In the past, a business leader’s vision was often constrained by the horizon – the literal and metaphorical limit of what could be seen or imagined. Today, the horizon has been digitised, and it’s vast. The scope isn't just your neighborhood or city; it's the entire planet. What drives today's leader isn't a local benchmark; it's a digital goalpost that demands thinking big - way beyond local borders.
To Start and Stay Small
It can feel safest to stick with what we know and see. I’m currently based in Australia where many business leaders feel compelled to start and stay here. Despite being an island, in a digitally connected world, many of the biggest opportunities, influences, and risks stem from around the planet.
See More. Aim Higher. Do More.
When we see the full picture, our goals get bigger. Data, with its comprehensive insights, provides us this full picture, revealing opportunities and challenges we might otherwise overlook. Data isn't just numbers; it's hard evidence that we can do more than we thought. In this digital era, it’s like we've got a turbo button for impact. The more we know, the faster we move, and the bigger we aim.
Big tech has long used data to scale up their ambitions and achieve market dominance, setting a benchmark for what's achievable at a global level. Yet, there are other trailblazers too, who are just as adept at turning digital insights into global solutions while creating positive impact. They include:
1. Seeing the Forest and the Trees: Global Environmental Impact
Ecosia is a search engine that uses its ad revenue to plant trees. Initially a local effort, Ecosia's digital platform allowed for the quantification and visualisation of global deforestation. This broadened view transformed their mission. They moved from planting trees in localised areas to embarking on a global reforestation campaign. By harnessing digital data, they assessed the problem's enormity and tailored their solution to have a global impact, demonstrating that to see more is to want to do more.
2. Tackling Hunger through Technology-Driven Agriculture
Hello Tractor is an agricultural tech company in Africa. They provide smart farming services through a sharing-economy model, akin to "Uber for tractors." By using digital platforms to track the extent of agricultural inefficiencies across regions, Hello Tractor could scale its solution. It shifted from addressing local farming challenges to boosting agricultural productivity on a continental scale. Here, digital insights not only sized the problem but also democratised access to agricultural technology, amplifying the scope of their ambition.
3. Revolutionising Healthcare in Remote Regions
Zipline is a drone delivery service delivering medical supplies to remote areas. Zipline began by addressing specific local health supply challenges. However, digital mapping and data analysis unveiled a broader, more systemic issue of medical supply scarcity in remote areas globally. This global perspective didn't dilute their mission; it amplified it, allowing them to expand operations across continents, revolutionising healthcare logistics in multiple countries.
4. Financial Inclusion through Digital Banking
M-Pesa is a mobile banking service that transformed financial access in Kenya and beyond. Originally focused on local financial challenges, digital data revealed a widespread need for accessible banking in developing countries. This insight shifted their local solution to a global mission, breaking down traditional banking barriers and democratising financial access on a massive scale.
5. Clean Water for All: Bridging Global Gaps
Water.org is an organisation tackling the global water crisis. Initially focused on specific communities, digital data enabled them to see the pervasive nature of water scarcity worldwide. This global view reshaped their strategy, moving from localised efforts to a broader campaign, influencing policy, and generating significant funding for global water access projects.
Locating and Utilising Data: The Pathway to Global Influence
Leaders need to know where to find impactful data and how to use it. Data can be sourced from public datasets, private providers, on-the-ground collection, digital tools, and partnerships.
"The goal is to turn data into information, and information into insight."
- Carly Fiorina, Former CEO of Hewlett-Packard
Once obtained, it can be analysed and visualised to inform strategies, predict trends, scale solutions appropriately, influence policy, and secure funding. These steps can transform local initiatives into powerful global movements, as demonstrated by the trailblazers mentioned above.
The Digital World as a Map
The digital age isn't just about spotting the issues; it's about finding the right ways to fix them, and fix them big. Business leaders now need to grasp the full scale of the problems with the help of digital tools. Once they've got that, it's about shooting for something massive, using the digital world as their map - not just aiming for the next street or town over, but for results at the global level.
Amplified ambition drives global goals. How would a data-driven expanded worldview amplify what you see, do, and achieve?