Entrepreneurship can be a powerful force for creating economic stability and weakening extremist groups but entering new and developing markets paves the way for global expansion. But for entrepreneurs in this global age, the next step of building required infrastructure can also entail enormous obstacles, like government corruption, a local lack of education and violent extremism.
Read More“We are honored to support the great work of Linking the World, an organization with great leadership that works tirelessly to build resilient communities in areas of instability and conflict,” says Pete Haas, Managing Partner, AlliedBarton. “We know that our security is dependent upon proactive measures overseas, and that’s why we are today pledging an additional $10,000 of support.”
As leaders, we tend to approach business challenges with tactical, battle-ready mindsets. However, with this mentality, relational obstacles can often separate us from our teams and the goals we hope to accomplish. Here are three ways to practice empathy and triumph over interpersonal barriers:
Read MoreSocial Innovation Conference Keynote Speaker on Passion As Your Purpose
Read MoreCorporations, in particular, have the infrastructure, supply chains, experience and relationships to help respond quickly. It’s great when companies contribute their assets to relief efforts, but sometimes the best intentions actually cause more problems than they solve. For example, when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, we saw a candy company donate bags of Halloween candy to the affected children. Can you imagine children — who have just lost everything and, in many cases, family members — opening up skeleton-shaped candy suckers?
Read MoreThe collective goal of disaster response NGOs is to save lives, relieve suffering, and foster hope and resilience that will empower people to begin rebuilding. In Nepal, $422 million is needed for these efforts, yet only 30 percent of that amount has been raised at the time of this writing. Collaboration and coordination between agencies is imperative, and the development of public-private partnerships is also critical. Lessons learned must be quickly applied to future disaster scenarios.
Read MoreFocused on breaking cycles of poverty by offering humanitarian aid, empowering communities and advancing empathy, Linking the World is not your average NGO. Their methods are unique: forward-thinking partnerships that maximize the effectiveness of both parties, and innovative programs designed to render their own company's presence obsolete.
"The old models that are created by charities and donors have put pressure on organizations to raise and spend money to ensure the continuation of projects. Many charities are funding these programs just to be sustained as organizations, with programs that are not really even needed or effective but are sexy to a donor,"
Read MoreWomen in nonprofits have long been perceived as needing different skills and holding different life goals than women in the for-profit sector. But as corporate responsibility takes hold and more for-profit organizations become mission-driven, the line between nonprofit and for-profit is blurring.
Read MoreThe response to the disaster made history, too: It marked the first time that unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, were used to save lives and provide relief in the aftermath of a storm.
UAVs were sent into the disaster zone to provide 3D mapping of the devastated landscape and to locate survivors. The UAVs were even loaded with supplies such as water, medicine, and radios. All of this happened before boots ever hit the ground.
Read MoreEmpathy is misunderstood. It's confused for pity, and it's associated with victims, "soft skills" and fuzzy feelings.
Even "experts" from a well-intentioned nonprofit can get it wrong. They'll land in a poverty-stricken community and start building schools, flying in foreign volunteer teachers, donating truckloads of school supplies and shipping in biweekly deliveries of grain. But in trying to end the cycle of poverty, the organization only creates another devastating cycle--one of dependency.
Read MoreSpeed is everything in today’s tech-driven business world. In an effort to speed up even more, some so-called progressive business leaders are scrapping in-person meetings in favor of the latest high-tech solutions.
But this prioritization of speed over face time grossly underestimates the power of human interaction and the importance of face-to-face communication. If the point of business were simply to accomplish as many tasks as possible, then yes, an email would probably do. But that’s not what real leadership is about.
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