A few months ago I gave the keynote at Notre Dame’s annual Alumni Weekend, rolling out the business school’s new theme “Ask More of Business” to all the alumni who arrived for the Boston College game weekend.
The talk was about 30 minutes, with another 30 minutes of Q&A. Scroll down a bit on their speakers page; I’m between Jeff Immelt and T. Boone Pickens.
It’s a good summary of my thinking to date about the changing Big Picture we all are facing together, the intricate network of delicate global systems we need to maintain and improve with new, better thinking. While there are many areas needing our collective attention, I touched on just five of them:
- Climate change. We have some scientists telling us of a Coming Ice Age while others warn us about Global Warming. Either way, we’re looking at significant climate change.
- Energy change. We have Peak Oil doomer scientists and we have alternative energy optimists. I believe in both of them.
- Economic change. We have bright economists debating whether we’re facing a recession, depression, hyperinflation, or another financial meltdown. But not many folks are telling us everything will be just fine; this will not be “business as usual”.
- Societal change. Using California as just one example, this past year we had both Water Wars and immigration health care issues vying for top billing in the media. Both point to significant social change.
- Monetary change. We have China calling for the United States dollar to step down as the preferred worldwide currency.
New, improved thinking (and action) in these areas will come from people like those that Notre Dame is now training under the leadership of Dean Carolyn Woo, pictured here with me. She’s one of the people in my life for whom I hold much Respect.
