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“Art is perhaps the greatest power that mankind possesses. At the same time when all the crowbars of science, all the axes of public life, are not able to break down the walls and doors that enclose us – art conceals within itself awesome dynamite, which can shatter those walls, and moreover it is the sesame that makes doors open by themselves. Let contemporary artists consciously forge their works in the shape of keys to the mysteries, in the shape of mystical keys that will unlock for mankind the doors of its ‘blue prison’ to eternal freedom.” Valery Bryusov, 1904 ART A new way of doing business… of Business

ART of Business Manifesto Feb 2015

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“Art is perhaps the greatest power that mankind possesses. At the same time when all the crowbars of science, all the axes of public life, are not able to break down the walls and doors that enclose us – art conceals within itself awesome dynamite, which can shatter those walls, and moreover it is the sesame that makes doors open by themselves. Let contemporary artists consciously forge their works in the shape of keys to the mysteries, in the shape of mystical keys that will unlock for mankind the doors of its ‘blue prison’ to eternal freedom.” Valery Bryusov, 1904

ART

A new way of doing business…

of Business

ART of Business Manifesto | A new way of doing business February 6, 2015 1

Design challenge of the 21st Century Over the last 250 years, business and corporations have become arguably the most powerful social institutions of the 21st Century, employing millions of people everyday and heavily influencing our perspective. Industrialism has benefitted humankind tremendously, delivering incredible technological enhancements, but at what cost? The brittle industrialist has created a world in which a number of commodities are no longer perceived as infinite and the stultifying conformity of post-industrial life has caused millions to lose heart and initiative, to fall asleep, becoming robotic, easy to manage. Unconsciously people have come to accept things the way they are; the plausibility of endlessly generating greater short-term profitability, preferably from fewer resources, is given little consideration by Executives. Business and corporations are on autopilot and no one is checking the review mirror. Industrialism has spread to every corner of western culture. Within a “split second of astronomical history”1 the prism of industrialism has recalibrated our perspective of importance; today we value the mind over the heart, logic over intuition, money and power over human well-being. Modern leadership and management concepts2 order:

Knowing - technical knowledge, fundamental know-how around finance, marketing and planning; and

Doing – capability, putting knowledge into practice e.g. leading teams or managing projects – not just knowing the theory.

Ahead of:

Being - personal awareness, values and integrity, the emotional intelligence to engage others and engender trust.

Notwithstanding design thinking ["matching people’s needs with what is technologically feasible and viable as a business strategy"3] has promoted business and corporate progression since the early 1970’s, the challenge arises when the thinking behind a viable strategy does not recognize business and corporations as a living, breathing ecosystem, intricately connected –the intention is on controlling teams and consumers rather than inspiriting them. If we were to momentarily suspend time and stand face-to-face with the fierce urgency of reality, we would see the consequence of repeating the last 250 years, for people, the planet and corporations themselves, is unacceptable. We would see it is fundamentally important to

ART of Business Manifesto | A new way of doing business February 6, 2015 2

rethink the purpose of business and corporations, to redesign their architecture, reduce short-term pressures, and thus create the space for transformational change, a new way of doing business. For nearly a decade, the leading edge of the Millennial generation – also referred to as Gen Y - has been entering the workplace in growing numbers. Eighty million plus strong in the US [the largest cohort in history, representing approximately 25 per cent of the US population], the values gap with previous generations [Baby Boomers + Gen X] is enormous. It is not a case, as the ever louder business and corporate drumbeat across America would like us to believe that Millennials are unprepared for the 21st Century workforce – it is that industrialism is unprepared for these tech savvy, socially minded, collaborators, who want to shake it up. Business and corporations will either make the future or be overtaken by it. Now is the time to give birth to methodologies that empower business and corporations to inspirit humankind and relationships, to provide a supportive environment in which people are free to challenge the way business is currently performed, break with tradition to explore what others seek to avoid, and are encouraged to enquire as necessary to find that vision. This is not time to engage in the luxury of gradualism4. Now is the time to find the courage of pioneers, to stretch the point from where we stand today, to design a new world, one we have yet to imagine, in which organizations pursue social and environmental responsibilities with the same commitment as commercial success; missions that support the evolution of humankind [connection of heart + mind]. This is the design challenge of the 21st Century. Evolutionary leaders, like Angela Ahrendts [former CEO of Burberry] and Arianna Huffington [Chair, President, and Editor-in-Chief of the Huffington Post Media Group] know time is now. In 2013, Ahrendts used the global community platform, TED Talks, to speak openly about what we need to do in order to thrive and the positive transformative power of human energy [emotional electricity that has a powerful way of uniting ordinary people, their collective spirit, to do extraordinary things]. Through personal experience, Ahrendts was able to share both the importance and powerful results of inspiriting people. In her latest book ‘Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder’, Arianna Huffington shares how over time society’s notion of success has been reduced to money and power. Huffington advocates the establishment of a Third Metric, a third measure of success that goes beyond the two metrics of money and power, one that consists of four pillars: well-being, wisdom, wonder, and giving. In other words – A Rewrite… A Rebirth… An influential cultural movement that profoundly affects western life in the 21st Century, one that:

§ Witnesses an open exploration of artistic perspectives and methodologies with a view

of reorientating our perspective of the world, and in turn modern business and corporations;

§ Creates resources within modern business and corporations to activate the reconnection of hearts + minds of people, no longer by chance, but by design + intention; and

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” Albert Einstein

ART of Business Manifesto | A new way of doing business February 6, 2015 3

§ Reignites bold intuitive thinking, giving life to responsive organizations that blend social,

environmental and financial missions at their core; supportive of humanity. Such an influential cultural movement will demand a new breed of Leaders, born from the Third Space [the space that exists in-between previously defined categories or labels], the home of square shaped circles – ‘Uncomfortablists’: individuals who through the journey of reconciling their own hearts + reason, have become comfortable with the sense of ambiguity - dissolved identity, being disorientated, open to the possibility of new perspectives. Why Art? As Valery Bryusov, shared in his 1904 Manifesto - Keys to the Mysteries, “Art is perhaps the greatest power that mankind possesses”, having the power to “unlock for mankind the doors of its ‘blue prison’ to eternal freedom”. Artists [people who practice the dance between heart + mind, to walk in the balance between the two; conscious creators of the reality they experience]:

1. Know the rules

Learn the rules, what works and what doesn’t. Discovering when to apply certain techniques and processes.

2. Know when to break the rules Learn when to break those same rules. Reaching a level of experience that means they don’t just know the rules, they create exceptions to the rules.

3. Make the rules Learn to make the rules. Creating remarkable new techniques that others then follow. This is when they become a master.

Through Knowing, Breaking + Making, the world of art expands the comfort zone, what is possible for people, transporting them to a place in which:

Business Art

ART of Business Manifesto | A new way of doing business February 6, 2015 4

Time momentarily hangs suspended The person, the viewer, is drawn in From one world to another Awakening a deepness A sense of feeling

Through commitment and play, artists unlearn the old, creating space for the new, one which prolongs the moment, extends the period of time they feel, think and see differently, the state of confluence between heart + mind. In this new space, all or nothing thinking5 dissolves and our ability to be all that we are, all that we dare to be, all that we have yet to imagine becomes our reality. Uncomfortablists look at the larger landscape, see the timeless patterns and all that is coming together to create the experience as it exists, welcoming the opportunity to live in a space wherein social hierarchies and continuity of tradition are temporarily dissolved, and future outcomes once taken for granted may be thrown into doubt. For it is the dissolution of order within the Third Space that creates a fluid, malleable situation for people, and in turn organizations, who are prepared to rethink what they need to do and how they need to look to achieve their mission. Only through learning to discern the desires and wants of the heart, as distinct from the desires and wants of the mind, can people reignite their imagination, leverage the power of individual and collective spirit, releasing the:

§ infinity of being [our ability to be all that we are, all that we dare to be],

§ infinity of creative ability and power [our ability to be all that we have yet to imagine]. Executives of business and corporations that evolve to inspirit their people by practicing the Art of Business will transform the heart of towering glass factories into ones in which people let go of all or nothing thinking and see the world from a multi-dimensional5 perspective. As people are supported to open their hearts, to reignite imagination, business and corporations will unlock the transformative power of human energy. A new breed of organizations will be born. Many would argue to transform the heart of towering glass factories into environments in which people are provided personal choice, are supported in awakening from their slumber, are encouraged to practice the dance between heart + mind, to walk in the balance between the two, is the stuff of dreams. Uncomfortablists and evolutionary leaders dream things that never were and ask why not.

“…the creation of a society in which the arts and the appreciation of spiritual and intellectual values can flourish. Our other objectives are all means to an end." Gough Whitlam

As the viewer turns They feel, think and see differently Through new eyes A new perspective Their world changes

ART of Business Manifesto | A new way of doing business February 6, 2015 5

What Next? The Art of Business is fluid, malleable, a bluedot ready for the involvement of people with heart, imagination and a passion to influence the color of modern life. We seek individuals who have some of the following qualities:

§ Operate more from an internal guidance system rather than looking to external authorities for direction in life;

§ Are willing to take a deeper and broader responsibility for what you do, have bucket loads of initiative; and

§ Are creative shape shifters, able to detach from

what is occurring, look at the wider landscape to see the patterns unfolding and work well outside the way business is currently done.

In order to:

§ Help move the world from a conservative fragmented business approach that focuses on financial results as the ultimate goal, to one of global citizenship, where people, society and natural ecosystems are all part of the landscape, with money seen as only a resource, a means to an end.

We would love to hear from you.

Keith Wright square shaped circles inc [email protected]

“We know things could work better and that takes questioning what is, imagining what could be and then trying to do something about it… I urge you to reject complacency.” Jacqueline Novogratz, CEO Acumen

Acknowledgements So many wonderful people have influenced me over the years, variously challenging me to rethink and encouraging the effort. You are the stars of my night sky. In writing this Manifesto, I would like to extend a special thank you to: Michelle Duval for believing in the vision, creating space and time to explore ideas ever deeper and encouraging me to be bolder of heart and mind. Sally West, Simone Douglas and Elizabeth Sadoff for expanding my knowledge and perspectives of the art world. Leela Shanker for bringing forth the last valuable pieces of the puzzle. My children for their love, which without, these words would never have seen the light of day.

References 1 Fuller, Buckminster (1963) Operating Manual for

Spaceship Earth, New York, E.P. Dutton & Co. 2 Nitin Nohria and Rakesh Khurana (2010) Handbook of

Leadership Theory and Practice, Boston, Harvard Business School Publishing. The Institute of Leadership & Management, United Kingdom’s largest management body, applies the content of the model.

3 Tim Brown (2009) Change by Design: How Design

Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation, New York, HarperCollins Publishers.

4 Martin Luther King, Jr. I Have a Dream (1963),

Washington. 5 Michelle Duval (2008) Living in Extremes [Web log post].

Retrieved from http://www.equilibrio.com.au/promomail/articles/200810_02/current_events.htm.

“He dares to dream big, and

“He dares to dream big, and then has the courage, focus and drive to actually make it a reality and inspire those around him to get involved. His feet firmly planted on the ground and his heart fully open to the world – that’s Keith. ”

Adam O’Donnell

Professional Speaker

Coach & Leadership Expert

Ex- Special Air Service

Keith’s extensive international experience has taughthim that life is an amazing gift, an adventure to be livedand dreams should be pursued. Combining creative initiative, socially-driven intent and business knowledge [gained from 25 years of experience in the UK and Australian financial services industry, including 7 years as CEO of his own financial advisory company], with an extensive global networkof influencers, Keith brings a unique perspective andenergy to business and corporations. Navigating the landscape of modern business with the acumen of experience and intuitive intelligence, he has the ability to bring together the sum of parts to make powerful visions a reality. Keith thrives on designing strategies for modern business and corporations that inspirit people in reconnecting with their transformative power [human energy]. Through working with international artists, writers, musicians and filmmakers in the creation of the LOVE IS, a movement inspiriting people to ‘Be Bold Be Love Be You’, he has come to know the world of arts play an integral part in changing the future of industrialism. With the current shift in values spurred by the Millennial generation’s entry into the workplace, Keith believes now is the time to think differently, to design

champion organizations that combine social, environmental and financial accountabilities homogeneously. A new way of doing business. In recognizing the tangible value of applying artisticpractice to business operations and strategy, Keithfounded squ ar e sh ap ed ci rcle s , a For Benefitcompany based in New York and Sydney. Drawing onexperience in the financial, marketing and art worlds,the company supports humankind evolution. Currently leading an Australian financial services company in creating a new breed of Financial Advisor, one that understands life is much more than money, Keith is excited by what the present has to offer.

Individuals who through the journey of reconnecting their own hearts + minds, have become comfortable with the sense of ambiguity - dissolved identity, being open to the possibility of new perspectives. Round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently – enjoy making new rules to push the human race forward. Those who dream things that never were and ask why not.

New York | Sydney