Start small, think broadly to guide Atlanta to new heights

Lets start with a question to business, political and social leaders in Atlanta. Do you believe that we can become a Top 20 city in the world to work, live and play in the next 10 years? If not, why not?

If you were to go back 25 years, would you have imagined that a tiny island in the South China Sea, surrounded by Third World poverty, would become one of the leading cities in the world? Or that a tiny desert trading post in the Persian Gulf would become one of the most sought-after destinations in the world for business and play? Compared to Atlanta, both Singapore and Dubai were surrounded by weaker economies, and had far greater challenges with regard to global reputation. Both these cities outrank Atlanta as places to work, play and live. According to a 2013 Citi-Knight Frank study, Singapore is 6th, Dubai is 29th among the Top 40 cities in the world. Atlanta doesn’t feature.

A fiscal conservative recently suggested, oblivious to the irony, that those cities achieved these great results because they are led by dictators. Dubai and Singapore don’t exemplify “small government” ideology. But, if we believe in freedom, surely this isn’t a disadvantage for Atlanta?

It is obvious that you cannot develop economic strength without looking at the holistic development of a city. Education, art and lifestyle are as important as economic incentives. If a region isn’t a great place to live in, it won’t be a great place to set up a business.

Great human endeavors are led by people who can imagine a future unconstrained by current realities. You would have been crazy 50 years ago to believe Singapore and Dubai could be what they are now. For a city which is the birthplace of the civil rights movement, Atlanta can, and should, embrace its potential to be a world leader where people of all races and ethnicities prosper and thrive — and become a Top 20 city in the world.

Once a transformative vision is in place, let’s identify the critical barriers to achieving it. The most critical barriers are invisible. These are the emotional resistors to change. Beliefs based on prejudice or fears ruin the strongest of societies. The best approach is to figure out how to ease these fears through empathy rather than confrontation. It’s the only way that leads to sustainable change.

Facilitating cross-sector groups to brainstorm solutions, to overcome both emotional and rational barriers, will invariably lead to many plausible ideas. The challenge will be to gain adoption for these ideas from vested interests. The most effective strategy is to start small with a select group of action-oriented dreamers, and stay under the radar till the idea matures.