Monday, November 29, 2004

Peace and what it includes

Whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life
keep peace with your soul.
With all its shame, drudgery and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be Cheerful.
Strive to be happy.
[seventeenth century - anonymous]

Monday, November 15, 2004

Three Strategies Social Entrepreneurs Use [Lynn Barendsen & Howard Gardner]

Three strategic approaches help social entrepreneurs in their work: reframing challenges, adhering to a sense of obligation, and discerning measures of success.

> Reframing Challenges
Some social entrepreneurs have the ability to see that something positive, such as a commitment to a cause or to working with an underserved population, can emerge from a painful or tragic situation. Those who have experienced trauma--social entrepreneurs and Schweitzer fellows--demonstrate an ability to reframe these challenges into opportunities for growth.

> Sense of Obligation
Individuals we interviewed in all three groups express a strong sense of obligation to their work and to the people it affects. Schweitzer fellows feel responsible to the communities or causes they serve; business entrepreneurs speak about responsibilities to investors and employees. Social entrepreneurs feel all these obligations, and in some cases this leads to the feeling that they have no alternative but to continue their work. It is important to recognize, however, that although individuals may say they have "no choice" but to continue in their work, they of course choose to do so. Because of their deep convictions, these individuals are willing to respond to and act on their obligations.

> Measuring Success
Social entrepreneurs regularly evaluate their work. Many describe standards by which they measure success. In assessing the value of their work, social entrepreneurs feel the challenges of the other caring professions and face these challenges with businesslike organization and methods. Measuring the impact on a particular population or on behalf of a particular cause is not always easy, and the social entrepreneurs share this challenge with the Schweitzer fellows. For-profit social entrepreneurs face this challenge in a very businesslike manner, by looking at their financial profits. Other, nonprofit social entrepreneurs create clear programmatic methods of assessment that are very much like business plans.

Link to : http://www.l2li.org/leaderbooks/l2l/fall2004/gardner.html