Editor’s Letter, December 2017
In reading through the transcript of the interview with our M2 Champagne Bollinger, Man of the Year for 2017, Peter Burling; I was reminded of something that is becoming more and more a consideration lately. The concept of drive. What is it that really gives us the momentum to push through the pain of training? The hard graft of a new business? The fear of expansion? Or the exhaustion of competition? Peter is pretty clear that his pursuit is not driven by awards. A lot of the wealthiest people often talk about not being driven by money. A lot of famous people seem to have a love-hate relationship with fame. So on the outside, the things that inspire envy in others around those that are really successful in their fields are probably not the things that are the motivating force behind what they do. I have a suspicion that this motivating force is evolving also.
Our MC Dominic Bowden asked the guests at our awards night about what success meant to them – the answers, of course, varied greatly. But I think they are possibly more considered answers than they might have been a few decades ago or even a decade ago or even half a decade ago. During a recent scroll through my LinkedIn contacts (I don’t tend to stalk people by the way), I was quite surprised but also heartened by the number of people that have started or are involved with some sort of social enterprise. For some, this has meant a profound shift from what they were doing before. However, they all talk about what they are doing with a level of passion that comes from the knowledge that they are doing something important – something beyond themselves.
If you are looking for drive and success, maybe there’s something in that.
