Episode 3
Leadership & communication
Is your passion contagious? Do you have a knack for persuasion? Are you more intuitive and creative or more logical and analytical? Today we'll be thinking about qualities you'll need to lead a social enterprise successfully. This is the time to think about what leadership qualities you embody naturally and which you should focus on developing.
We'll reflect on the leadership journeys some other social entrepreneurs have taken, and we'll consider the transition from working for others to working for yourself.
We'll reflect on the leadership journeys some other social entrepreneurs have taken, and we'll consider the transition from working for others to working for yourself.
Social Entrepreneurs Discuss
Further Reading
Balancing social and commercial objectives means that social enterprises must take a holistic approach to running their enterprises. Because of this, social entrepreneurs must try to develop a skill base which covers both areas.
For example, social impact skills may include designing accessible services, collecting social impact and having compassion and empathy whilst speaking to beneficiaries. More commercial skills include marketing, designing business plans and sales.
When starting a ...
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Balancing social and commercial objectives means that social enterprises must take a holistic approach to running their enterprises. Because of this, social entrepreneurs must try to develop a skill base which covers both areas.
For example, social impact skills may include designing accessible services, collecting social impact and having compassion and empathy whilst speaking to beneficiaries. More commercial skills include marketing, designing business plans and sales.
When starting a social enterprise, you must find a balancing act and develop skills supporting both missions. An example of this might be that a social entrepreneur focuses on purely supporting their participants with every decision based solely on the needs and wishes of their beneficiaries. Although this is a noble act, it ignores the need for social enterprises to generate income, and without generating income, social enterprises can not be financially sustainable. Along the same lines, if a social entrepreneur purely focuses on sales and profits, then it is unlikely that the service will be user-friendly for participants, which will adversely affect the social impact the organisation is creating.
Think of your skill set. If you feel you are leaning too far towards the social or commercial mission, try developing skills to help you achieve this balance. In the activities, you’ll find a skill-set matrix template that you can fill in for yourself to guide your growth. Later in the course, we will discuss the role of staff and volunteers and how they can bring skills or experience to your organisation.
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Resources
Through the Social Inclusion Community Activation Programme (SICAP), County Wicklow Partnership offers a variety of services to eligible individuals who wish to access training or education, improve their employment situation or start a business within County Wicklow. Supports are also offered to Local Community Groups, after schools clubs, parent and toddler groups and activities for youth e.g. summer camps.
The key to being an effective and long-lasting leader is being able to lead in a variety of situations and with a variety of different people. In order to achieve this you need a good mix of leadership styles. This quick quiz will help you to identify which leadership styles you are good at and which you may need to develop further.
Brian Tracy is the most listened to audio author on personal and business success in the world today. In this video he shares five essential traits that will help you become a good leader and improve your leadership skills.
Activities
Attached is a skill-set matrix template that you can use to guide your growth. Later on in the course, we will discuss the role of staff and volunteers, and ways in which they can bring skills or experience to your organisation.
Episode Summary
This lesson has been all about you, which might feel weird when the social meaning of your enterprise is so intrinsic to your overall mission. It's important to recognise that your enterprise won't be separate from you — its energy, focus and priorities will mirror your qualities and goals, which will steer your approach to the social issue you have chosen to focus on. It's okay if you don't feel confident at this point — it's more about recognising your skills and weaknesses so that you can grow into a dynamic and considerate leader than it is about already having all of these qualities.
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