Interview with Charles Kovess – Australasia’s Passion Provocateur

- a lesson in creative and constructive thinking.

Charles Kovess was the keynote speaker at the recent Australian Building Codes Board Conference and exhibition, Building Australia’s Future 2009, and Charles spoke on the seven strategies one can utilise in developing passionate performance and effectiveness in his address, A Passion for Creating Our Future.

Charles spoke to WinterComms' Max Winter, about life, responsibility, passion and performance.

WinterComms: During your presentation you mentioned that you were personally involved in some sustainability initiatives – can you outline these for our readers?

CK: There were four big ones, and they include sustainability at a personal level and at a global level. At a personal level I spread the message regarding how do we look after ourselves, and how do we have to behave to stick around for 120 years, (which is what I believe we are designed to do), and that means physically, mentally, spiritually.

At a global level, I am a trustee of the Global Energy Network Institute (GENI) which is a body that promotes the use of renewable energy from six sources which are solar, wind, tidal, geothermal, biomass and hydro.

GENI promotes the use and interlinking of energy generating stations through a global grid network, a bit like the internet. I am also involved in a new technology to convert waste water to potable water, instead of dumping it in the sea, particularly in Australia. In Melbourne alone 950 million litres of fresh water is discharged into the ocean. I have learnt that the ocean does not need the water, we do.

I am also an organic farmer. Since 1976 my family has owned an organic farm and we have learned that nutrition is a core element of sustainability – nutrition for the planet, and also nutrition for me. So organic farming and waste water (sewage) conversion to class A water, renewable energy, and mental, physical and spiritual balance form the basis of my activities, and my message to others.

WinterComms: In your presentation you mentioned the Buckminster Fuller Institute. What impact does Buckminster Fuller have on your work?

My work is based on the philosophy of Buckminster Fuller, which in essence is about understanding how the universe employs design and how we can behave in accordance with its principles.

In this way we can make the planet work for more than just the minority. I was always inspired by the Buckminster Fuller vision of making the world work for everybody, without harming the planet.

The Buckminster Fuller Institute was founded after he died and it contains a lot of wonderful information. I have 21 hours of video about his work, and he was not only a genius, but he also said that every one of us was a genius. He was disciplined; he worked tirelessly and slept four hours a night and died at the age of 87 after a life of amazing output. His thinking was 50 years ahead of his time, and he always thought in global terms. He also maintained that he was a normal person and that anyone was capable of doing what he had achieved.

WinterComms: An interesting line of thought to adopt in his time. We live in a global economy, with global outcomes, and yet in other respects governments still tend to think, react and behave from a national rather than global perspective.

CK: It is true. As Buckminster Fuller said, there are no countries from outer space. That is the governments in play. As I said in my presentation, revolution never starts with the monarchy – the people at the top of the pile do not want anything to change. Countries are formed so that the next set of leaders in power can make things comfortable for themselves, regardless of who they harm.

One of the principles I have learned is that increased truth reduces politics. My goal in my education is to challenge people to speak about what is true for them. Not the absolute truth, but what is true for them. One example is in schools and in organisations: when there is a lot of truth there is little bullying. Bullying thrives in an environment where there is little truth.

And while employees and whistleblowers get into trouble, my challenge is to educate people to be responsible for the planet, to be responsible for themselves, and to be responsible for their own actions.

When they accept that, people stop looking to avoid risk, because you cannot live a risk-free life. Secondly, when you stop trying to avoid risk, you discover your passion. Your passion in turn, is the source of your courage in facing the challenges posed by risk.

The illusion we face is that our governments try to sell us what is termed the “Social Compact”. That is, if you keep your nose clean, we the government will look after you.

And they do to some degree, but we pay a big price. We pay a big price with our mental health, and we pay a big price with how things are run and the impact that we are having on the planet, and for future generations.

I know a small proportion of scientists are saying we are not having any impact on the planet, the vast majority of scientists are saying that we are having a significant impact on the planet. I believe we ARE having an impact on the planet.

Buckminster Fuller presented to a building conference, a designed building that used much less energy to build and much less energy to maintain, so we know the technology exists, but the vested interests in the existing manufacturing processes block the new technologies coming in.
Coal producers for example, they are the monarchy. The revolution will not start with the coal producers, and when the government says we will lose jobs if we move from coal, that is just part of the game of keeping the monarchy where it is.

The coal producers have the money, and the nuclear producers have the money. The nuclear producers say that nuclear is the only option. That is such a lie, and if you spread a lie often enough, then people believe it.

WinterComms: Is there anything you would like to add?
CK: This question of our responsibility.

Most organisations make the mistake of talking about responsibility and accountability and interchanging the two words. There is an important distinction. Accountability is our job description, externally imposed on us. Responsibility is internally generated, and my wish is for every Australian to say “I am responsible for the future of the country. Therefore, because I have children or because I am going to have children I am going to personally behave in a way that minimises my impact on the planet. And secondly, if I see something that needs to be done, I encourage people to do what they see needs to be done”.

We do not need permission from people to make things happen. We don’t need permission to stand for parliament.

The other thought I want to share is this. Every achievement that a human being achieves requires hard work. If it does not require hard work we do not call this an achievement, but our society is all about making life easy. So here is this ridiculous paradox where people say "come and do this it is easy", but then if we only do easy things, we have no sense of achievement.

I believe this desire to look for the easy way is one of the core reasons why there is so much mental distress, poor mental health and depression in our society, because so many people are not putting themselves in difficult situations. It is only through difficulty that we grow, we do not grow by taking the easy route.

So my encouragement to people is to do what you think needs to be done regardless of how hard it appears – you will grow through that process. I look at the quality of my problems and they keep getting bigger, and as Buckminster Fuller said, the reward for dealing with problems, is bigger problems.

7 strategies for passionate performance in your life:
1. Write your goals in the areas of Mind, Body and Spirit.
2. Accept that you create your own unique picture of reality.
3. Know yourself! Self-knowledge is the key to wisdom.
4. Access your courage to take risks and make mistakes.
5. Be willing to be uniquely you.
6. Invest 5% of your time and income in your own learning, growth and development.
7. Take responsibility for your life: don’t blame others.

7 strategies for passionate performance in your organisation:
1. Create an inspirational corporate purpose and vision.
2. Decide the values of the organisation and then live by them.
3. Balance Mind, Body and Spirit in the workplace.
4. Adopt clear rules to handles mistakes.
5. Accept and encourage the uniqueness of each person.
6. Invest in learning growth and development.
7. Give loyalty to employees.

www.kovess.com