Tho Ha Vinh (bio below) found that one root cause for suffering is our current economic system based on competition and the fundamental contradiction of endless economic growth and the reality of a finite planet.

It is an illusion that happiness and satisfaction come from more consumption. In effect, the ever-increasing consumption is destroying the planet and thus the very foundation of our human lives.

The goal of economic growth must be to to satisfy legitimate human needs through goods and services. These goods and services are just a part of what enhances happiness and wellbeing. For true happiness, we also need friendship, love, emotional security and many things money can’t buy.

"The system", of which we often see ourselves as victims, is a manifestation of how we individually and collectively think, feel, and act. We are all part of the system, and thus are co-responsible of changing the system.

True happiness needs living in harmony with oneself (requiring introspection and alignment between aspirations and actions), living in harmony with others (but being too busy working keeps us from taking the time to build and maintain positive relationships) and living in harmony with the planet (we are part of nature, the wider system).

Change is inevitable. The question is: will it come about in a more gentle and inclusive way through mindfulness and compassion? Or will we continue with our blind ways of power, dominance, violence, and competition until the system simply breaks apart?

Leaders who want to positively drive change need to direct the collective attention. This begins with the ability to to direct your own attention. If you are able to do that, then you can also do that for the collective.

Your company’s transformation may begin by redefining its vision, mission, and values towards serving its clients and society by creating goods and services that are useful. Your “key performance indicators” need a more holistic understanding beyond financial impact, including environmental, social, cultural etc. You need to work with the inner dimension, too: how do you consciously develop your insight, your wisdom, your compassion, your mindfulness?

Reflection Questions for Leaders:

• Is my attention aligned with my intentions? Am I clear what my intentions are?
• What steps am I willing to take to create a significant change, even if it feels uncomfortable. And what are the risks that I'm prepared to take to do things differently moving forward?
• When we have good intentions, how come we cannot manifest that in the way we work? How can we bridge the gap between the knowing (what we know we should do) and doing (what we actually do)?

Tho Ha Vinh, PhD, is the founder and of the Eurasia Learning Institute for Happiness and Wellbeing .  He was the program director of the Gross National Happiness Center of Bhutan. Serving as the Head of Training, Learning, and Development at the International Committee of the Red Cross, he trained humanitarian professionals working in war zones and emergency response in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Palestine, and Darfur. He holds a PhD in psychology and education from Geneva University, Switzerland. He is a Buddhist teacher in the Vietnamese Zen Tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh. He is the author of several books including the recent A Culture of Happiness.

More info about Martin Aldergård and Gerrit Pelzer is on our website secondcrackleadership.com. You can also email us at hello@secondcrackleadership.com