Five Trends in Social Entrepreneurship
Written by Frank Talarico Jr. - Huffington Post, December 21, 2017
Social enterprises are sometimes billion-dollar operations, and the social entrepreneurs who lead them need to treat them as such. While our for-profit counterparts have a commitment to their shareholders, the social entrepreneur has an obligation to those we serve. Failure to do our job, especially from the executive suites, places not only dollars, but lives at risk. Dollars are short-term problems, but regaining the public’s trust and undoing harm is a slow and often painful process. Social entrepreneurs cannot afford to risk the suffering of others by tolerating mediocrity.
How do we do better by our stakeholders in 2018? Here are the five trends I expect to see in social enterprise leadership in the coming year.
Leaders will selflessly infuse passion into mission. In 1999, Goodwill of Orange County CEO George Kessinger challenged his team to develop a platform on which donated goods could be sold on the Internet. George always had a personal penchant for technology, but his idea stemmed from an even stronger passion for the organization’s mission. He had the foresight to see that his organization had the opportunity to leverage new tools, create an online movement and forever impact Goodwill nationally and internationally for years to come. His decision originated in his heart, but was motivated by priorities outside of himself. Thus, shopgoodwill.com, the largest nonprofit-run online auction website, was born. This past summer, shopgoodwill.com surpassed the $500 million revenue mark, earned, to-date, for all participating Goodwills in the United States. Expect leaders to drive innovation this year.
Leaders will be cognizant and self-aware. One or two incidents are data points. Several in a similar theme are a trend. Executives and Board Members, alike, will become more aware of organizational and industry trends. As Chairman of the Southern California PGA Foundation Board of Directors, my peers and I recognized a sizeable absence of programs that encourage girls to play the game of golf. In 2017, we launched Clubs Fore Kidsä. In the first year, 300 sets of clubs were distributed to low-income high schools that otherwise wouldn’t have been able to field a girls’ team. We were on to something. In 2018, we will double this number—and still not meet the demand.
Leaders will be held accountable. When the leader fails, understand why. The Board should never “be in the proverbial weeds,” but they have a fiduciary responsibility to “be in the know.” Additionally, the Board must engage in critical practice of succession planning. In the event of an abrupt or even planned transition, how will the incumbent leave and how might a replacement be found are the first two questions that must be considered. As social enterprises engage in a paradigm shift toward sustainability, consistent leadership will become a significant tenet of that shift.
Leaders will remain relevant. Leaders set organizational vision and tone. The leader establishes the enterprise’s personality and his or her team’s culture. And sometimes leaders run their course. Those entrusted with a social enterprises’ future will be more aggressive in 2018 about assessing tenure and deciding if the organization demands a fresh perspective.
Leaders will inspire others. Leaders ought to be bold, but not reckless. Leaders need to be focused, but not immovable. Goodwill of Orange County’s relationship with the NFL Retired Players Congress in support of our Veterans is a fine example. The work we have done, thus far, for Veterans inspired the NFL Retired Players Congress to join forces with us and, together, make an even larger difference in the service of those who have so selflessly served our nation. To even begin the work we now do at our Tierney Center for Veteran Services, we had to collaborate with others. Today, the Tierney Center is a national model for the delivery of Veteran Services in America. In 2018, you will hear more extraordinary stories of partnerships and pairings across the nation that inspire all of us to do well by doing good.