Our lived experiences hold immense power, shaping our beliefs and influencing our decisions. I have never and will never EVER buy a Ford vehicle. Let me tell you why.
In my late twenties, I contacted the Ford organization to find out what we needed to do to make Ford a preferred supplier for our rather large fleet of executive vehicles. When I ultimately found the right person to talk to, he refused to answer my questions. He was only interested in speaking to my boss because a woman had no clue about costs, autos and luxury. Ford never became our preferred supplier of choice. I made sure of that.
In my forties, I ran a subcontracting plant. We bottled the vehicle fluids for all the major auto and oil companies. Every few years, Ford gathered all its suppliers in one place to make their usual pronouncements about trimming costs and furthering their own agenda on the backs of us, the ‘hallowed’ suppliers.
Our Ford sales rep returned from the conference one year and shared the latest pronouncement. The labour costs in North America were out of control, so it was in everyone’s best interest to set up an entirely new shop in either India, Pakistan or China. By exploiting the low cost of labour, everyone involved was able to get a much better deal. I remember recoiling, horrified, and pushing back on the sales rep, asking him why he had kept such a despicable customer in his portfolio. I resolved that day never to have anything to do with Ford again.
You may be a devoted Ford customer—like several of my family members, neighbours, and friends. And if you are, the odds of me changing your mind to another auto vendor are slim to none—for one simple reason: Our lived experiences are entirely different.
Degrowth Part 2
This week, the 5Cs podcast is exploring what the concept of Degrowth means to and for business. For many, the word Degrowth conjures up fear and frustration. The same effect that the words climate change and sustainability do for others.
I am most curious about how intelligent and successful individuals veer entirely off the tried-and-true way of making money and take the leap to experiment with something untested. This is NOT about the usual pivot or change management stuff that most businesses have become used to. This is about taking a hard turn onto the road not travelled.
When I asked my guest about the most common trait one needs to embrace Degrowth (and, by extension, climate change and sustainability), his response was profound. He said, “Lived Experience.” This underscores our personal experiences’ significant role in shaping our beliefs and perspectives.
Whether we see something that does not sit right with our own eyes, hear with our own ears, are directly exposed to results we find shocking in some way or are heavily influenced by our family and friends, we who step off the usual profit-building road do so because our intuition, heart, or even soul was called. We know something is off and decide to do something about it in our own small way.
And maybe that’s the most significant missing piece in this vast puzzle. Maybe most of us lack the lived experience that challenges our thinking. Perhaps we are so caught up in the hamster wheel of life that nothing can permeate the false sense of security we tightly cling to in order to present the best image to those in our world.
Like my guest, I don’t claim to have all the answers. I recognize that my lived experience has shaped certain parts of my belief system, just as yours has shaped yours. We may not be able to change each other’s opinions based on our unique lived experiences, but we can challenge our thinking by asking a simple question: Do we genuinely believe that what we believe is in the highest good for all?
Questioning our beliefs can lead to significant shifts in our perspectives. The answer to that simple question can override anything we’ve lived through.