By: Rebeca Gálvez, Endeavor entrepreneur and CEO of Patagonia Biotechnology.
Why does prosperity elude us? What do we need to change to find it? The families that prosper the most, not only from an economic point of view, but also from an emotional point of view, are those in which sincerity (transparency) and love (altruism) are fostered and practiced; in other words, in which each member supports the others and where there is no envy or cheating.
This reality is extrapolated to all communities, from neighborhoods to the entire world, with the attitude of its members and leaders being critical to their well-being. When they act with transparency (sincerity) and altruism (love), trust and empathy are generated, creating a virtuous circle that allows its members to dedicate themselves to being productive and helping each other.
It makes sense that the concept of sustainability has gained great strength during the pandemic; locked down and fearing for the well-being of our loved ones, we are more consciously concerned about each other and also about our homes and everyone's home: planet Earth.
However, most people associate sustainability only with caring for the environment, and forget (or do not know) that sustainability is that which is formed in a community, growing harmoniously between the company, community and suppliers, and also, that which applies a model that generates financial profitability.
This is the model proposed by the B movement in the world and organizations like Endeavor: the so-called Triple ImpactMore and more companies and ventures are seeing sustainability as a differentiating element when developing and moving forward, since those businesses that adopt this path at the core of their model will have a greater chance of being viable over time.
So, it is important to understand how we can encourage more entrepreneurship with this focus. In my opinion, many of the skills that women have traditionally practiced contribute to sustainability.
One of them is the ability to form support networks and create teams, in which sincerity, transparency, and empathy must be present. Teams and networks work better when cooperation and recognition of each other's skills (and problems) are encouraged. In this way, the human team is sustained, instead of competing internally, generating happy, optimistic, committed, and persevering teams, which, ultimately, are more effective and more resilient.
Women are also experts in patience. We understand that the learning process is ongoing and not exempt from failures, and that even if we are tired, we have to get up and persevere. This, without a doubt, helps to promote resilient ventures, even more so if there is cooperation and respect between genders.
Prosperity is achieved by supporting everyone: the State, academia, educators, businessmen, entrepreneurs (transforming scientific discoveries that are often archived in university theses into reality), and, of course, workers. Each and every one of the actors in the production chains are important and for us all to row in the same direction, they must feel valued.
