Social Entrepreneurs have to implement their vision while staying true to themselves. The journey begins with you; this truth and your beliefs are at center stage of the journey. This blog shares a few lessons learned to help you “Stay True to You”.
Learn Who You Are – During my first decade out of college, I worked at various professional jobs and gained valuable work skills and experiences. I always knew that there was so much more that I could accomplish. I am an ingenious, independent thinker with a desire to implement solutions that improve communities. All of these inner desires pointed to one conclusion, I am a Social Entrepreneur.
I didn’t have help at the beginning of my journey. This step is so crucial that the Institute has made available an online assessment tool to help determine “Who You Are”?
Relationship Criteria – How often do we connect with people only to find that they are not the right fit. The challenge is that we may be too trusting. We may also lack criteria to gauge our relationships.
Criteria are simply a detailed list of attributes or character qualities we desire from relationships, associations and business partnerships. While creating the list may see simple, the implementation may be a challenge. There are two truths I have come to embrace:
- Match a person’s actions with the criteria as opposed to what they tell you.
- Watch how people model the criteria with others. You don’t have to be a guinea pig.
Teach People How to Value You – Armed with your own relationship criteria, I recommend that you begin showing people how to value by modeling and teaching people how you want to be treated. In order to do this successfully, you may have to alternate roles and act out how you want people to respond and treat you.
Let the Institute help you through the process of Staying True to You.