I come from a generation and a belief that the greatest agent for change in our world is big business. I’ve also come to the conclusion that, very often, big business does not understand, or know how to, reach its world-changing potential. If we simply see ourselves as purveyors of goods and services to consumers, then the playing field can become mundane and sometimes venal. But if we reframe our perspective, seeing ourselves as agents of change in the world– if we have a dream of how the world could be as a result of our contributions — then we may be able to raise the flag of business proudly once again.

All of us watched with horror as the nightmare of BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil catastrophe unfolded– and continues to unfold. (Disclosure: in previous years BP was one of my firm’s largest clients). From my previous work with this organization, I am convinced that there was never any willful intention to cause damage. On the other hand, it seems safe to say that humility and transparency do not appear to be BP’s favorite characteristics.

BP now faces nearly 250 lawsuits, some fueled by greed, and others by fear and pain. BP’s stock has fallen by 50% and it plans to suspend its dividend.

In my new book, The Spark, the Flame, and the Torch, I have included many case studies of organizations where transparency, authenticity and accountability have dramatically reduced the cost, legal wrangling and stress of dealing with mistakes. In the simplicity and elegance of an apology lies a path to stregthening trust and corporate relationships–and therefore future business opportunities.

We can forgive many things, even things that put our lives at risk, damage our financial security, or in other ways are hurtful. But it is very hard to forgive arrogance. A simple apology–from Toyota, Boston Scientific, Golman Sachs and many others–very early in the game, with a clear acknowledgment of responsibility, can go a long way to ease public anger. And it can go far to restore public confidence in big business.

(Cartoon by Clay Bennett of The Chatanooga Times Free Press–please visit to see some of the wittiest and most brilliant opinion cartoons of our time)

The message: separateness thinking is unproductive, dishonoring and defies reality. An appreciation of oneness and its power to heal and inspire is they key to high performance and harmony. Mark Johnson believes that music can help us to see this. Humanity’s Team is collecting 50,000 names to petition the United nations to create a “ONEness Day“. Starbucks invited the Playing for Change musicians to the Starbucks Leadership Conference, and you can now buy the “Playing for Change” CD at Starbucks and Amazon.com

In a time of global stress we are being called on to use our imagination and creativity in seeking solutions that honor the sacredness of others – in the office, at home or in international politics – oneness. Bono, one of the founders of the ONE Campaign, adds his gravitas to one of the latest “Playing for Change” movies[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgWFxFg7-GU[/youtube] – Enjoy!

What are the top skills that should be taught to every man, woman, and child who enters our education system? Here are a few that aren’t taught at all:

1. How to Make People Like You and Network

For a skill that affects every area of your life (from dating, to family, to work), its amazing how little people know about this. There is great power in knowing you can reach out to your network whenever you have a problem to solve, to be able to reach key influencers at conferences and meetings, to make an impression on audiences, to project confidence and trustworthiness, and to make friends with other successful people.

Required reading: How to Win Friends and Influence People and How to Talk to Anyone: 92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships.

2. How to Speed Read and the Power of Audio Books

Speed reading and speed comprehension is real. The nominal investment of time it takes to learn pays off in spades for the rest of your life. The same goes with audio books. If you spend an hour per day in the car learning instead of cursing at other drivers, you will have attended the equivalent of an entire semester course.

Required reading: The Psychology of Achievement by Brian Tracey

3. How to Set Goals and Manage Time

Want to know how to get anything done in life? Our school system doesn’t feel that this is worth teaching. If you have ever found yourself being busy all day only to wonder what you accomplished at the end of it, then you need to learn this.

Required reading: Getting Things Done, Eat That Frog, No B.S. Time Management For Entrepreneurs

4. How to Read a Financial Statement

Robert Kiyosaki is fond of saying that the rich teach their children how to read financial statements and the poor do not. Schools have never been very good at teaching people how to get rich, probably in no small part because professors are generally poor and wouldn’t know how to teach it.

Required reading: Cash Flow Quadrant, or this blog article

5. How to Negotiate and Use Contracts

If you want to accomplish anything of significance you’re going to have to work with other people. There is a certain art to structuring good contracts and measuring results. School teaches you none of this and most people have to learn it from the school of hard knocks.

Required reading: Donald Trump’s The Art Of The Deal

6. How to Save and Invest

People are never taught how to build wealth, which is why the nation is in credit card debt. Moreover, people are never taught the power of passive income streams and how to really break free from the rat race of working 9-to-5. There is a whole body of literature on this topic which is never even touched upon in traditional education.

Required reading: The Richest Man In Babylon, The Millionaire Next Door, or Ben Franklin’s The Way To Wealth

7. How to be Successful in Life

Some people have devoted a lifetime to understanding what makes people happy and successful. There are the big three: health, wealth, and relationships. People need to find what they really want to do with their life. There is a lot to learn here!

Required reading: What To Say When You Talk To Yourself, When I Say No I Feel Guilty, Think and Grow Rich, The Way Of The Superior Man

8. How to Spread an Idea and Basic Marketing

The basics of marketing are something everyone should understand. Even if you don’t think you’re in marketing, you’re in marketing. If you have an idea at work, or want to get a raise, or want to convince your kids to go see a movie, then there is something applicable from the marketing world.

Required reading: Dan Kennedy’s The Ultimate Sales Letter, CopyBlogger, The Psychology of Influence

As I walk out of my door this afternoon to go skiing in the fresh powder that has graced the Rockies, I drop my skis onto the ground and begin to step into the bindings. The lift is only a few feet away. I look up and notice an extraordinary sight that stops me in mid-motion – the parked wheelchairs of a group of amputees who have gone skiing.

I take out my cell phone so that I can share with you the image that I saw here a few hours ago.

These positive thinkers – these owners of can-do attitudes – these examples for the rest of us – they aren’t whining, complaining or becoming victims of fear or anger – they are playing in two feet of fresh powder in one of the most beautiful places on earth – the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.

Yes there is a lot of pain around us all. But this beautiful image reminded me that a disadvantage can also be reframed as just another way to do something. As Rahm Emanuel, President-elect Obama’s White House Chief of Staff has said, “You don’t ever want a crisis to go to waste” it’s an opportunity to do important things that you would otherwise avoid.

Let’s not waste this crisis.

When I first went to Johannesburg some 40 years ago, I asked my local guide, “How many people live in this city?” and I will never forget his reply: “Oh, about 650,000 – over 2 million if you count the blacks as well.” I was stunned, and thus began my immersion course in the horrors of the separateness of South Africa at the time and the many ways we have invented to make another person feel inferior.

As coach of the University of Texas–El Paso (UTEP), the late Don Haskins was the first coach to start five black players in a championship. In the 1966 NCAA title game, Texas Western, as his University of Texas, El Paso (UTEP) team was then known, upset an all-white Kentucky team. After he passed on September 7th. Bob Knight, “the winningest coach in Division 1 basketball history”, said of his friend:

“There’s a myth, perpetuated by the press and the 2006 Disney movie “Glory Road”, that it took exceptional courage for Don to start an all-black team. Not really. It took a guy who didn’t care about colors. He would have started five white kids or five Chinese kids if that gave him the best chance to win. Don’s legacy is that he played the game the way he thought it should be played, without prejudice.”

Now, that is the sort of values system we need to encourage throughout our society – not just in organizations. I prefer the term “inclusion” because is says what we mean – we intend to include everyone, regardless of their color, race, religion, demographic or any other label that we might use to separate people. Exclusion hurts. Inclusion inspires.