What is ‘The Circle Manifesto’?
24 04 2008
A manifesto is a term for a doctrine of public import, though it often implies something revolutionary. The Circle approach to business as outlined here is the razor’s edge of social corporate responsibility. It is too late for sustainability. Business practices must work ultimately toward regeneration of our stressed systems, in our communities and our environment. Moreover, we have to show how this can be profitable; otherwise it will be too late for the mainsteam to get it.
Here’s my definition, which I use for testing decisions:
“A circle based business is rooted in relationships that are nurtured by fair and equitable exchange. Every person inside and outside of the business is viewed as equal in their humanity.”
Paul Hawkins, Bo Burlington David Whyte, Jim Collins and many system thinking academics are to one degree or another, talking about circle and business. Yet they have not been able to name it so because the profound, indigenous knowledge, ‘Circle Wisdom’, has been crushed by the march of empire supported businesses which treat land and people as mere commodity in a cash-to-trash system. This must change now.
Since the late eighties I have been studying with Native teachers—some, like the late Paula Underwood consulted with corporations. Others, lived relatively isolated lives teaching a few people who were willing to earn the knowledge. I also worked as a teacher in an Indian school before going into business. I learned about Circle Wisdom. My aim is to take some of what I learned from them and apply that knowledge to my situation. Circle Wisdom was once with us. I believe it is part of our lost heritage. Plato, in the Timaeus said, “…all things are alive.” How does that translate into business?
The answer is, slowly, over time and by making decisions that move us in the right direction; our true path. This is what we have done in my company, with the help of my awesome employees and talented wife, who is our jewelry designer. We have enjoyed ten straight years of double digit growth and been named by the Mayor of Santa Fe,NM, where we are located, as one of the communities most outstanding, visionary businesses. We have also had awards in our trade for outstanding service.
We have come full circle. Instead of crushing indigenous approaches, we turn towards that wisdom, using today’s contexts, to help us restore some kind of balance. If we continue on our current course, we will become extinct. So, I call this a manifesto; a doctrine which says, we must create wealth through the support of community and ecology. If we don’t, our children and their children’s children will not have a place to live.
Paul Hawkins is writing about the immune response of the planet. In these times, when it is easy to feel depressed over all the bad news, Hawkins points out that there are millions of us out there doing our thing to support the whole. And in my own small world, I am trying to work through social corporate responsibility and green practices in the jewelry world. Won’t you join my conversation in trying to understand how this might be done?
Categories : Circle Based Business
