After an inspiring three days, attendees gathered for the closing plenary. Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship Director Pamela Hartigan opened by talking about the idea of the heroic social entrepreneur. “‘Is that not misguided?’ I am frequently asked. ‘Certainly it takes more than a visionary individual for his or her initiative to be successful.’” Hartigan answered this question in her speech.
Aruna Roy, Nikhil Dey and Shankar Singh talked on “The Anatomy of a People’s Movement.” Roy said it’s important to know what is going on in India, because if you don’t, “You can’t get your schooling, you can’t get your medicines, you can’t get your rations, you can’t get anything.”
Tim Smit, CEO of the Eden Project, talked about your vision in life. “We all sort of think death is optional, so we piss around wasting our lives away. You need to have the fire, to imagine how many birthdays there are from now until your death, and suddenly you think, ‘When am I going to go to the Antarctic, when am I going to do that?’ And suddenly you are fired up. So many people piss their lives up against the wall because they are too scared to take risks,” Smit says.
The Skoll World Forum came to an end with words by Stephan Chambers, chairman of the Skoll Centre Standing Committee at Said Business School. Chambers offers some wisdom learned. “Intractable problems, even big, scary, recalcitrant, painful ones, are not intractable when subject to the power of truth, reconciliation and innovation,” he said.
Videos
Opening remarks – 2010 Skoll World Forum
Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship Director Pamela Hartigan reflects at the 2010 Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship in her opening remarks at the closing plenary. She talks about the idea of the heroic social entrepreneur. “‘Is that not misguided?’ I am frequently asked. ‘Certainly it takes more than a visionary individual for his or her initiative to be successful.’” Hartigan answers this question in her speech.
Good afternoon to all of you. My name is Pamela Harrtigan [sp?] i'm the director of the Skull center for Social Entrepreneurship at Oxford and, so we. Come to the close of this seventh skoll world forum and as i noted in my opening remarks i hope each of you is leaving Oxford wiser which you in contacts inspire and happier as [xx]having being with us over this last three days in more days i see you beat for her initiative to be successful.
What about the people in the organization they set up, who are often instrumental to success and this is we emphasized throughout the forum a fact under scored by our theme catalyzing collaboration. Social entrepreneurs cannot hope to scale their solutions without the essential support of other public and private sector stakeholders and most importantly, of the communities in which they work.
So, "Why continue this hero worship?" I'm asked. I would like to look at this question a little bit differently were human and i think know is the people and their institution weather government weather business [xx] nonprofit strongly resists new ideas how ever great they may be. It takes an extraordinary persistance and creativity to sell the idea to others.
The entrepreneurer is incredibly inventive in that regard working day and night to find a way ...to persuade engage to hers and believing in that change in fact that ability to over.... turns out, actually, to be much more important to the original idea. An idea, that in it self is often so simple ..to a poor involving communities in a protection of their either systems reveloutionizing (xx) health care, quality health care and education but making them happen often takes years of persistant seduction.
So while these individuals always be heroes to me. Perhaps, even slightly mad. Much to humanities great good fortune, celebrating these social entrepreneurs should not lead us into the trap of assuming that they single handedly achieved their results. Nothing could be further from the truth and much of what they achieved is spy so we have reached our constraints is due to the type of leadership they exercise Cuisines imposed a who is on the subject of leadership definite as the art of mobilizing others to want to struggle For shared aspirations.
All leadership involves inspiration, vision, competence, and interpersonal skills. And that is exactly what social entrepreneurs possess. It takes courage, imagination and persistence to drive through the kind fundamental changes, needed to respond to the new challenges and opportunities. And that can only be done through a more open style of leadership that combines intellectual humility and personal confidence and that doesn't confuse ambition with omniscience.
Finally, one of the messages that I continuously reiterate to MBA students at Oxford and at Columbia Business School is the following. It's okay not to be a maverick. It's okay not to be a social entrepreneur. And, have systems changing ideas that you doggedly pursue at all costs and every waking moment.
Most of us are not change makers or entrepreneurs. And thank heavens for that. Having done nothing but lived and breathed with entrepreneurs for many years. It's been an inspiring roller coaster of a ride. So for the majority of us who are not entrepreneurs where ever our careers take us, we can and should be instrumental in facilitating, supporting, and strengthening the work that these pragmatic missionaries do, because they are coming up with the solutions that so we (sp) (xx) and to prove my point nature of social entrepreneurs.
I would like now to introduce you to our first speaker, and you conclude whether my little rant about heroes, leaders, and mavericks doesn't ring true. Caroline Casey [sp?] qualifies along all those descriptors. I first met her at the annual meeting when the annual meetings of the World Economic Forum at Davos, where she had just been designated as a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader.
And i recall her passionate argument to me that she'd actually been selected into the wrong crowd. That she actually belonged with the social entrepreneurers that were selected by the Schwab foundation. Well, she clearly belongs in both, as you will attest. I would like to welcome the incomparable Caroline Casey, with a word of warning to you all [xx] You will loose your heart to her Caroline.
Related Videos
The Power of Persuasion: Pulling in the reluctant collaborators
The Power of Persuasion: Pulling in the reluctant collaborators
Anatomy of a Movement
Realising A Vision
Closing Remarks – 2010 Skoll World Forum
