QUOTES
"Social
entrepreneurs are not content just to give a fish or teach how to fish. They will
not rest until they have revolutionized the fishing industry."
The
core psychology of a social entrepreneur is someone who cannot come to rest, in
a very deep sense, until he or she has changed the pattern in an area of social
concern all across society. Social entrepreneurs are married to a vision of, for
example, a better way of helping young people grow up or of delivering global
healthcare. They simply will not stop because they cannot be happy until their
vision becomes the new pattern. They will persist for decades. And they are as
realistic as they are visionary. As a result, they are very good listeners. They
have to hear if something isn’t working; and, whenever they do, they just keep
changing the idea and/or the environment until their idea works. They are intensely
concerned with the how-to’s: How do I get from here to there? How do I solve this
problem? How do these pieces fit together?
The
biggest problem is getting beyond the “you can’t” syndrome. The moment you figure
that out, you’re on your way to flying. Anyone who cannot see problems around
him or herself is utterly blind. All the problems sitting there are an invitation
for you to be creative, make use of your skills and resources and find a solution.
Of course you can do it. It doesn’t require brilliance. It’s just giving yourself
permission and then being persistent. Persistent in seeing the problem or opportunity
and persistent in thinking about it until you have come up with some interesting
ideas that might change the pattern. It’s really a mindset, not anything in the
objective world — that is the problem.
What
is the most powerful lever you can imagine? A big idea, but only if it’s in the
hands of a truly outstanding entrepreneur. It starts with the person and the idea,
and then grows to the institution. All three are intertwined.
