The opportunity to take part in the sustainable revolution is certainly as big, relatively speaking, for the small-scale entrepreneur as it is for the big multi-national company. A lot of this, for the small-scale entrepreneur, is not so much through the invention of a new technology but a way of delivering a service or a way of using an emerging technology that maybe overlooked by large companies. These kinds of CSR companies are beginning to pop up everywhere, and again, its a sustainable business model.

A lot of us feel discouraged about trying to do much of anything because we might go out and get a hybrid car, or we might recycle our garbage, or we might get florescent light bulbs, but then we hear that theyre opening a coal plant a day in China, there isnt any amount of light bulbs we can buy or recycling we could do, gas we could save that would make a dent in even one coal plant that theyre opening. You see, one of the biggest issues that every human being faces is to answer the question, What do I stand for? At the end of my life, what I want to look in the mirror and say, I really believed in that, and I did it. This is personal social responsibility.

One way to look at capitalism is to look at it through the lens of leadership…

We have to think in totally new ways about how we design things, about how we consume them, dispose of them, and all those kind of things. (Corporate Social Responsibility CSR) And we are. The technologies that are on the horizon are terrible exciting. But it takes a kind of leadership that instead of just looking at next months profit, next quarters profit, is looking long stream into whole sustainable systems of working, consuming and living together as an entire planet. There are people who think this way, organizations that are beginning to operate this way, and they are going to have a significant competitive edge in the next decade.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) companies are after the greatest total value. They look for the grains of truth…In the most innovative companies they ask, “What if the opposite of what I believe is true?” CSR companies have a vision to reduce the threat and increase the opportunity. They take the hero’s journey - a response to the crisis. They engage their people to do something completely heroic.

Will Marre talks about personal social responsibility in our jobs. Over the past 25 years, corporate America has developed a new social contract with its employees. That is: no contract. We are on our own. We need to figure out how to make ourselves indispensable. Otherwise, we are all just laboring in dead-end temp jobs. They key is to define and create Dream Jobs for ourselves. Jobs that fit our traits, talents, and desires. Jobs where our uniqueness creates value. If you are going to invest your time and your talent, invest it in yourself. You’re the only one you can trust.

What many call work/life balance is really life/work harmony. It’s this idea of living at your highest gifts and giving of your common self at the same time.

Example: CEO of Integrated Healthcare Delivery System working 80 hrs. a week gets triple bypass surgery. He then identifies his unique skills and abilities, now works 40 hrs. a week, and finds Life Work Harmony. Today he is changing the world and is still home for dinner.

What are you famous for? What is your business famous for?

CSR is now mixing into cause marketing in a much bigger way than most people are taking advantage of. But, business executives are not too happy with the benefits of corporate philanthropy. Only 14% (McKinsey Survey) feel they are getting the business benefits from CSR. Why? Because companies engaged in CSR and corporate philanthropy are not aligning their business strategies with their brand as well as the causes their employees naturally want to contribute their time and talent to. Imagine what could happen if they were…One company taking advantage of this is Federal Express. Did you know that Federal Express is one of the biggest contributors to global relief in times of disaster?

What is the next iPod… soy t-shirts, bio-degradable plastic, or what about a cement coating that actually eats pollution?  Socially responsible companies  are changing the world because people thought about how much good they could do and scaled it up to a size that really makes a difference. To get to a world of unique value, we have to think in a both/and way instead of an either/or way…Whatever obstacle your company is facing, that obstacle is the opportunity to create something of unique value.

If you think wisdom, integrity, and new ideas are missing in our government leaders, you are not alone. Thats because both major political parties have lost their understanding of the four values America is centered on: freedom and responsibility, opportunity and equality. Americas promise has always been that you can determine the quality of your own life. Where you start in life does not determine where you finish. According to research from the World Values survey, countries in which citizens report the most personal well-being have most of the following characteristics. If you’d like my perspective on what each one of these 10 factors might mean in terms of policy changes for 21st century America, go to http://www.AmericanDreamProject.org/revolution for a free download.