I am not a Futurist.  I am not even sure what a Futurist is or does.  But I can tell you one thing I feel certain about…

Tomorrow will look nothing like today.

More than simply a new type of brand, there is a new emerging zeitgeist.  It contains a collective of bonfires that are igniting a new dialogue, a new set of principles and a whole new behavior.  In many ways it is as if an old light is dying and a new light is beginning to burn bright.  I affectionately refer to this new light of bonfires as THE REAL 100 - progressive thinkers, social catalysts, entrepreneurs and pioneers who are reshaping the cultural landscape and creating positive systemic change.  They are certainly not the masses (at least not yet anyway), but they represent the harbinger of things to come.

Why the shift and what insights suggest this new ethos of light in the emerging future?  There exists a myriad of things to consider, but one thing in particular stands out.  Generation WE.  A bonfire of compassionate youth that is almost 100 million strong.  A passionate posse that will have tremendous impact on our behavior and every deliberation.

And here’s what is fascinating.  They are not like us.  In fact, they are a lot different.

•    Success is more than simply a financial number.  They have a healthy and holistic perspective on happiness that goes well beyond financial boundaries.
•    They hold environmental stewardship and social equity and justice as core tenets.
•    They embrace, love and cherish open collaboration and collectives.
•    Technology is their friend…their best friend.
•    My personal favorite.  They have essentially flipped ‘the man’ the bird and said thanks but no thanks…I’ll take the entrepreneurial route.

So what does it all mean and where does one begin?

It’s simple.  There is a revolution underfoot that is reshaping our landscape.  New principles that go well beyond being green and sustainable are giving rise to a new breed of brand and culture.  It’s about inspiration versus desperation, ethos versus tactics and leadership versus compliance.  Simple shifts in thinking are creating positive systemic change and making things happen.

So begin by inspiring an openness to adapt and evolve. Begin by opening our eyes to a new world order and possibility.  Begin by quieting our cleverness so that we can see the beauty and abundance in the blind spot. Begin by taking the time to understand the essence of Generation WE (look what it did for Obama!).  Be open to adopting new guiding principles that appeal not only to those we serve, but inspire and empower our internal culture as well.  Begin by appreciating the essence underscored in the values and principles embedded in THE REAL 100 and watch the shift happen.

THE REAL 100  / Top 10 Principles

1.    IT BEGINS INSIDE - It’s simple really.  Great bonfire brands have great cultures.  Cultures where there is purpose, vision and a palpable heartbeat that brings everyone to this common place of not work but adventure.  An environment where the best capital is human capital.  A community that promotes autonomy and accountability over micro-management.  A place that trumpets and promotes glorious mistakes because safe is indeed risky.  A place where passion meets compassion.   In essence, cultivating the inside so that we can nurture and grow the outside.

2.    GREAT BRANDS ARE A REFLECTION OF THOSE YOU SERVE - Look under the hood of THE REAL 100 and you’ll see a collection of folks that are a mirror image of those they serve.   They do not need focus groups to tell them the pulse of things.  They are the pulse of things!  The ultimate litmus test – can someone you serve meet you, your culture and your environment and feel your verve?

3.    BUILD RELATIONSHIPS, NOT THINGS - THE REAL 100 is not about buying things.  It’s about building relationships inspired by mutual respect, honesty and service.  There is a connection that you cannot find in a transaction.   Evangelists nurture your missive in a way that creates an effortless loyalty.  It takes time.  It takes hard work.  Most importantly, it requires us to hold those we serve less as consumers and more as partners.

4.    A BRAND IS A PROMISE.  KEEP IT - Like any great relationship, trust is the foundation. For THE REAL 100, trust is currency.  Sharing transparency.  Providing traceability.  Opening the onion of their brand.  Keep the promise and you will flourish.

5.    HUMANITY IN YOUR EVERY DELIBERATION - In the words of Barry Schwartz, it is imperative that we imbue a higher level of integrity and moral jazz.  Corporate responsibility is a non-negotiable.   We need humanity in our every deliberation.  The reality is that what plagues our world is not climate change, biodiversity, deforestation or market malaise, but rather a lack of appreciation for humankind.

6.    INSTANT KARMA - There is a spiritual quality embedded in THE REAL 100 and it manifests itself in a couple of ways.  The first is the recognition that cultural shifts start with us.  Not government, not large organizations, but passionate and brilliant individuals.  We alone can create the change we wish to see.  The second element is the belief that our actions affect our future lives and the lives of others. Good deeds will have a positive effect while bad deeds bring negative consequences. That said this principle speaks to the belief of an immediate concept of accountability for our actions.   We reap what we sow.

7.    CONSIDER THE WHOLE & THE EFFECT YOU WISH TO CREATE - Recognize that sustainability and green go well beyond environmental issues and include social equity and justice as well.  As Buckminster Fuller would say, ‘look at things through the widest possible context’…that way you can see the whole.  Carbon footprint, water footprint, and human footprint – they all need to be considered.

8.    RESPONSIBLE CAPITALISM - Ray Anderson (CEO Interface Global) is fond of opening his presentations with ‘I am an industrialist’ followed by an intoxicating journey of how they are making the world a better place and earning a living.  We need to stop thinking that doing the right thing and doing well is mutually exclusive.  Responsible capitalism can trumpet over the tired capitalism.  We simply need to commit in a way the two are viewed as one versus isolating them from one another.  Lastly, it’s also about growing strong versus the insatiable hangover from the last century to grow big.  It’s about being the best, not the biggest.

9.    EMBRACE GLORIOUS MISTAKES - Pioneers do not know failure, for the adventure and drive to create a new possibility is progress unto itself.  They live inspiration not desperation.  Failure?  That’s accepting the status quo.  THE REAL 100 is a collective of pioneering bold thinkers who are driven towards creating positive systemic change.  There’s a lot that they do not do well and there are missteps along the way.  But those are not failures.  Those are simply glorious mistakes that deepen the inspiration.

10.  HONESTY VERSUS PERFECTION - It’s not important to be perfect.  It’s imperative that we are honest.  We’re going to make mistakes…cool.  So when we do, let’s lose the crisis PR team and instead, speak from our heart versus the head.  Seventh Generation is a resilient and pioneering brand that has made an array or mistakes in its twenty-year history.  It also is open and honest about when it falls short.  The irony.  The Seventh Generation Nation seems to grow with every miscue.  There is nothing more profound than a sense of humility and willingness to be open about errors.

Corporate Knights & Innovest released their new list of The Global 100 Most Sustainable Brands.  For the record, I am not opposed to recognizing the efforts of large cap corporations, but I think it falls woefully short in terms of addressing those that are the real leaders in this movement.  Hence the concept of THE REAL 100.  That said I think it would be interesting to ask ourselves the following:

If the future of our culture and sustainability were on our shoulders, where would we look for inspiration and guidance?

Why? 

Why are we so inebriated with taking this subject called sustainability and making it so damn complex and difficult.  Why can’t it be a source of inspiration and empowerment versus desperation and isolation? 

What will it take to break the rules that bind and allow each of us to design, discover and create in a way that is liberating and rejuvenating?  And why is that folks like Interface Global can start from ground zero and create a cultural ethos that is hell bent on doing the right thing and others struggle to take the first step? 

It’s a design question that has become my obsession.   

Imagine finding the acupuncture point for sustainability in a way that unleashed a flurry of new and progressive thought.  In essence taking this over-hyped, misunderstood and complex topic and allowing the real pioneers and positive change-makers to shine while simultaneously exposing the myriad of imposters who dominate the landscape.       

Sounds cool, but how do we create this shift?

I’ve given it a lot of thought.  I’ve really tried to sit and observe in a way that uncovered the essence of it all.  To think systemically about what could spark a revolution of new thought.   And I constantly come to one simple thought…humanity.  

So imagine what would shift in our thinking if we considered the following…

WHAT IF WE CONSIDERED HUMANITY IN OUR EVERY DELIBERATION?

Seriously.  A pathetically simple framework that could be the catalyst that shifts your thinking in a way that gives you the freedom and latitude to interpret and design on your own accord.  No templates.  No checklists.  No ‘experts’ preaching ‘thou shall do this’.  Just pure unadulterated blue sky to create provided you consider humanity when you source material, nurture your culture, design product, buy product, grow your business in your EVERY DELIBERATION.  You cannot simply do the right thing in one area and discard the others.  It has to be all encompassing.  

I fervently believe that the net effect you would create is that sustainability would all of sudden become less about a thing and more about a relationship.  In a very natural and organic way you will shift in a way that you begin to create the Holy Grail…creating conditions conducive to life.   Challenging?  Of course.  But imagine if you could create a northstar that envisioned your preferred state and then set out on the journey to get there, step by step.  Wow.  Now that would be pretty damn cool.

So before you scoff at the idea look around.  What we thought what mattered most - personal gain, financial wealth (especially at the expense of others) doesn’t mean as much anymore.  Now look harder.  Look at the emerging future.  Brands and individuals that hold humanity at their core are starting to make a difference - a big difference.    

A simple shift to see that THE REAL 100 are indeed very real. 

My friends at TriplePundit tell me that there are  100,000,000 blogs.  Make that 100,000,001.  

Tilting windmills?   Very well could be but why not?  As I see it there is a new world of possibility that has yet to be untapped.  And so my goal is simple - ignite a bonfire around progressive and provocative thought that speaks to the emerging future.  

THE REAL 100 is a celebration of progressive thinkers, social catalysts and pioneers who are reshaping the sustainability landscape and creating positive systemic change.  It brings in a Socratic sense to provoke and challenge us all to think anew and think differently.  And rather than applaud The Global 100 (Top 100 Most Sustainable Brands as determined by Corporate Knights and Innovest) I am saying we can do better…a lot better.  Not because the list is bad, but rather because it does not even begin to trumpet some of the best thinkers and bonfire brands in this space.  There is a voice out there that we are not hearing and a face we are not seeing.  Time to let it all shine!

My greatest fear is that we become complacent.  That we sit back and admire our work.  Truth be told, we’re half as good as we think we are, but therein lies the opportunity.  You see, many ideas have yet to be born.  They are still being nurtured in the minds and souls of brilliant individuals just waiting to burst out.  So the onus is on us to invite those new thoughts.  To inspire a new chapter.  To create a landscape of thinking that is hell bent on possibility and what could be. 

And so my premise is simple…

By expanding the lens to consider The REAL 100 we will awaken our senses and thinking in a way that inspires our soul and creates a whole new world of possibility.  

And so this blog is dedicated to the real 100 most regenerative ideas, individuals and brands that are pioneering a new path towards the emerging future. So who are THE REAL 100?  Defined less by their size than their ability to spark a revolution of new thought and possibility.  They provide us with nutrition.  They provide us with inspiration.  They break the rules that bind.  

They don’t climb mountains…they move them!