We need a new kind of leader to help the world respond to the challenges of COVID-19, climate change and inequality; here are six lessons on creating lasting, positive change for your organization and the world.

It has become increasingly clear that the world needs a new kind of leader to react to the monumental challenges the world faces today. We need an immediate collaborative effort to help the world not only recover from the devastating health and economic effects of COVID-19 but also act to address the climate-change crisis and rising inequality, among other threats.

They offer six important lessons that can inspire collaborative, sustainable change from the ground-up.

1. Empower those you work with

Social innovators believe in lifting up those they serve and work with. Whether in townships of South Africa, villages in rural India or the busy metropolitan cities of the United States, social innovators empower those around them to fulfil their own needs along with the needs of their communities.

2. Leave your ego out of it

“One of my favourite sayings is “If you want to be a successful entrepreneur, take your ego, flush it down the toilet and start”, said Jeroo Billimoria, founder of several organizations including Child and Youth Finance International (CYFI) and Aflatoun International. At the recent Global Shapers Summit, Billimoria shared that at the start of her career, she would make a list of all the relevant organisations that could help her with her cause and spend countless hours cold-calling them.

3. Don’t be afraid to ask for help

Social innovators have demonstrated significant progress on how we approach environmental sustainability and consumption, health and education, rural development and job training, as well as finding new ways to advance human rights and equality in different contexts around the world.

4. Lead with compassion

Social innovators harbour a deep sense of compassion for their fellow human being – quick to recognize and alleviate human suffering. Most social enterprises are often born of compassion and there is much to be learned from this notion that could positively affect all businesses, and significantly increase their productivity.

5. Think about the entire system

“Systems entrepreneurs” refer to social innovators who are intentionally adopting systems-change strategies in their efforts – either through existing organizations, large institutions, for-profit companies, or even by creating new organizations and networks solely devoted to systems change, as per the Schwab Foundation’s “Beyond Organizational Scale: How Social Entrepreneurs Create Systems Change” report.

6. Foster a culture of well-being

“Making the world a better place shouldn’t require sacrificing your mental and physical health,” said François Bonnici, Head of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship. ” And yet, too often, that’s exactly what happens to those on the frontlines of social change. There is a profound need to support the wellbeing of changemakers, so they can continue addressing the global challenges of society”.

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Written by: Pavitra Raja
Images: First Book, Schwab Foundation/WEF
Publication date: November 13, 2020

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