Successful people acknowledging how luck has helped them along the way
Huge increases in wealth in the UK in recent years have combined with high levels of wealth inequality to produce a record ‘wealth gap’; the richest 50 families have more wealth than the poorest half of the population, while nearly three in 10 children live in poverty. Wealth inequality undermines economic growth, social cohesion and democracy, in large part because it undermines the social contract, devaluing hard work by making what you own more important than what you earn, and depriving people of opportunities to exercise agency, maximise their potential and contribute to society. While 85% of the British public are concerned about inequality, few politicians see tackling inequality as a priority.
A key blocker to progress is the grip that the meritocratic myth has on many people – the idea that ‘you can make it if you try’, that success is down to individual talent and hard work. This idea legitimises inequality and undermines actions to tackle it, including government policies to share wealth across society and to reduce the negative impacts of wealth inequality. Although the meritocratic myth is increasingly contradicted by observable reality, it retains a strong hold in the UK. The best way to counter it is for people who have achieved material success to acknowledge the ways in which they have benefited from luck as well as merit - that factors beyond their control have played a role in getting them to where they are.
Tailwinds is a concept for a campaign to amplify the voices of successful Britons who are willing to publicly recognise that their success owes something to luck, to factors outside their control, as well as to their hard work and talent. Its members will sign up to a very simple statement along these lines.
They will also be asked to publish something more personal – in writing or on camera – that explores this in more detail. This might, for example, look at how they benefited from good luck in terms of the circumstances of their birth, as well as from specific examples of good luck during their lives (and their ability or willingness to make the most of this luck).
We’re looking for successful people with public profiles in the UK, in any field, who recognise that luck has played a part in getting them to where they are today. If you fit this description, please complete the online form, and we’ll be in touch. There’s no obligation to do anything if you change your mind.