Do you feel like changing the world?

Many people doubt whether they can actually make a difference. Whether their actions could lead to a different outcome. Because, on the scale of things, what can one human being achieve?

Can you make a difference, or are there all kinds of reasons why you can't get around to it or that make it impossible for you to do so? Are there opposing interests that make real change impossible? The differences between short-term and long-term interest, between shareholders and society, between commerce and ambition? Does your own behavior really matter? Does it change the system you are part of, whether you like it or not? One individual won't make a difference...

When Joe Biden was elected, we were happy to see him plot a new course. We, like many others, expected that he would be an 'intermediate pope.' That he would take it easy, stabilize things, nothing big: look after the store. Unfortunately, recent history shows that we were a little too careful with our assumptions. In recent months, Biden as a US leader has brought sustainability back at the top of the agenda. He is the driving force behind new tax legislation, does his best to make multinationals pay, and tackles discrimination. He fights against guns, unemployment, and poverty. We just got the news that the US is buying 500 million vaccines for countries that cannot afford them.

There is probably a lot to say against him (we can already hear the humming of thunder in the distance). Only, he did what no one expected. And he did it singlehandedly. He had the opportunity and seized it. What really captured us: the huge difference one individual can make. What a fascinating instrument leadership is. And what an opportunity it creates to make dreams come true, and to change the rules of the game.

There is no reason to believe that you cannot achieve your goals. If you want to, you can change the world. Your own world. The destination of the organization you work for, your outside world. Do you dream of something more beautiful, something better? Well, it's time to not let that stop you anymore, and get on with it. Martin Luther King. Greta Thunberg. Elon Musk. You. Nice list.