We were told that there are two problems in Russia: fools and roads. In my opinion, the key problem is that this country lacks a key idea or mission.
Last year, during a Clubhouse meeting with Arkady Dvorkovich, I asked the question, “What is Russia’s mission?” The high-ranking leader of the country was unable to provide an answer. In my opinion, the lack of understanding of where people are going is the key problem in the country. If such an influential person cannot answer this question, then how will the head of the police department, housing and utilities department, bank or region answer it? If these people do not understand the vision of the country, then they are left to pursue only their personal interests.
When I first came to America, I asked myself, “Why do they do what they can’t do in other countries?” And I realized that the main difference between this place and others is that here everyone understands the key idea, which is as follows: if you do something with your own hands, sell it, and pay taxes, the state will protect the interests of its citizens and provide them with the necessary infrastructure to effectively earn money.
If we look at any Silicon Valley corporation, they all have a key idea, principles that help employees choose priority tasks to achieve this vision.