Bananas

More than 3,000 farmers in the hot, steamy jungles of Bolivia stopped growing coca for illegal drugs. Then they grew bananas, which were exported to Argentina. All of this used Getting More tools.

It started outside with 100 people on a blistering summer night in a jungle clearing. No electricity. No light except for my battery-operated computer screen. I wore a suit, on purpose. The growers, their families, the kids, wore little more than rags. There was translator change English to their tribal dialect and back again.

I said that although we seemed really different, we both wanted a better life for ourselves and our children.

It took 10 seconds to make a human connection across distance and culture. They learned how to grow bananas. They took so much pride in quality that the market price matched that of the major global growers.

You can make the connection. You just have to find the emotions to share.