1+1=1000 (The reason for the Junior-Senior Talks, by Alfons Cornella)

Two things have proven especially fascinating for me in the last fifteen years: one has been to visit "mature", solid Spanish enterprises that are highly respected in the world (some of them for having transformed their sector), and the other has been to meet young people with very bold ideas who show that we could stand in the forefront of the world. The problem is that I have almost never seen an initiative in which the two "worlds" (solid companies and emerging youth) go hand in hand. In other words, I either come upon "solidity" (well established firms that operate by exploiting the market) or "vision" (initiatives that arise by exploring opportunities). In short, there are few examples of "solid vision" on the Spanish economic or social scene, or at least that is my impression.

Nevertheless, I have the feeling that the future is one of dreams come true. It is a future of inventing with passion, of tuning in on people, of allowing people to be happier by solving their problems and stimulating their imagination. This future is the result of "efficiency" and "difference", of "doing well by doing good", which requires a combination of the experience of the seniors and the passion of the juniors (and the other way around as well).

In the "visual conclusions" of IMPULSA 2010, I dared to make a synthetic proposal to the people in attendance: I told the hundreds of experienced professionals in the auditorium: "Put a young person in your life". I did this because I sincerely believe that the big challenges that Spain now faces and will face in the near future cannot be met without multiplying experience by imagination.

It makes no sense to waste the energy of the seniors (experience) and of the juniors (imagination). We have to create the necessary conditions so that these two groups can combine their assets. We need more spaces where restless people in business suits and casual wear can meet.

At IMPULSA, we have been looking at things in this way from the beginning. We proposed that different seniors and juniors should talk together openly in order to reach some specific recommendations, and the result is to be found here.

What has most pleasantly surprised me is how much the participants have enjoyed their experience. Indeed, I think they will become spokespeople for the idea that today's problems are so complex that we should all get down to solving them, each with our own particular "energy", because if one thing is clear it is that there is just one world and we have to share it.

1+1 no longer makes 2. If what is added up is passion and experience, in an open environment where ideas and effort are valued, the result is whatever we want it to be: 3, 1,000 or 100,000.

So let's add things together! Let's multiply imagination by experience in a big way.