Love Summit debuted on June 13th, 2015 at Wieden+Kennedy (http://www.wk.com/) headquarters--one of the largest privately owned advertising agencies in the world best known as the creator of Nike's "Just Do It" campaign. The fact that a company like Wieden+Kennedy and its co-founder, Dan Wieden (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Wieden), co-hosted the first Love Summit with us gives me great hope for the future of business--and ultimately, the world.
As I gear up for our next event, I dream of spreading the message of love--the common bond we all share--to businesses and individuals around the globe. I dream of co-creating a world where businesses put people and the planet alongside profit, and use their unprecedented power to rapidly drive greater social, environmental and economic security. Not only do I think this dream is possible; I believe it is our most likely chance for facilitating global change at the rate needed to maintain a habitable world for humanity.
Call me crazy, but as Steve Jobs said, "the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who actually do."
The first Love Summit was made possible through the generous donation of Wieden+Kennedy's event space, grants, business donations and personal contributions. For more information visit www.dreamchange.org (http://www.dreamchange.org).
Samantha Thomas (https://twitter.com/justchooselove) is executive director of DreamChange Inc. (http://dreamchange.org), creator of The Love Summit (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFREruAl1Xw) and a sustainable business consultant. She is a Global Shaper of the World Economic Forum and has been featured in publications such as The Oregonian (http://www.oregonlive.com/faith/2015/06/5_questions_for_organizer_of_t.html), Yes! Magazine and Real Leaders for her work in social and environmental activism. -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. (http://start.westnet.ca/newstempch.php?article=terms.html/) It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
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By Samantha Thomas
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." - MLK
Like Martin Luther King Jr., I too have a dream. In fact, I have many dreams. But for simplicity's sake, let's talk about the common thread amongst them all...the one thing, that when stretched globally, can change the world. Can you guess what it is?
As a member of the World Economic Forum (http://www.weforum.org/) Global Shapers Community (https://www.globalshapers.org/)--a network of 4500 young people worldwide selected for their exceptional potential, achievement, and drive to make a contribution to their communities--it probably won't come as a surprise to you that I'm one of those people Steve Jobs was referring to when he spoke of individuals "crazy enough to think they can change the world".
That being said, it's only natural that I'd work for an organization called Dream Change (http://dreamchange.org), a nonprofit whose mission is to change the unsustainable dream of modern society (one of mindless consumerism, materialism and greed) to one of higher consciousness, compassion and true prosperity--where all sentient beings can thrive.
One day, while attending Management Centre Turkey's Human Resource Summit (http://insankaynaklarizirvesi.com/?lang=en) in Istanbul, it dawned on me what was missing from the many business and sustainability conferences I'd been attending since I began working for Dream Change. As I sat listening to lecture after lecture by some of the most distinguished business leaders in the world, I noticed they all seemed to be onto something...something different.
There I was, at the largest human resource conference in Turkey with over 1,000 people in the audience, and the common theme of nearly every lecture was how love, plus compassion and higher consciousness, are the most crucial elements for the way forward to creating thriving businesses.
It was shortly after returning to the United States when I realized the time had come for Dream Change to create an event that brought to light the driving force behind building a truly sustainable world--love. (Incidentally, if you didn't guess it before, this is the common thread I was referring to earlier.)
Recognizing the unprecedented power enterprise has to transform the world, Dream Change created The Love Summit business conference (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFREruAl1Xw)--a provocative event designed to be a catalyst for creating heart-centered businesses that put people and the planet along side profit.
If you're skeptical about whether heart-centered commerce can actually be profitable, take a look at the many studies on the relationship between love and business. In Harvard Business Review's recent article, "Manage Your Emotional Culture" (https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=manage%20your%20emotional%20culture), authors Sigal Barsade and Olivia A. O'Neill demonstrate why strong cultures of companionate love lead to higher productivity in the workplace, and lower stress rates amongst employees.
But building a heart-centered business not only benefits employees--it positively impacts all aspects of a company from its operations, to sales, to public relations, to decisions made in the boardroom. All of these components add up to cultivating happier employees, creating more purposeful products and services, making consumers feel loved, and perhaps most importantly--crafting decisions in the boardroom that put people and the planet alongside profit. The result? Successful businesses that can thrive in the long-term and drive global sustainable development.
The Love Summit brings to*light the mere source of all the seemingly complex problems we face today; the ones that so many have been bending over backwards for decades--even lifetimes--trying to fix, without realizing how shamefully simple the answer is. But what makes the event*actually unique is that it shares its message in a universal language--through esteemed science, applicable data and appropriate literature.
Dream Change's first annual Love Summit debuted on June 13th, 2015 at Wieden+Kennedy (http://www.wk.com/) headquarters--one of the largest privately owned advertising agencies in the world best known as the creator of Nike's "Just Do It" campaign. The fact that a company like Wieden+Kennedy and its co-founder, Dan Wieden (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Wieden), co-hosted the first Love Summit with us gives me great hope for the future of business--and ultimately, the world.
As I gear up for our next event, I dream of spreading the message of love--the common bond we all share--to businesses and individuals around the globe. I dream of co-creating a world where businesses put people and the planet alongside profit, and use their unprecedented power to rapidly drive greater social, environmental and economic security. Not only do I think this dream is possible; I believe it is our most likely chance for facilitating global change at the rate needed to maintain a habitable world for humanity.
Call me crazy, but as Steve Jobs said, "the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who actually do."
The first Love Summit was made possible through the generous donation of Wieden+Kennedy's event space, grants, business donations and personal contributions. For more information visit www.dreamchange.org (http://www.dreamchange.org).
Samantha Thomas (https://twitter.com/justchooselove) is executive director of DreamChange Inc. (http://dreamchange.org), creator of The Love Summit (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFREruAl1Xw) and a sustainable business consultant. She is a Global Shaper of the World Economic Forum and has been featured in publications such as The Oregonian (http://www.oregonlive.com/faith/2015/06/5_questions_for_organizer_of_t.html), Yes! Magazine and Real Leaders for her work in social and environmental activism. -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. (http://start.westnet.ca/newstempch.php?article=terms.html/) It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
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