Lead with the Dream

In the last two years, the world has been turned upside down, firstly by Covid, even more so in the last two weeks with the appalling events in Ukraine. Business leaders, having pushed through the Covid restrictions and adjusted to a “new normal,” are now challenged with another storm of change - a geopolitical one.

Having grown up in Latvia, which was part of the Soviet Union, I am reminded of what my parents went through while fighting for their freedoms. Below is a picture from 1989 when 2 million people from the three Baltic states, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, formed a human chain that stretched for 600 km; it showed the world their desire for independence and the solidarity that united them.

Every human in that chain was united by a dream of what their country could be, and how they wanted their homeland to thrive. I believe that this unity of minds and hearts helped us to break free of the oppression of the Berlin Wall and to set our 3 little countries on a path to success and roles on the world stage.

Company owners and their employees are bound by an invisible bond of passion, curiosity, investigation, inquiry, achievement. This is the ever-lasting source of fuel that helps companies navigate in times of uncertainty and come up with innovative solutions when resources are scarce.

The people in the picture, and the Ukrainians today, are led by their dreams and passions. Business leaders, especially owners of smaller companies, face the challenges of ever-increasing raw material prices, supply chain challenges and insecurity of what’s to come. Now is an excellent time to revisit the question of why you are in business and to define the single dream that will link your entire team together.

The abhorrent events in and around Ukraine are nonetheless creating new reasons for redefining the way we do business – and that will likely include increased focus on social, ethical, and environmental responsibility. Its time to develop a solid strategy to guide your growth with this new direction in mind. Have your focus on “where” you want to go and “why.” What will you become in the ever-changing new world order?

Here are some additional resources that will support you in the process:

Kind regards,

Jelena