One Must-Know Mindset Shift for Social Impact Practitioners Who Want to Scale
One Must-Know Mindset Shift For Social Impact Practitioners Who Want To Scale
You’ve been tasked by your company to operationalize purpose – big commitments to “make an impact” on an important social issue – maybe it’s childhood hunger, STEM education or homelessness. You’re charged with engaging employees around this critical issue – at scale. Oh, and it will just be you leading this effort. There’s no budget for additional FTE. When you ask what your budget will be to execute against these huge goals that have the potential to change people’s lives (including those of your employees), it’s a tenth of what you estimate you’d need. Good luck! You’re braving the social impact wilderness alone.
Trust us when we tell you that you are not alone in being an island of one in a sea of lofty, purpose-focused goals with big executive pronouncements but not enough support. Many of our clients find themselves in this exact situation – even those that sit within global, well-resourced organizations are often a team of one, maybe two full-time colleagues sharing the workload that could conceivably be delegated to a full department. In a recent RealTalk webinar, we offered a few thoughts about ways to navigate this lonely social impact landscape without experiencing burnout and being able to maintain your passion for the work. Here are a few highlights (see the recording here).
You may feel alone right now but we have confidence you have what it takes to build something truly excellent! Creating lasting impact starts with you and your ability to embrace that most important mindset shift from “doer” to “leader”. Give yourself permission to start small – choose even one of the baby steps above and see where it leads you. You might be surprised! And remember that we’re here to support your efforts, provide resources where we can and cheer you on as you continue on your social impact journey. If we can be of assistance as you clarify your mission, build your business case and construct a framework, don’t hesitate to reach out!
