When we are dreaming, we should let ourselves free to dream big dreams. Our dreams are powerful because of their boundlessness – they embody our creative spirits and best talents. Dreaming, like flying, is an art and skill that can be nurtured in ourselves. However, it is fragile like a bird and bounded by the iron cage. The iron cage represents all the voices that prevent us from dreaming freely – whether rationality or feasibility or organizational constraints. We should create more space and freedom for ourselves and our employees to fly beyond the iron cage; which will result in more freedom, risk-taking, and courage to dream big dreams. If we can create gravity-free spaces in our organizations, more employees will be eager to experiment with flying without fear; ultimately building the muscles of power and resilience to visualize, design, prototype, and experiment with better alternatives. We should teach the new generation of students to dream bigger dreams, discovering and unleashing own strengths and passions, following dreams creatively and relentlessly, thinking like an entrepreneur, and designing lives and careers creatively.
We need to move beyond the tired ideological position of the sole legitimate purpose of business being maximizing profit. We need to break free from this iron cage. There is a need to start from scratch, having a renaissance spirit and mind, to dream big dreams. Dreaming is flying; and dreams are our wings. It is time for us to unleash our imagination and set sail to new horizons. We should create more space and freedom for ourselves and our employees to fly beyond the iron cage; which will result in more freedom, risk-taking, and courage to dream big dreams.
We can transform barren workplaces into abundant workplaces by incorporating ‘dreams’ into our organizations. Dreams about a better self, family, community, city, and world. Dreams can be used to visualize, design, and empower spirited organizations of the 21st century; which are engaged with passion, alive with meaning, and connected with compassion.
Dr. Fahri Karakas
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