If You Care About the World, You Need to Be Here

No matter where you are on your "change the world journey", learning about developing yourself, developing your team, and developing your partnerships will empower you to be more effective and connected in your efforts.
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Businessman looking at world map
Businessman looking at world map

"We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children"

We're dealing with some pretty major challenges right now. I probably don't need to list them all, but I think it's important to note that these challenges are a result of a combination of individual, social, and system issues: Global warming is slowing down ocean currents, we're dealing with one of the largest immigrant crisis of our time, income inequality is increasing, the root of poverty is going unaddressed, and even "developed" nations have massive social issues like mass shootings and racism. This is exactly why the United Nations has released its Sustainable Development Goals - the #SDGs.

But if you look for it, we're also surrounded by some of the most inspiring stories from the most unlikely places. A Syrian immigrant is grateful for what life has thrown her way, social entrepreneurs are creating jobs and peace and improving healthcare while fighting corruption, and a young girl is reforming girls' rights for education.

People, like you and me, are taking risks and tackling these challenges head on. Of course, taking that first step is often the hardest, so if you're thinking about how you can contribute to global good, start by attending the Global Engagement Forum so you can learn about developing yourself, developing the people around you, and developing productive partnerships.

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Developing Yourself

I don't want to be cliché here, but it's worth mentioning again and again and again, "
If you want to change the world, start by changing yourself
" -Sa'eed Awad.
will give you a fantastic opportunity to learn new theories critical to leading in a
. Of particular interest are sessions from the following:
  • Steve Schein, author of A New Psychology for Sustainability Leadership, will convene a panel about the lifecycle of learning, from grade school to on-the-job
  • Harris Ginsberg, Program Director of Leadership Development at the Conference Board, will lead a round table conversation about developing a leadership mindset
  • Jennifer Clinton, CEO of Global Ties, will discuss the benefit cross-border connections

Beyond the obvious benefits of these talks, you'll get to build connections with inspiring changemakers from around the world who will empower you in the years to follow. Once you are confident and capable of leading yourself, it's time to lead others.


Developing Your Team and Organization

Whether you work in a small and growing enterprise that needs to learn about finance opportunities or you work within a large company and want to pilot intrapreneurship efforts, the Forum will connect you to industry leaders on the topic so you can be more effective at driving change inside and outside.

Yasmina Zaidman, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Acumen, will be leading a panel on the power of blended capital to address complex challenges, featuring Matt Arnold, the Managing Director and Head of Environmental Affairs at JPMorgan Chase and Ricardo Michel, the Director of the Center for Transformational Partnerships at the US Global Development Lab at USAID.

You'll also have the chance to discuss funding opportunities as a way to reach the Sustainable Development Goals, led by Social Reporter David Wilcox.

Just as important as learning about entrepreneurship acceleration opportunities, I love that this Forum will also focus on intrapreneurship. Indeed, we need the biggest companies
:
  • Milan Samani, the Director of Leadership Laboratories, will be leading a roundtable and workshop on this very topic
  • Luke Filose, CSR Manager at Intel, will highlight how to harness technology to advance the SDGs
  • Trevor Gunn, Vice President of International Relations at Medtronic, will talk about the challenges of innovating and collaborating to boost social impact and bottom line results.

In our increasingly connected economic and political environments, once you and your organization are working toward change, it's time to engage your partners, too.


Develop Your Partners

To scale sustainable change beyond your own sphere of influence, you'll need effective partnerships, and the Forum will have sessions on building effective partnerships and sustainable supply chains. Other speakers and panelists will also be discussing how partnerships can improve education, human rights, and our natural environment.

Selfishly, I'm most excited to learn from Sue Stephenson, Vice President of Community Footprints at Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Alice Korngold, author of A Better World Inc, Scott Beale, CEO of Atlas Corps, and Deirdre White, CEO of PYXERA Global about different approaches to building cross-sector partnerships, from skills-based volunteering to formal public-private partnerships.

In Summary

No matter where you are on your "change the world journey", learning about developing yourself, developing your team, and developing your partnerships will empower you to be more effective and connected in your efforts.

Will you be there? Let me know @markhoroszowski. I can't wait to connect.

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