How brave do you feel right now? Brave enough to take on the world, the baying mob, mainstream public opinion, the establishment, the law, the church and thousands of years of prejudice? How about brave enough to learn from those that did?
50 years ago homosexuality was illegal in the UK, 30 years ago national newspapers unashamedly labelled a deadly new virus “the gay plague” and just 15 years ago British law prohibited the discussion of homosexuality in schools.
Yet in 2016 the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community sat at the top table of the World Economic Forum in Davos. The first official media briefing of the event was on LGBT issues in emerging markets and US vice president Joe Biden urged business leaders to do more to promote the rights of LGBT people in the workplace.
Almost three billion people still live in countries where being gay can be punished by imprisonment, corporal punishment and even death, there is still a huge amount of work to be done. However, the major cultural changes in attitudes to homosexuality achieved in just a generation in places like the UK, US, Australia, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Canada and Brazil, and the fact that these issues are now on the agenda of the world’s most powerful nations, show how much can be achieved in a relatively short amount of time when people with a sense of purpose work together.
On 28 April 2016 Peter Vogt, a longtime friend of PurpleBeach and veteran of Visa, eBay, Microsoft and Ogilvy, will join us at our annual urban retreat in London to explore what is possible when people dare to be powerful, what leaders can learn from the LGBT community, how it might be adapted to the business challenges of today and the benefits of cultivating a more diverse and tolerant workforce.
We will also be joined in conversation at PurpleBeach by Theodore Zeldin, the author and expert on history, happiness and the future of work, and Tanya Byron, the psychologist, writer and media personality, as we discuss the benefits of community, conversation and the most seismic shift in business since the dawn of the internet.
From Me, Myself & I to Crowds, Communities & Networks
Most business leaders I know have mapped their personal and professional networks on Facebook and LinkedIn, but even with these potentially powerful support networks at their fingertips, many are highly stressed, overwhelmed by work and lonelier than ever.
Leaders who hunker down and focus within are ill equipped to deal with the big problems they face in our volatile, uncertain and chaotic. Today’s outstanding businesses focus outside of their doors, seek support from the crowd and build communities guided by a clear sense of purpose.
Much like the LGBT community, the likes of Google, TED, Amazon, Netflix and Airbnb have achieved a huge amount by attracting followers and creating cultural movement around shared problems. We invite you to experience how they operate and just why they are so successful at PurpleBeach 2016.
Bring your wicked problems to a very different beach experience
Our annual PurpleBeach gathering returns to London on 28 April 2016. Like last year it will take place at the Westminster Boating Base and attendance will be by invitation only. Unlike last year, however, it will be an evening do for the first time (running from 4pm-11pm) and access to the beach will be free of charge. Think of it less as a day spent basking in sunshine and more like a party around a big driftwood fire.
In addition to our conversations with Theodore, Tanya and Peter, we will also be running a unique experiment. During the evening we will identify some shared challenges, build communities around those issues, come up with solutions and build networks of support that you’ll be able to tap into in the future.
With the world around us constantly changing, leaders need answers today for questions that have yet to be asked. If you are brave enough to bring your biggest fears and business challenges to PurpleBeach 2016, we will help you to frame those questions, build new networks of support and find the answers you need for a more successful future.
To request an invitation to PurpleBeach 2016 please email contactus@purplebeach.com.