In leadership we get what we focus on, and with metrics what gets measured gets managed. The power of attention and attraction helps explain why the global emphasis on gross domestic product (GDP) as the primary indicator of societal wellbeing is a major culprit in fueling climate change and collective malaise. When disaster and war count for growth, and love does not count at all, we can see how our system is set up for producing outcomes that are misaligned with what most of us say matters most of all.
Fortunately, the chorus of voices that began sounding in the 1970s, including His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck who pioneered Gross National Happiness (GNH) in Bhutan and RLI friend Hazel Henderson of Ethical Markets who coined the “love economy,” has grown enough momentum to result in a 2011 UN General Assembly resolution that the GDP “does not adequately reflect the happiness and well-being of people in a country” in this age of sustainability.
Last week, hundreds from all sectors around the world gathered at the UN to explore “Happiness and Well-Being: Defining a New Economic Paradigm” with the government of Bhutan. Framing the importance of the event, Prime Minister Thinley of Bhutan stated that, “The GDP-lead development model that compels boundless growth on a planet with limited resources no longer makes economic sense. It is the cause of our irresponsible, immoral and self-destructive actions… “The purpose of development must be to create enabling conditions through public policy for the pursuit of the ultimate goal of happiness by all citizens.”
Whether looking at the Happy Planet Index, where the US ranks 114 out of 143 in measures that include long and happy lives, or the OECD Better Life Index where the US misses the top ten because work-life balance and life satisfaction count, it is evident that we need to remember that the Declaration of Independence defines happiness as one of our core values. At this time of global momentum, contact your local, state and national leaders to ask for a focus on what matters and away from misguided measures and unsustainable growth expectations.
Then smile while you do something that you love with someone that you love.
Image Source: Flickr user laihiu
Spring is blooming in England! London’s downtown bustle is set to the chorus of songbirds, and Devon is abundant with fragrant blossoms, stirring even the most hurried to stop and savor a breath. What could possibly be better? (Asked with a charming British accent.) Well… the timing. Just like at home in Colorado, spring is…
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This time last year, I was humbled by the blazing dawns on Kigali’s eastern horizon, running in the mornings near the Milles Collines Hotel (Hotel Rwanda) and feeling the ghosts of the horrors that so recently had littered the hills and streets with bodies and body parts. I kept asking myself, “Where was I on that…
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Restorative Leadership takes the idea of a Hippocratic oath beyond doing no harm to a commitment to healing the Earth, our communities, and our selves as a fundamental responsibility of all leadership. At the Restorative Leadership Institute, we believe that the state of our world is a reflection of the state of our leadership, and…
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Whether we think in seasons or quarters, this past one has been has been a time of reckoning across the world. From the U.S. Congress to the E.U. Parliament to COP 17, “leaders” met and allowed impasses to pass as outcomes. Such inaction from our global leadership has life-threatening impacts, both for quality of life…
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I was honored by a recent request to participate at the 2011 Colorado Bioneers conference, both speaking on leadership for resilient communities and hosting a plenary discussion following Gloria Steinem’s talk. Throughout the world, local communities gather when the international Bioneers event is scheduled to inspire innovators “whose key purpose is to serve human ends…
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As of October 31, 2011 world demographers say that we have reached 7 billion people on Earth. While the strongest driver of unsustainability is the production/consumption cycle of our current model of capitalism, population is the combinative factor that puts us in overshoot. Our friend Dr. Al Bartlett asserts that the greatest threat to humanity…
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I have lost count of how many times I have listened to Professor Wangari Maathai tell the story of the hummingbird and its valiant effort to save the burning forest. The wholeness in her tone and the purity of her spirit move me each time. Professor Maathai was a true force for goodness, larger than…
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The world mourns the loss of Professor Wangari Muta Maathai, who passed away on September 25, 2011. Just ten years ago, Dr. Wangari Maathai was still vilified as the community leader who founded the Green Belt Movement and decried the unethical treatment of Kenya’s commons and people. In this final decade of her life, she…
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There is something compelling about the passage of a decade that calls us to deep levels of reflection. As a measure of time, it marks great significance for Westerners. Ten years have passed: What has changed? What have we accomplished? What have we learned? With the ten-year anniversary of September 11th, Americans have been moved…
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In leadership we get what we focus on, and with metrics what gets measured gets managed. The power of attention and attraction helps explain why the global emphasis on gross domestic product (GDP) as the primary indicator of societal wellbeing is a major culprit in fueling climate change and collective malaise. When disaster and war count for growth, and love does not count at all, we can see how our system is set up for producing outcomes that are misaligned with what most of us say matters most of all.
