In college I studied a good bit of philosophy. On of the more impactful Philosophers in history is a German named Immanuel Kant. One of the concepts he put forth is the idea of an imperative which he defined as an ultimate commandment of reason from which all duties and obligations derive.
I think we are at a point in business where an imperative exists. We all know that the last few years have been quite tough for most of us. Our economy has struggled, our finances have suffered and our future sometimes doesn’t look as rosy as we would like. We are in need of an imperative and I believe that imperative is growth.
The modern economy is built on many things not the least of which is the confidence and outlook of its participants. When people are optimistic they take actions which reflect that optimism. They buy and invest in the future. When they do that our economy grows and nothing breeds confidence like confidence.
In times like now, people and companies don’t buy as much and don’t invest or hire for the future. Instead they become insular and attempt to protect what they have. The irony is that played across a macro stage these actions become a self fulfilling prophecy. To some extend we are there now and the tide must be turned.
I believe that enterprise must play a significant role in this process by driving growth. In fact it is the Business Imperative of our times to drive growth and restore the confidence in our economy. If we do that all other problems become easily solvable.