One person can make a difference
It is important to remember the power and contribution of individuals as changemakers, writes Angela Driver
IT is virtually impossible to escape a sense of turmoil in the world today.
Rising Covid cases. The spread of monkeypox. Soaring costs of living. Housing pressures. Climate change. Global political shifts. War. Lettuce shortages. Foot-and-mouth disease. The list is exhaustive.
It’s also exhausting, and life is genuinely hard for a lot of people right now.
The challenges we face can appear insurmountable and it’s often difficult to see how individuals can make a difference.
Can composting in my back yard really help tackle climate change?
Why bother with a mask when the spread of Covid is so rampant?
But it’s important to remember the power and contribution of individuals as changemakers.
In Tasmania, we see time and again the positive influence that one person can have.
People like LGBTQIA+ equality advocate Rodney Croome; Tasmanian Leaders graduate Hannah Maloney, a permaculture educator building climate resilience in local communities; and business owners such as Rob Pennicott, who passionately promotes sustainable and regenerative tourism.
When you dig into it, what these people have in common is a clear understanding of their values and passions, and they’ve taken steps to align their actions or work with these things.
The outcome of living life with purpose is often a positive legacy.
In this sense, legacy isn’t about having your name on a plaque at the entrance of a building, or a bronze bust of your likeness.
It’s about living more intentionally, with consideration for the things you can do to improve the wellbeing of others within your spheres of influence; whether that’s family and friends, colleagues or the broader community.
Legacy can also be applied to organisations and businesses.
In fact, there is a growing commercial imperative for organisations to consider their purpose and clearly articulate the legacy they are building.
Businesses are increasingly expected to show evidence of the steps
they are taking to leave a positive legacy on their employees, their customers, their community and the environment.
These things can’t just be rhetoric; they must be backed with action and outcomes.
Organisations have come unstuck when their support for things such as the LGBTQIA+ community hasn’t extended beyond a rainbow-coloured logo during Pride Month. Or there’s no demonstrable initiatives to support their social media post about Black Lives Matter.
In turn, when done authentically, organisations that deliver outcomes aligned to well-articulated values often reap the benefits of a motivated workforce and engaged consumer base.
The issue of legacy is being explored in detail at a symposium in Hobart on September 1-2.
It will hear first-hand of the legacies being built by individuals such as Ronni Kahn, who started a food rescue organisation to feed homeless people, after growing concerned about huge volumes of leftover food generated by her successful events company.
Leadership experts such as US-based author Nick Craig and psychological scientist Professor Kimberly Norris will also share their knowledge.
The two-day event will put a spotlight on the things we can all do to find our purpose, live with passion and leave a legacy, in our own lives, in our community, or in businesses and government.
Symposium tickets are available at www.tasmanianleaders.org.au/programs/leadership-sympo/