The System: Igniting the Soul of Commerce

Our nation's young people are being poorly prepared for success in tomorrow's workforce. Thousands of programs, policies, and initiatives have failed to generate a scaleable and sustainable way forward. No one reason stands out. No group or institution can be blamed. Every citizen has a share of the responsibility.

Success requires the intentional integration of multiple and diverse stakeholders who have different: motivations, languages, expectations, But who share: a common vision, common values, a systems approach for realizing the development of citizens who have the capacity and capability of living together in a strong and vibrant global economy with desirable communities to thrive in.

Rick Stephens is an executive in the aerospace industry, an expert in systems integration, the author of numerous articles, and a noted speaker on the subject of future workforce. He understands the system of commerce, and in The System, he takes the reader inside his struggles and thoughts as he tells about how he came to understand the soul of commerce.

Elane V. Scott is an expert in systems thinking as it relates to human potential and strategies for future workforce development. For her, The System grew out of friendships with a former President, an Arab leader, a Guru, and a human potential scientist who inspired her to share what she had learned through experience. In The System, she tells the story of her journey to help a leader see beyond bottom-line leadership into the relationship based leadership of the future.