As a Gen Xer, I did not have the luxury of undergraduate social entrepreneurship classes, but I have been extremely fortunate to have been taught and mentored by great social thought leaders on my journey as both a social intrapreneur and social entrepreneur. It occurred to me that we needed to pass on these lessons from social entrepreneur pioneers, whose experience enables them to share a treasure trove of wisdom with the next generation.
So, I asked them one question: “What advice would you give your younger self?” Here are their responses:
Develop Core Values – Many are attracted to social entrepreneurship “to make a difference” or “to change the world.” Rolfe Larson of Joining Vision and Action suggests you,“Dig deeper to find core values that are personal to you and come directly from your life experience. Then, you can hold on to those core values as those inevitable challenges come your way.”
Be An Intrapreneur First – It seems sexier to start your own social enterprise, but as Jim Schorr, a serial social entrepreneur and CEO of Social Enterprise Alliance, pleads, “The world needs social intrapreneurs just as badly.” As a social intrapreneur at a nonprofit or socially-responsible for-profit company, you get the best of both worlds – building a venture, but with the security of a regular paycheck.
Become a Bridge Builder – Solving our most challenging problems will require social entrepreneurs who can bridge divides and help communities think differently about new solutions. Allyson Hewitt of JW McConnell Family Foundation and Senior Fellow of Social Innovation @MaRS encourages social entrepreneurs to “work for government, nonprofits and the private sector to be able to translate among the different industry ‘languages’ and work toward common goals and solutions.”
Find an Opposite in a Partner – If you do start your own venture, know what you do well and find the opposite in a business partner. As Betsy Densmore of Academies for Social Entrepreneurship notes,
“It is rare for someone to be both a great visionary and a great manager, and a growing business needs both. Without a visionary, the business is less likely to go big and without a manager, the business is not likely to go at all.”
Start with the End in Mind – Every social entrepreneur starts with a dream, but Tamra Ryan of Women’s Bean Project and author of The Third Law encourages us to go one step further. “First, spend time to develop a detailed picture in your mind. Then, create a plan to get you there. Start with the end in mind because if you don’t know where you’re going, how will you know when you get there?”
Change Happens – Social entrepreneurs are in the business of (social) change, yet it can be challenging to implement change within our own organizations. “Change is inevitable – ride with it,” suggests Carla Javits of REDF. REDF, which celebrated its 25th anniversary last year, has shown through its leadership that the best social entrepreneurs incite necessary change and take us all to the next level.
Listen More – One of the blindspots that many social entrepreneurs have is certainty. You need to believe in your idea, but as I tell my students, “Fall in love with the problem, not the solution.” Betsy Densmore of Academies for Social Entrepreneurship shares the same sentiment: “I would listen more and be less certain that I knew best.” Carla Javits agrees and adds, “Don’t be afraid to change your mind.”
Celebrate the Small & Big Successes – While most of the case studies in the classroom are examples of big success, Rolfe Larson of Joining Vision and Action reminds us that the “most meaningful change often happens in small accomplishments never noticed by the media.” He encourages social entrepreneurs to celebrate all success – big and small.
Don’t Quit – The secret to a successful career as a social entrepreneur is persistence and pivoting. As Jerr Boschee of the Institute for Social Entrepreneurs is famous for saying, “Don’t quit until the miracle happens.” And, as Allyson Hewitt proposes, “when you hear the inevitable ‘no’ from an investor or the market, ask for feedback and keep evolving your message.”
I called this piece – Pearls of Wisdom – because pearls only come about through grit and perseverance. The advice of these sages speaks to our shared determination as a community of social entrepreneurs. I hope you will share this piece widely – not only with millennial social entrepreneurs who deserve a head start, but also with Gen Xers who need a dose of inspiration and baby boomers who desire a second act as a changemaker. We need them all to create social change, and we need to work together to share our hard-won best practices. We welcome you to comment on these or share your own lessons for the benefit of us all.
I don’t understand this: “Fall in love with the problem, not the solution.” My problem is high unemployment in my area. I want to create jobs and the solution is job development. Please explain.
Listen More – One of the blindspots that many social entrepreneurs have is certainty. You need to believe in your idea, but as I tell my students, “Fall in love with the problem, not the solution.” Betsy Densmore of Academies for Social Entrepreneurship shares the same sentiment: “I would listen more and be less certain that I knew best.” Carla Javits agrees and adds, “Don’t be afraid to change your mind.”
Hilda:
I am so glad you asked this question – it is THE fundamental “way of thinking” that differentiates social entrepreneurs from the traditional charitable approach.
(BTW – we have a step-by-step process called “Social Alchemy” that we covered in a past SEE Change article that might be helpful too. Go to http://socialimpactarchitects.com/wp/social-alchemy-transforming-problems-into-ideas-that-change-the-world)
First, social entrepreneurs are fixated on the problem they are solving, not the solution. So, in your case, why does your community have high unemployment? Is it related to education, a skill gap, or barriers to employment? You could create jobs – as a solution – but not solve the problem – high unemployment. So, the first step in social alchemy is to understand the problem through research, conversations with those impacted, and mapping of existing resources.
Second, social entrepreneurs believe that the best solutions are bottom up – they bring those we serve into the solution. In your case, you have two customers – employers AND employees. What jobs do the people in your area want? What would get them to a livable wage? What are the high vacancy jobs that employers cannot fill? Where is the best nexus between job demanded and job supplied? etc.
So, if you follow this logic, you aren’t just creating jobs, you are creating a vibrant future for your community. A strong pipeline of employment. Renewed economic development. Living wage careers (vs. jobs) with benefits. Wrap-around services that support employment through effective distribution of transportation and childcare. You get the idea – this is precisely how we as social entrepreneurs think and solve problems (vs. falling in love a solution.)
I welcome any feedback and/or additions from others.