Everyone wants impact
Even YouTube. It’s common for my clients in healthcare, aged care, disability support and environment protection to want to measure their impact. Some of them are even doing so, a few well.
But YouTube? I stumbled across this report by respected consulting firm, Oxford Economics, which assesses the ‘societal, economic and cultural impact of YouTube in Australia’. Their analysis is that YouTube adds $600m to Australia’s GDP and creates 15,000 jobs, directly (YouTubers) and indirectly (businesses stimulated by YouTube). But that’s easy, I thought, to work out economic benefit. YouTube, after all, is unashamedly a business.
But then, think beyond money to reach and breadth. 200 Australian YouTube channels have over 1m subscribers and they lay claim to two contributions culturally and societally, beyond entertainment. The first is as a platform for education (think playing guitar, or mathematics, or coding). The second is offerings channels for diverse voices (e.g., those with autism, or who speak indigenous languages). And, even more relevant today is people’s reliance on YouTube during the COVID pandemic, for mental health support (yes, there’s tons of it available) and business advice (ditto).
Question: What can you do to better quantify and communicate not just your economic, but your societal and cultural value?
Vulnerability is the new black
Yes, it’s in. And, it’s not a weakness. It’s just honest.
Nessa Pastoors is COO of Merri Health. She is also a client of mine, and she posted this on LinkedIn this week: “Today feeling overwhelmed on the verge of tears on what an extended lockdown means for me, I didn’t try to be a superhero and shrug it off. Instead, I took my own advice grabbed my dog and went for a run.”
There’s a nice picture of Nessa with her dog too. Check it out here.
What struck me about her post is that, with six lockdowns here in Victoria (and more to come, I predict), we’re normalising vulnerability. Even for senior leaders like her, it’s OK to express anger, uncertainty, despair and overwhelm. In very public forums.
Nessa’s post has had a ton of views, lots of likes and (supportive) comments. The reaction has taken her by surprise, but not me. I talk to dozens, sometimes hundreds, of people each week and I’m noticing amongst my clients a real desire to be radically honest about matters that would previously have been discussed only behind closed doors, with one’s confidants.
Question: How could you express personal vulnerability that gives others permission to do so, constructively?
Supply chains are the new imperialism
We’re in the middle of a Battery War. Did you know that? I didn’t, until this week. The war is over lithium — the key ingredient in batteries — demand for which will grow 12-fold in the next 12 years (think of your next electric car, and all the computerised gadgetry you’ll buy).
Now, while Australia is the leading (upstream) miner of lithium, China has captured 75% of global refining (mid-stream) and 75% of cell manufacturing (downstream) capacity. This is of such significance that Joe Biden, in his first year as President, has even created a Lithium Supply Chain National Blueprint, as part of his infrastructure plan. In it, the vision is to ‘establish a secure battery materials and technology supply chain that supports long-term US economic competitiveness’.
The 19th century gave us the land-grabs in Africa and Asia by Europeans, the 20th century gave us the arms race of European powers and then the USA and Soviet Union. I predict the 21st century will give us a variety of supply chain wars, where winners will be not nations or governments, but corporations, many of them international.
Question: What value chains are emerging in the 2020s which your organisation must be a part of?
And, lastly, a small gesture
Lockdowns do funny things to family dynamics. We decided this past weekend to literally empty out my son’s bedroom of 12 years of possessions and do a Marie Kondo (reorganise from scratch).
It turned out he’s grown out of 80% of his clothes — and out of 90% of his books. So, the clothes are going to the charity shop, and the books . . . well, what do you do with 150 children’s books?
I suggested Jasper could have any money we raised from selling them — but he had to spend it on new books. He rapidly agreed. An ad on Gumtree promised the books to the highest bidder within 24 hours, provided they did a ‘click and collect’ from our front door. At 23 hours and 55 minutes, a bidder called Christie broke the $100 barrier and said she’d be along next day to get them.
When she arrived, I asked her what she planned to do with them and she said, “I’m a school teacher. Grade 3. I’m buying the books, out of my own money, and putting them in my room as a class library. The kids are going to love these!”
When I learned this, my first reaction was to give her $100 straight back to her, but she looked me in the eye and said, “Your son needs new books. Buy more for him”.
Question: What could you spend $100 on that would have the greatest impact on other people?
If you’ve enjoyed reading this week, please take a moment to click the ‘heart’.
Go and spend $100 wisely and I look forward to seeing you next Friday.
Andrew
Re: mining — AU has decided to be at the bottom of the food chain which isn’t smart. Why aren’t they processing lithium? Yes the facilities are expensive but that’s where significant value add occurs. Where are your clients (and mine) settling for the role we’ve always had instead of the role in which value is created?
Interesting thoughts Andrew. During the week a mate was all worried about the financial cost of COVID and economic recessions etc. I suggested (and whilst important) - economic impact is one part of the puzzle suggesting it is multidimensional and social and environmental impact (to name a couple) are equally important. Together they link to our wellbeing, that of others we connect with and the planet. Ultimately life is multidimensional and whatever the topic we are talking about - there are many dimensions that contribute.