LinkedIn Roulette: My Unexpected Dive into the World of ‘Less is More’ and ‘I’m Possible’

Welcome to the realm of LinkedIn where your ordinary day can turn into a full-blown adventure, all thanks to a couple of algorithms playing cupid. Here’s my story. As an Open University Business School (OUBS) grad of 2011, I thought I’d seen it all. Until one day, a casual LinkedIn post of mine did a tango with the OUBS Alumni algorithm, leading me to a swanky invite to the Institute of Directors. 

This wasn’t your typical stuffy networking event. Nope. This was an intellectual Cirque du Soleil. Our ringmasters, Dr. Richard Longman of OUBS, and Alison Sturgess Durden from Mayden, steered us through a rollercoaster ride of disruptive ideas and served up “Less is More” as the main course.

Centre stage was taken by a company that decided to play corporate Jenga – yanking out the management layer and leaving everyone to wonder if they’ve cracked the code to shared responsibility and success. And then, like an unexpected dessert, we were introduced to the trailblazers of the degrowth movement, questioning our unabashed love for economic output.

The minute it kicked off, I felt like I’d hopped in a time machine back to my caffeine-fuelled MBA days. This was a speed dating event, where the only constant was the electric hum of brilliance ready to collide.

And that’s the beauty of OUBS – it’s a melting pot of minds from every walk of life, all thirsty for knowledge. Seriously, where else can you find yourself mid-debate with a nun, a nurse, and a soldier about competitive strategy? Your move, Harvard!

As we navigated this intellectual maze, ‘Less is More’ struck a chord, reminding me of my time with purpose-driven giants like Virgin, Phillips, Schneider Electric, and now eEnergy. These guys aren’t just busy lining investor pockets – they’re creating positive ripples throughout their ecosystem.

While each has its unique taste, they all share a recipe: a clear purpose, mission, vision, values, and a dollop of steadfast belief. And here’s a secret sauce – belief. It’s like a magic spell that transforms ordinary into extraordinary, just like you’d see at the Apple WWDC or Meta’s HQ. 

And speaking of extraordinary, let’s talk eEnergy. Forget plush executive suites and leather thrones – we’re about shared spaces, collaboration, and the goal of Unleashing Net Zero. For us, sales figures aren’t just numbers; they’re steps towards a greener Earth. Our squad of 130 ‘I’m Possibles’ reduced our customers’ carbon footprint by a jaw-dropping 6 million trees last year!

Why ‘I’m Possibles,’ you ask? We at eEnergy are firm believers in the power of possibility, transforming the gargantuan task of Net Zero into an ‘I’m Possible’ mission. It’s not just wordplay, it encapsulates our ethos of turning roadblocks into rocket fuel.

Ever since my grad cap took flight, I’ve been riding the ‘Less is More’ rollercoaster, journeying through a maze of experiences, challenges, and personal growth. A toast to OUBS for sparking this thrilling expedition, for igniting the innovator within me, and for fuelling a passion that now illuminates my daily life. Here’s to turning the ‘impossible’ into ‘I’m Possible!’ and to a sustainable future driven by belief and tenacity.

A special thanks goes out to Louise from the OUBS Alumni Network. Her random act of kindness delivered a delightful punch of nostalgia, serving as a reminder of the profound influence a nurse, a nun, and a soldier have had on my thinking. It’s true what they say, we are Always Open.

Cass Swallow

Cass is an OU Business School MBA alumnus and ‘Chief Pickle Fixer’ of eEnergy, whose vision is to make NetZero possible and profitable for all organisations. Cass’s self-proclaimed Chief Pickle Fixer is based on his thoughts that: “We humans have woven a complex tapestry of challenges for our planet — quite a cosmic pickle, indeed. My mission? To deftly untangle this web, one strand at a time, igniting a chain reaction of sustainable solutions for our world.”

Find out more about Cass. Connect with Cass on LinkedIn.