Updates

WHAT “Circular Economy (CE) is widely recognized as the new economic model aiming to maintain the value of materials, parts, and products as long as possible, minimize the extraction and use of virgin resources and waste generation using design strategies that slow the flow of resources, close loops between production and post-use, and increase resource efficiency.” WHY It can be used to Operationalize or Build out one or more of the Four Dimensions of a Social Enterprise CE

By: Joseph Wernau Note to Readers: In order to solve social problems social entrepreneurs use storytelling to facilitate their system change efforts. N.B. Module 10 of the Practitioner Guide in this Blog has additional resource material on story telling. (Edited lightly for length) Storytelling for Systems Change Story is not decoration. In systems change work, narrative is infrastructure. It shapes which problems get named, who gets blamed, and what solutions feel possible.

Robert Thompson Note to Readers: The pre-mortem tool is, in my opinion, easy to understand, use and effective in identifying potential errors in a project before implementation. NB: Article edited for length. “I remember the exact moment I became a coward. Not a dramatic, movie-villain cowardice. The smaller, more professional kind — the kind that wears a lanyard and sits quietly in a boardroom chair. It was a Tuesday. Third-floor. The glass-walled kind of conference room th

Note to Readers: Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a brilliant protestant theologian executed by the Nazi’s in 1945. Anticipating his death, he wrote a letter, to fellow anti-Hitler conspirators, entitled Theory of Stupidity. I think it provides a helpful way to understand the opposition to social change by stakeholders supporting a social problem embedded in the status quo. Such opposition is often rooted in groupthink which is also a challenge facing all organizations, including soc

Note to Readers: Every social entrepreneur who attempts to solve or ameliorate a social problem, functions, in part, as a change agent. One of the critical tasks change agents undertake is convincing enough stakeholders to leave their problems status quo to support a change leading to a better way of meeting their needs. The excerpts from the following article offer some compelling advice on how to approach helping stakeholders to change their minds. “……..why don’t facts wor

Shane Collins Note to Reader: The Art of War is thought to have been written around 475–221 BCE. Its strategic principles are studied world wide in military academies and business schools. “For 2,500 years, leaders have relied on his framework. Sun Tzu outlines five distinct types of intelligence sources. Here they are, translated for the modern CEO, founder, or strategist. The term spy refers to a source of intelligence on the strategy, tactics, and resources of your opponen

I Sat Through Two Hours of Useless Meetings. The Four Rules I Wrote on a Napkin Changed My Company. Manav Agarwal Note to Readers: We have all sat through boring, useless meetings. I think these four rules have a lot of value. Excerpts The 4 Unspoken Rules for Leading Meetings People Don’t Hate Rule #1: Start with the Damn “Objective.” (Not the Agenda) The biggest mistake leaders make is starting with the agenda. An agenda is just a list of topics; it’s a map without a desti

An MIT Study Shows Why 95% of AI Projects Fail and How Startups Will Win the Race And why this is the biggest opportunity for startups in a generation. Tejas Sharma Note to Readers: Suggest reading the full article. As always remember to do your due diligence. Excerpts An MIT study last month that looked at over 150 CEOs found that 95 percent of AI pilot programs at companies fail. But the problem isn’t the AI. Instead, it’s about how these companies are trying (and failing)

Alpha Design Global | Build Your MVP Website Note to Readers: Full Disclosure-I am not technically proficient, so I do not feel I have the qualifications to personally recommend any of these tools. They look intriguing and I trust you to do your “due diligence” to decide whether they are useful. Even if only one tool proves usefulIt’s worth checking out all 15. Excerpt 1. Framer — Your In-House Agency While your funded competitor is paying a design agency $50k, you can use

Note to readers: The excitement and growth of AI have created many false expectations of productivity that have led many entrepreneurs to make costly mistakes on implementation. This article provides some timely advice worth considering in your due diligence. Excerpts. Lightly edited for length “Many founders are building with AI, but very few are explaining exactly how and what that looks like. Therefore, those AI newbie founders who get word of the supercharge effect this n

Note to Readers: The following excerpt is taken from: It only took 20 years, but the Strategic Management Society now Believes the Lean Startup is a Strategy by Steve Blank . His publications and research have profoundly influenced developing social enterprises. Steve Blank is an American entrepreneur, educator, author and speaker. He created the customer development method that launched the lean startup movement. His work has influenced modern entrepreneurship through the c

NOTE TO READERS: The following article on Reforming Health Care in Scotland offers excellent real world advice to Social Entrepreneurs for getting Strategy Right. Reforming Health And Care In Scotland: Getting Strategy Right By Being Properly Strategic – Peter Williamson EXCERPTS (Edited for length) “What follows are five proposed steps to improve the way the development of health strategy is pursued in Scotland, followed by consideration of what at heart is fundamental to ma

Note to reader: Noted entrepreneur Guy Kawasaki observed ““Fundamental in a company, when you cut out all the bullshit, there are only...

“The book Corporate Cultures: The Rites and Rituals of Corporate Life , by Terrence Deal and Allan Kennedy. points out that every company...

NOTE TO READERS Isaac Asimov was the author of over 500 books on a wide range of subjects. Social Entrepreneurs are challenged to be...

NOTE TO READERS: If you find these brief excerpts of interest read the full article . "Success on the Good Days Is Easy I’ve had some bad...

Excerpts “What is customer journey mapping? A customer journey map (sometimes called a user journey map or UX map) is a visualization of...

Note to Reader: The following excerpts from this article highlight some of the key lessons you can only learn from experience as you...

NOTE to READER: Social entrepreneurs are constantly faced with making decisions and solving problems. The following “Razors” can assist...

The end goal of a social entrepreneur is to improve or eliminate social problems. You can’t improve anything without change. Social...