A journey of great surprises
What is next in your life, Jo?
It has been a while that some friends, colleagues and students have been asking about the next steps in my career, job change and mainly, why!
This past weekend, as I went hiking and flied down the mountain with my paraglider, it helped me to organize and look through my thoughts to share with you all.
As many of you know me, I am quite opinionated with the social-political issues of the world and a critical thinker of the solutions we are building around us. So there are logical and emotional reasons behind my decision to move to a next challenge.
Since the rise of Big Tech, our world has been suffering a controversial shift in the core social structures. Creating contended and opposite forces pushing against the reconstruction of a better world. As this quote of the November dossier of the Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research illustrates:
“Although these corporations are at the cutting edge of the technologies they deploy in terms of scale and sophistication, they represent a backwards step for civilization through the flexibilization of work and the withdrawal of rights, the overwhelming offensive against natural resources, the centralization and concentration of capital, the power private corporations exercise over public spaces, and other processes that are characteristic of capitalist solutions for the crises it creates.representing a backwards step for civilization.”
I am a strong believer that we are in a spot of our history where human beings can solve, almost, any problem in the world by the right support of technology. Over the past 20 years I have seen how liberating the honest use of it can be for the people, mainly to the most vulnerable in the world. On the other hand, we all know witnessed how it can been used as a mass destruction weapon across the world over the internet.
This dichotomy has taken me to look for traits of principles and values that are still embedded in smart, political savvy and good hearted people starting up new projects that challenge the status-quo.
During the pandemic, I entered in a personal quest for a next step that is aligned with my beliefs and that would have great transformational impact in our world. A single thought has been pushing me forward in this inner enquiry: Where is this new generation of leaders that are not longer encouraged by greed, but who are genuinely interested in the common good?
Sadly, our time in history is like professor Ronald Suny writes and reflects:
Raising the question of the common good is inherently about a moral choice, one that has been subordinated if not abandoned to self-interest, individualism, greed and “making it” in a competitive environment that erodes social connectivity and mutual sympathy. American capitalism in the last forty years looks far less Smithian, certainly not Keynesian, than it resembles the predator or prey model of James Galbraith. “In a predatory regime,” he writes, “nothing is done for public reasons. Indeed, the men in charge do not recognize that public purposes exist.” They speak primarily of the “bottom line” and creating wealth for their “shareholders.”
Therefore, if there is a chance to contribute to this common good, something as plain as the communal happiness, or the shared life of virtue from Thomas Aquinas’ view, I think is a worthwhile pursue. Specially in this technological era which provides to all of us with tools to change our ways of doing the things we are used to, and think for once and for all, on an, actual, better future for our children.
It is with that motivation and inspiration that I met very interesting places, communities and leaders. Thanks to some friends that pointed me to hopeful places in my quest and through reading the success stories of diverse companies and collectives that I found one that inspired me a lot.
This place is quite ambitious, skillfully smart and with a clear sense of the transformational change that wants to achieve in the communities it touches. How ambitious can be to exist to aim for “A society where people have space for life.”
To build the world’s most effective retail system, it challenges the current modes of production, seeking for a new balance of the productive force by empowering and engaging people in the evolution of retail. Defending the dignity of workers by supporting the unionization of delivery drivers, fulfillment center workers and the whole labour force around. Caring deeply about people and their wellbeing, setting high diversity and inclusion goals to resemble the society’s composition, and ambitiously seeking the sustainability in the means of production along the whole value chain.
It has been a formidable and intense experience to see how much can be done by very talented and experience people, gathered around principles and values that aim to transform the society and bring back precious but exploited human needs: Time and Sustainability as the common good.
I myself deeply believed that ordinary tasks and underestimated chores that we all need to complete in order to live, are the best candidates to impact the life of others in the society.
To solve this daily complex problem, a Product & Tech organization was implemented from the scratch, making use of the best technological knowledge of the industry, proving that with the right focus and people, it got to create the world’s most efficient fulfillment model, allowing to look out after people’s life with a generous service.
That is a bit of what I discovered by meeting amazing and passionate people at Oda.com. A Norwegian company that is expanding in Europe carrying this amazing vision, knowledge and experience that successfully conquered the hearth of Norway.
Happy to join Oda
I might be bias in the decision for being part of a Norwegian company since I already lived in Norway in 2004 to 2006. But what I can affirm, is that the values of this progressive society are well embedded in the core of the organization.
Across my journey in the product and technology industry around the world, I have learned to recognize great human collectives and smart technology being applied. It has been very inspirational to find an amazing place with indeed good and world class talented people in Oda.
I am looking forward to share with you the wins and lessons learned in this journey, but I am certain that to bet for the common good of our people, is a transformational victory already.
If I can help with any question about it, you know you can reach out at any time! :)
Oda is a growing company that is looking for talented and diverse people. I can assure, it is worthy to take a look at the opportunities and consider them if you are looking to make a change in this world.
