In Awe of Jacqueline Novogratz – Social Entrepreneurship in Action
Never have I flipped to glance at the back cover of a book as many times as I did while reading Jacqueline Novogratz ‘s, The Blue Sweater. Why? I couldn’t help but stare in disbelief that all of these experiences, incidents, wisdom and action belong to just one woman. This one smiling, blue-eyed, refined looking woman. She may look like a mere mortal, but she is one amazing, tough, smart woman who is changing the world in a big way!
In The Blue Sweater, Bridging The Gap Between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World by Jacqueline Novogratz, Founder & CEO of The Acumen Fund, Jacqueline shares her journey from the start of her career in International Banking through decades of development work, much of it in Africa; specifically in Rwanda. I bought this book on Seth Godin’s recommendation last year, and although I loaned it to a student to read first; the book only now jumped out of the “nice to read someday” stack and I urge you to read it too!
Jacqueline Novogratz may not be a household name (yet) but mark my words, she soon will be! The Acumen Fund’s revolutionary concept combines the best of the Philanthropy model and the best of the Venture Capital model to identify and invest in high potential entrepreneurs serving the poorest people in the world.
Jacqueline’s unique perspective and approach are the result of working in the field in Africa and in organizations such as The World Bank and the Rockefeller Foundation, combined with skills she honed in the corporate world and in Stanford’s MBA program. This book, like Jacqueline herself, crosses over and interconnects the non-profit and for profit sectors, accountability and the bottom line with dignity and humanity, poverty and privilege. Jacqueline and the Acumen fund push innovation; not to serve the elite, but to drive down production costs to make life changing products and services accessible to the poor.
The Blue Sweater is not a typical “How to” business book. Instead it is an inspiring story of one woman tackling the most pervasive problem of poverty and igniting people and corporations to make a real difference in the world. The Acumen Fund has already funded over 30 thriving enterprises helping 36 million people. This is the ultimate example of social entrepreneurship and innovation in action!
Click here to see Jacqueline tell the story of the Blue Sweater. Check out the Acumen Fund Blog
To order the book, click here, (a few cents will go to the wbii).
To borrow my copy of the book, just ask:-)
Sharing Seth Godin
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It is no secret that I am a huge Seth Godin fan. Last week, a visitor in the office mistook Seth Godin for my husband, just because the photo of me meeting Seth in London happens to be the only photo on display? My immediate response, “Why would I have a photo of my husband in my office?” For the record, my husband is not (yet) completely bald, nor is he at all bothered that there is no photo of him in my office.
Last February, I flew to London along with my colleague Lisa to attend Seth Godin, the “London Session“. It was a truly great experience, a shared experience, and thought provoking to this day, even one year later.
So, it is no surprise that I was very excited to hear that Seth was coming as close as Antwerp for an event. The regular ticket price was not cheap, but there was a great offer for students, which made it easy for me to convince the Dean of the New Business School that this event would be a great opportunity for the students in my Business Development Elective.
The students were enthusiastic from the first mention and they all made the necessary arrangements to attend (these two factors can not be taken for granted with students). Yesterday most of us traveled together by train to Antwerp, and it was a pleasure to share the Seth Godin experience with my students. Some had watched videos of Seth Godin online, but the “Live” experience is something else. They were amazed by his presence and charisma, captivating an audience of over 1,000 professionals with his ideas, insights and call to action. Seth Godin is not teaching a formula for you to follow or preaching a method for success. His intention is to nudge you to think in new and different ways and most importantly, to take action.
The Seth Godin experience had a profound impact on these students, in a way that some could not yet explain. Several mentioned that it was an evening they would refer to for years to come. These students are not easily impressed and don’t go out of their way to score points with their teacher either, so I believe the sincerity of their remarks and their appreciation.
I am still smiling after an evening of sharing Seth Godin. There is so much to be learned outside the classroom and it was a great opportunity to get to know these students even better. If not for the train ride back to Amsterdam, how else would I have discovered that Dutch students unanimously prefer jelly beans over chocolate Easter eggs paired with Heineken!
For Seth Godin, Mind Reading is as Simple as Riding a Bike
Today my husband and I took our 5 year old, Louie, to the park to teach him how to ride his bike. Here in the Netherlands, kids seem to master bike riding before taking their first steps, but the training wheels had come off Louie’s bike a few months ago and the bike had not moved since.
We rode in the grass to soften his fear of falling and I used the technique of running while holding him as he pedaled until he was stable enough not to notice when I let go. It was exhausting (for me), but surprisingly successful!
On the way home, we stopped by my office to drop off something and my husband commented on my recently rearranged bookshelves, now prominently spotlighting my Seth Godin collection and photo taken with Seth in London. “Come on, you are too old to be a Groupie,” my husband teased. “I am a Groupie; end of discussion,” I replied. It was surprising because I had written a post, The Guru and the Groupie, after meeting Seth, but my husband never reads my blog.
My colleague Lisa and I are often amazed by the uncanny timing of Seth Godin’s advice on the various topics we grapple with at the Women’s Buisness Initiative International. Our belief that Seth Godin is a mind reader and that he writes just for us is obviously shared by thousands of other Seth fans. A few hours later, I checked Seth’s blog and for the first time in 3000+ posts, he offers a parenting tip. You can guess the topic of his tip; How to teach your kid to ride a bike!
Today the coincidence was really too much. But even if I lived in a time zone that had enabled me to see the post before the bike riding lesson, I wouldn’t have followed Seth’s advice completely. Rollerblading, as Seth advised, instead of running to keep up with Louie, would’ve guaranteed that Seth’s post tomorrow would be all about a trip to the emergency room!
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The Guru and the Groupie- I saw Seth Godin in London!
My Pilates Trainer flashed a look of disapproval when I told her I was going to London to meet my Guru. No, I wouldn’t miss any workouts; she took offense to my use of the sacred term, Guru, in reference to someone in the Business World; even worse Marketing!
But in the sense that a Guru is a person who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom and authority in a certain area, and who uses these abilities to guide others; Seth Godin is my Guru.
He is the expert I turn to every day seeking enlightenment, and somehow he always manages to deliver. Every day(sometimes twice a day) he posts a thought provoking idea, concept or story on his blog. If this is starting to sound like hero worship, I am only getting started!
When Seth Godin announced that he would be in London, I instinctively knew I had to act fast. Immediately, I called my business partner and booked two tickets. Sure enough, the “London Session” was a sold out event , no advertising required. Luckily, the organizer invited us to a “Meet and Greet” with Seth, which resulted in a front row seat for the day.
Why were we so excited to see Seth Live? First of all, in Seth’s own words, “The real world still matters,”. Reading his blog, his 10 best selling books, and communicating via e-mail are not the same as looking someone in the eye, shaking their hand and seeing how they interact with people in real life. Throughout the day, Seth made himself completely accessible; no signs of ego or diva- like behavior. From the front row, I could imagine why a guy might want to shave his head and start acting like Seth; his character is worth emulating.
What would the other members of Seth’s tribe be like in person? I was curious to meet them too. The crowd of 400+ came from all walks of life; from a major music label to indie musicians, big companies like Shell, Microsoft and IBM to plenty of online marketing types. The non-profit sector was also represented, my favorite was a young Vicar in the Church of England, a testament to the fact that we are all in the business of trying to make our story heard!
More than anything, I wanted to see Seth think; and he did not disappoint. He has a very special gift for quickly turning individual questions into answers that interest and appeal to a broader audience. To illustrate how much Seth values authentic conversation over monologue, he spent 75% of his time with us answering questions and only 25% presenting. (This is an admirable goal for any speaker!)
The intensity of his stage presence combined with the never ending flow of provocative ideas, left us all with a headache. Mission accomplished, Seth! We were on our own in London to recover from Information Overload Hangovers. Luckily there is already a support group for people like us! Have you met your Guru lately?
