Being in the same room with Goodall was personally very inspirational. I recall the first time I met Elie Wiesel and thinking I was with a larger than life figure, one of the great people of recent human history, a man who represents decency, personal integrity and wisdom. It was the same with Goodall on Wednesday.

But as I listened to her speak, I grew increasingly uncomfortable with her message, that human progress was imperiling the world and that the way to address that was by somehow turning the dial down, or off, on that progress.

Mostly because of the work I do representing corporate clients, many of whom are struggling to identify their role in addressing the issues Goodall eloquently champions, I was eager to hear her vision about how to create a sustainable economic future for the world.

Unfortunately, that vision is more spiritual than practical; more Native American than modern; more about excluding the rewards of economic progress from people's lives than balancing the desire for those rewards with the realities of the environmental damage that unchecked growth can cause.

It is simply and unrealistic vision in a world in which the billions of people in China, India, Brazil, Indonesia and elsewhere are trying to lift their families from poverty to a better life through economic development and growth.

Given her potential influence and credibility, I wish she would begin talking about the tangible movement among global corporations to align their values and futures with the needs of the broader society. I wish she had told her audience that young people cannot go backward to save the world, but instead must work to ensure that government and business, the two most powerful forces on the planet, work together to create a sustainable future.

I wish she had said that business can be a force for good, and that she was working to educate business leaders about how to lead organizations that have good purpose at the core.