A few years ago when we were preparing the Osa Campaign, the one that brought thousands of tattoos to our skin, what I said in that environment could have been adverse and aggressive to the idea. I was simply wrong, as the concept was well received, which I summed up in a few words: “the day conservation is a business, that day it will happen”.
The thing is that I don’t like initiatives to raise money, bingos bore me and knocking on doors to ask for money for a cause is torture for me. That’s why I prefer businesses that are committed on both fronts: earning a lot and giving a lot back. In commercial and private businesses, Corporate Social Responsibility has been chosen, which is a good but insufficient first step. In initiatives that go to solve a social need, there is no reason not to try and make a profit in the end. This is why I like social entrepreneurship for profit and giving back.
In the following talk by Michael Porter, the great Harvard strategy professor returns and elaborates on his proposal to create shared social value. He makes the case for the importance of focusing business on solving societal needs, and the better we do this, the more we will achieve the scale required to have a meaningful impact. Let’s watch Porter at TED (at the bottom right of the screen, you can activate subtitles in English and 23 other languages).
In short, businesses may be better at solving social problems than governments. In health or infrastructure, education and communications, just to name a few, private enterprise will do better if it can get a fair return in return.
This is why, with humility and firmness, we ask the PAC and its president-elect to define very well the role they want for the state in the next four years. Because with the known speed and effectiveness of private enterprise, many more problems could be solved in less time. For this reason, I light candles for the beginning of many, small and large public-private efforts, well conceived and focused on solving with speed, because we have no more time to lose. It is time to get out of the stagnation. Change must be real and effective.
Business and private enterprise move the world. Governments must better understand their role as facilitators, monitors and mentors, regulators in some cases and directional in all. In the case of the President as well, as the CIO (Chief Inspirational Officer) of all the people in his country, to foster conditions of millions by giving the best of everyone.
One million three hundred thousand people voted for a positive change. May it be so.
More later.