Though the modern business world overflows with opportunity, the majority of the public nestles in fear of the future and instead clings to the past. While posting “opportunity” in a world grappling with the daily mention of “financial meltdowns” seems impossible to most, connectivity has given rise to truly a global village that further lowers the barriers to business entry.

Yet this Global Village in all its McLuhan grandeur has a sticking point, a link in the chain that seems to have rusted over as it is falling victim to the sins of a society trapped in fear, overwhelmed by arrogance and unready to welcome technological change as well as expanding investment in education.

There is little debate that the financial purse strings to a never ending supply of debt are being cut. Yesterday’s promise means little when the marker comes with another re-upping of debt and the only way to break the cycle is through education, which includes shifting with technological tides.

Dyed in wool contrarians can see this opportunity and like an apple blossom on tree it needs time to mature and ripen. It’s there, you can see it and just need to nurture it properly and the harvest will prove to be a bountiful but you must be willing to invest.

Yet seeing against the grain and nurturing are foreign to many who have been subjected to poor leadership that has laid blame anywhere other than pointing directly towards the mirror and acknowledging errors of the past. The future or at-least the present-day is the fault of collective society that has run amuck with nonsensical spending habits of a stream of widgets but carefully avoiding education or this not-so little thing called a “savings function”.

It is a hard and fast error to reduce funding in education as it only guarantees lowered job opportunities and an endless array of societal problems. The sins of the modern leader is not being truthful and informing the public that without a solid investment in education, the future will be bleak. For regions that do not invest in education or for matter allows budgets to be reduced in the area it is highly likely the only investment your area will see in the future is with low paying jobs, further brought on by a devalued currency. This should not give rise to the idea that education is purely related to job creation as its benefit runs deeps throughout all of society.

Yet the future does not need to be bleak as it merely requires the classic notion of a “flight to quality” but instead of accumulating a blue-chip equity portfolio, invest in education and begin bringing the gaps of connectivity. The social media revolution has put the doorway of opportunity within the grasp of many but now you must turn the handle and awaken to the possibilities of a business frontier where the barriers to entry crumble.

Listen, learn and engage.

Written by John Davies
©John Davies Worldwide Productions, 2011
All rights reserved

John Davies is available on his personal page on Facebook and Twitter.