Start with the End in Mind… Or Don’t

Article written by Rose Kaz

As a thought leader and a woman in business, I’ve always been curious to push the envelope on how we can use tech for more effective altruism.

Last year at this time I was teeing up the launch of this big idea I had during Covid closures in 2021 on how we could better connect women to the tools & resources we need to be effective and strong leaders. You know, like a boys club but instead for women leaders who want to see the world change. 

The Great Incubation

I now refer to this interesting time in history as The Great Incubation.  I have noticed so many interesting and thought changing business concepts emerging from that dark & somber pause for the planet, particularly women lead initiatives that offer a more collaborative way of organizing.  

We won’t get into who paused when and for how long but the larger point I’d like to call attention to is that we had a global time out  in our regular programming of human-ing  and we are now seeing our fella humans churning out solutions to the variety of large problems we’ve seen most highlighted in recent years: systemic meltdowns & failures that don’t fully support our basic human needs & right to advance to our highest potential. 

Over the course of the last two years we have seen more clearly how we need a full system upgrade regarding everything from our health systems  to our political processes, from the way we gain access to funds as marginalized groups to when or how we are expected to pay debts.

The systems are a changin, ya’ll.  

And that big message I keep hearing loud and clear from The Great Incubation is that  to solve these systemic problems which require systemic upgrades,  we need the thought leaders, industry disruptors and business activists to stand up and  lead the way, to elevate our systems but raising the bar of that which we accept as acceptable.

Activate Your Innovations

Now is the time to take these innovations we’ve dreamed up during that global pause & activate them as creative, business solutions accessible to all. And with this collective groundswell of female forward leadership, we will begin to see new systems built.  

The big idea I offer to support the major updates required for our species to evolve forward include elevating those from historically marginalized communities who have not previously been shown access to all the tools & resources each human deserves.

From Survival to Thriving

ELEVATING our experiences as women in business from mere survival to extreme thriving by using the superpowers of the world wide web  and re-visioning how we use social media and thereby the internet. 

The LBI BACKSTAGE PASS Crew  & I  are doing this by centering the lives, voices & access of black & brown women, our LGBTQAI family and any thought leaders, industry disruptors and business activists that seek to integrate a female forward leadership at higher levels using technology.  

Meet the LBI Backstage Pass.

Doing Social Media Better

This idea of building a better way of doing social media by first creating safe space online for female leaders to connect was born out of a deep desire to have a safe place for myself and other women interested in building new systems that care for our entire planet, not just a select few. 

And in this particular time of our growth, the process of keeping the idea elevated, the team in a good state of positive inertia and to continue to connect with more thought leaders, industry disruptors and business activists is not for the faint of heart. 

Start with the end in mind, they say.

But also keep iterating and resetting to the present moment at the same time bc …we’ll how else do we keep the mission going if not adjusting course as the course calls for it?  Is it possible to consider both the end and the current, at the same time?

After some thought, I don’t think either is mutually exclusive. If we truly look at starting with the end in mind, working backwards on a messy, possibly volatile  trajectory will automatically be riddled with opportunities to bob & weave, circle back and recalculate the flight path.

Afterall, being a woman in business within the current patriarchal order is clearly not the path of least resistance. But then again, being a person in any marginalized community isn’t easy either. 

This entire process of making progress feels a bit like rubbing the belly and patting the head. 

In fact, much of what I’ve noticed in getting a concept elevated  to activate a big idea feels counter intuitive! 

When considering  all the moving parts that need to be in a perfect, chaotic symphony do we still continue  with the end in mind?  Maybe its more like starting with the end in mind whilst simultaneously  keeping measure of  how far the end appears to continue to move away from the starting point!?

Maybe because as we elevate, we are gaining speed, traction towards that end goal?? But is this an optical illusion?? Or  maybe it’s the future of tech?? Is this how Web 3 works ??  🙂 

For example for an airplane to get off the ground, it needs support: the onboard crew, air traffic controllers and tarmac staff. The ticketing agents and even the silly social media trailers that get you to click on the ticket in the first place. Then, as if by magic, you are floating through the sky on like a million pounds of metal.

Collaborate to Elevate

Oh but wait, there is more working behind the scenes to keep this physics conundrum safely hurling at the speed of light to gracefully land in another city, sometimes even traveling back in time and into foreign lands.

So much collaboration on that elevation, ya’ll!! 

Now that we have taken this metaphorical flight with little to no delays, zero turbulence and no crying babies, let’s keep an eye on how this example pertains to building a tech concept whilst it’s flying and keeping the trajectory upwards, even if entropy is real! I’d love it if you followed along on our journey to elevate US together.

We are building a big fat vision of tech glory and we need you to help this plane soar.

If you haven’t already checked out the LBI Backstage Pass, I invite you to come Backstage and see what we are building. It’s not an optical illusion but you can bet your ladyboss dollar that we will be elevating to Web 3 soon!