Our next moon goal — the best for the world

InvestmentNews proudly welcomes Dr. Benjamin Akande, senior vice president of global human resource enterprise, head of diverity and inclusion, and lead director of environment, sustainability and governance at Stifel Financial Corp., to our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Board. As a distinguished economist and visionary leader, Dr. Akande has graciously provided an inspiring message for the InvestmentNews audience, which we are pleased to share with our readers. His dedication to fostering a diverse and sustainable business landscape will inspire and resonate as we partner with Dr. Akande and the board to bring our readers meaningful insights and analysis. 

On July 20, America celebrated the 54^th anniversary of the first moon landing and moonwalk. The original goal was established by President John F. Kennedy, pursued by President Lyndon B. Johnson, and celebrated by President Richard M. Nixon in 1969. It was a true representation of bipartisanship through three administrations. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin did what many considered impossible: They validated that man could reach, land on, and walk on the moon. It was the ultimate stretch goal that came to fruition.

Having suffered through the assassinations of two public figures just a year earlier and continuing to deal with a nation divided over rights issues and a lingering war in Vietnam, America then had seen brighter days. And yet, amid all the trials came a spark of glory, a dream of an accomplishment that would transcend all differences and bring unity to our nation. This begs the question: What will be the modern version of our moon goal? 

The moon goal was a big and ambitious national goal but not one that was hard to build consensus on. It did not require a real trade-off other than the argument that the money dedicated to it might have been better spent elsewhere. No one argued it was an insult to religion to send a man to the moon. No one said a moon landing would deprive ordinary Americans of a fundamental right or destroy life on earth as we know it. My challenge to America as we contemplate our next moon goal is to seek goals that will garner consensus and demand that political leadership be willing to put aside personal and political differences to achieve them.

I have been thinking about what this means for today’s generation of young people and the nation as a whole. Can we dare to set such an ambitious goal, and are we possessed of the urgency to accomplish it? What will America be renowned for in 50 years? Can we dare to set a goal that will benefit society and foster the people’s will to do what we considered impossible?

Walking on the moon confirmed that great accomplishments can come out of great adversity. But don’t misunderstand my conjecture; I am not espousing that we seek to be first in anything, or that we gauge our success by claiming to be the very best. Instead, this is a challenge to all of us to set a goal that will have a permanent impact on America and our world, one that will not be limited to just being the first or the best in the world. Rather, our next moon goal should be motivated by doing what’s best for the world. Perhaps, we should contemplate goals like curing cancer or improving global literacy. What is not negotiable is that the goals must find consensus and should not have an outcome that seems to redistribute resources from one group to another or creates circumstances that help some and hurt others.

The anniversary of the Apollo II mission validates the power of a stretch goal. Going to the moon began with the conception of a dream, its lofty delivery, from the simple but delicate physics of a bird in flight to the extraterrestrial marvel of Neil Armstrong, whose one small step was a giant leap for mankind. So, as we celebrate this monumental accomplishment, we should look at that famous walk with renewed appreciation for the creativity that is unique to America. And we should seek to ensure that our next goal, like the moon goal, makes a permanent impression.

Benjamin Ola. Akande, Ph.D., is senior vice president at Stifel Financial Corp., and former president at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, and Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont.