Many years ago, when I was a college student, the prof assigned what ultimately proved to be an arduous task. He asked that we define the word synergy and write a paper making specific application to our leadership-oriented coursework. An internet search of the word netted me a big fat “0”. Encyclopedias had no such listing. I was absolutely unable to find any reference to the word synergy!
Not so today. Google the word synergy and a multitude of paradigms rush to our computer’s screen. Wikipedia speaks of synergy in the context of organizational behavior, but the model embraces a multi-disciplined approach to teams of cerebral benefactors rendering, with certainty, the belief that a cohesive group is more (much more) than the sum of its parts. Synergistically, a group has the capacity to outperform any individual member. Synergistic technology, entertainment, or investigation manifestly outperforms and over-powers its obsolete counterpart the solitary mastermind, the virtuoso performer, even the pioneering researcher.
Another new term, “locavesting” has been coined and is now beginning to emerge in Main Street communities across the country. Amy Cortese, author of “Locavesting: The Revolution in Local Investing and How to Profit From It” describes a culture where communities are rebuilt and sustainability is secured through homegrown support. According to Cortese, Americans have about $26 trillion dollars in investments. Consider the ripple effect if a small portion of those funds was reinvested locally. A seasoned local investor can realistically, and with financial savvy, deliver the keystone that completes a financially feasible package to a budding entrepreneur.
If just one percent of America’s investments were retained at the local level, within 50 miles of home, a phenomenal $260 billion would yield the financial bedrock needed by small communities to aid in their quest to rebuild historic Main Streets across this great nation. Micro investment, the pooling of cash by small investors in backyard investment funds; co-op investment funds, most of which are owned by workers or consumers; or a local stock exchange, encouraging micro-business stock options generating a pool of resources retained for the benefit of the local economy are all prudent investment vehicles.