Leaning Forward in The Ecological Refuge

What Would You Be Willing to Do

I remember being at a luxury summit, the same one where I met Nelson Mandela’s chef. On day 3 of that summit, I was like a child in a candy store. I spent the morning learning about supersonic aviation with members who later started a company called Boom Aviation. While that was exciting, the afternoon instilled beliefs in me that remain unshakable. I met the chief marketing officer for one of my favorite auto manufacturers. Talking about their legendary record at LeMans (if you don’t know what that is, stop reading and go watch Ford vs Ferrari with Matt Damon and Christian Bale right now), the topic turned to the saying, “what would you be willing to do.”

What would you be willing to do for their supercar? What would you give to be a test driver for their brand?  That is what they asked and the most common answer – “my left arm,” not quite sure I would go that far, however if you know what I know about this car, you would perhaps contemplate it. While the room was fawning over the brand, I started paying attention to the original thought. What would I give?

What do I believe in beyond a moral compass, that I would give my left arm for, my right arm for? Beyond the strong commitment to social responsibility, there is something else unshakable in me that I would be willing to fight for to my last breath. Two hours later, it dawned on me that our product advancement leads by 2 years, at a minimum,  over where the market is. Leaning forward when everyone else is hanging back, pushing for new product, even in a place where the word ingenuity is unwelcomed. That is what I would be willing to give my left arm for, and my right arm.

We were all forced to reinvent ourselves several times over the last decade, especially during the pandemic. Would it be strange to say that I enjoyed it? If you don’t believe me, you should ask the amazing people I work with. This is the primary reason my colleague Gisela is in Chile right now, before the start of a conference. It’s the reason I am on my way to the north of Peru again; why my colleagues in Egypt were in the GEM today for the soft opening; why Susie was in the interior of Colombia; why Tatiana was in Jordan; and why I was in the southern part of Bwindi Forest earlier in the year.

This week, we share a video on Gisela’s visit to a relatively unknown ecological refuge in northern Patagonia. It is the gateway for Big Five, and where we begin to lean forward in Chile. Yes there is much to be done, however the excitement of leaning forward starts here.

Enjoy the video