You're a new leader in Social Impact. What mistakes should you avoid?

As a new social impact leader, the mistakes to avoid are: * Make social impact a part of the P&L * Adopt an amalgam of top-down and bottom-up approach. * Keep regard of socio-economic-political-cultural local context. * Don't undermine the importance of Innovation, Digital technology and AI

🪢 In Spanish we have this saying: "el que mucho abarca, poco aprieta" (or in English "Jack of all trades, master of none"). This means thinking you can do everything at once, but not to the depth and quality necessary. 🎯 It's great to have ambitious goals! Just make sure they're also realistic. I remember when I first started I wanted to: 1) end world hunger, 2) become the Dominican Republic's first female president, and 3) work at the UN.😆 🏵️ None of these things have become a reality, and yet I know I have had an impact. Once I realized I couldn't do everything at once, my goals changed significantly. I decided to focus on one topic area, and then this one led me to new ones that I wouldn't have even dreamed of. So start small! 🐜

Leadership requires the skill of listening to understand. Having advised top leaders in both the public and private sectors, I believe bringing together diverse voices, even opposing voices or those of our critics, spurs thoughtful solutions to entrenched problems. And listening - truly listening - to understand people and their priorities and pain points can help drive change for impact.

To bring in social change you must be an empathetic person first. That starts with listening to what your target group is feeling, through their own words. Once you start feeling what they are going through, affecting the change becomes easier as now you are closer to that target group. The second most important thing thereafter is to Never assume you have become one(of that group). So, seek the feedback on your ideas, on your work, in its impact and Listen. Repeat.

Para novos profissionais, especialmente de Impacto Social, que é uma área tão sensível, ouvir MAIS e procurar mentores ou opiniões de pessoas mais experientes na área é o fator mais importante para entrantes da profissão, especialmente para os casos de profissionais que já são experientes em outras áreas.

Burnout is pervasive in social impact work. Many social impact professionals find themselves trapped in a burnout cycle. It doesn’t have to be this way. Make your health and wellbeing your first priority. This will help ensure that you are as effective as possible and can stay in this work as long as possible. Critical self-care tools that support both your health and efficacy as a social impact professional include adequate sleep and other forms of rest, mindfulness practices that support nervous system regulation, and more.

Comemorar e dedicar tempo para "avaliar o que deu certo". Esse aprendizado e identificar os fatos que mais contribuíram para o sucesso é especialmente estratégico para novos profissionais.

It is incredibly important to surround yourself with people who share your values and vision as a social impact leader. Your team, as well as people that you receive advice from will play a huge role in your success. Make sure that you involve advisors who have the right expertise in the field. You will need a different set of skills and expertise from people that you work with over time, as you grow professionally, and your social venture develops. You need to be flexible enough to receive feedback from people you work with and make the best decisions for your social venture based on the information that is available to you.

Não seguir os exemplos que, infelizmente, mais abundam no setor: lideranças egocêntricas e pouco coerentes entre seu discurso e suas ações. Menos ferramentas, menos compliance, menos consultorias da moda e mais transparência, mais diálogo, mais pés no chão e mais 'walk the talk'. Eu sei, meio óbvio, mas que anda em falta no setor social e ambiental nos tempos atuais.