Youth Upskilling and Experience Through Social Innovation
| | |

Youth Upskilling and Experience Through Social Innovation

Watch this lively conversation with Estefania Fernandez, a serial educational entrepreneur, youth leader and polyglot originally from Spain. After relocating to Berlin, Estefania created her “Business Model Republic” Meetup group to connect with others. This group exploded to more than 6 thousand members, and became an obvious launching point for her latest venture: e-bloom. E-bloom is an international community where young business graduates gain skills by participating in social innovation projects.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28Fe9Blbwp0[/embedyt]

 

received_2563814793867341erasmus_plus_logo-300x86

This publication has been prepared within INDIGISE project. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the project coordinator and may not always reflect the views of the European Commission or the National Agency.

DALBA – Beer that means more
| | |

DALBA – Beer that means more

Meet DALBA, social enterprise which is a part of NESs’t Fund network which is investing in entrepreneurial solutions that lift people out of poverty.

In spite of Poland’s strong economic growth, many find it difficult to secure stable employment and reliable wages. More than 18% of young people under the age of 30 are unemployed, with women, people living in rural areas, and people with disabilities especially affected. NESs’t investments in Poland focus on social enterprises that connect these potential workers with training and jobs in growth industries like technology, business process outsourcing and health care.

DALBA is an award-winning craft beer brewery in Puck, Poland that employs people with intellectual disabilities. It is the first in Poland and sixth in the world of its kind. The business addresses one of the most serious social problems in Poland: labour exclusion and social marginalization of people with intellectual disabilities. Today, only 10% of people with disabilities participate in the labor market.

The production process of DALBA’s craft beer counts on a group of 30 young men with disabilities who are also shareholders of the cooperative. Some prepare malts with a recipe and boil it, while others are involved in bottling or labeling. They do so without supervision, having received training from management to work with precision.

DALBA was co-founded by Agnieszka Dejna, a mother of children with disabilities, and Janusz Golisowicz, an occupational therapist of patients with disabilities. Agnieszka and Janusz often heard these young people seeking greater independence in their lives, but unable to achieve it as a result of their parents fear of discrimination and harassment in the workforce. Today, DALBA’s craft beers are rated Top 50 out of 270+ brands in Poland.

Browar Spółdzielczy (Cooperative Brewery) originated from the passion for beer, sea and the need for change. We brew our beer in a traditional manner, in small brewery in Puck, Poland. The brewery is owned by Spółdzielnia Socjalna DALBA (Social Cooperative DALBA).

This is not just an ordinary workplace, this is passion. Most employees of the cooperative are the people who have not had a chance on the open job market due to their disabilities. Their engagement and determination results in our beer being something exceptional, dreams coming true and a chance.

That’s why DALBA slogan reads “Piwo, które warzy więcej” – it’s a word play on the Polish words “warzyć” (to brew) and “ważyć” (here: to mean).

DALBA and NESsT partnered to increase the production capacity of the enterprise, positioning it to generate higher revenues and to increase its employment of people with disabilities. With a grant from NESsT, DALBA upgraded its equipment, generating a production growth of 15%. The next phase of investment is the expansion of its production hall.

DALBA’s tailored business mentoring focuses on consolidating its rapid growth, leveraging co-investments, and strengthening its impact measurement. As it prepares to launch five locations in the next two years, NESsT and DALBA have also been collaborating on managing the enterprise’s product portfolio, by identifying and developing products with higher margins, and on ramping up its sales efforts.

NESsT is excited to support DALBA as the enterprise has proven to be equally committed to empowering youth with disabilities and developing award-winning craft beer.

Answering the global Covid-19 crisis, NESsT has developed a special support plan for its portfolio. To support Dalba, we are working together to remodel communication and marketing strategy in order to generate additional revenues to sustain Dalba’s operational costs and revenues that decreased due to Covid crisis.

Source and more information: https://www.nesst.org/dalba; https://en.browarspoldzielczy.com/strona-glowna

received_2563814793867341

erasmus_plus_logo-300x86

 

This publication has been prepared within INDIGISE project. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the project coordinator and may not always reflect the views of the European Commission or the National Agency.

Youth Building Skills and Gaining Opportunities Through Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation
| |

Youth Building Skills and Gaining Opportunities Through Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation

“Nearly 90% of young people today live in low and middle-income countries.  Around 200 million adolescent people are not in education programs and 13% of young people globally are unemployed. This presents numerous challenges and hinders young people from acquiring skills which will be useful for their further development and activation in society. However social innovation presents an opportunity for young people to create their own opportunities by themselves.

The covid-19 pandemic presented a challenge in terms of peer-to-peer interaction, education, community involvement and overall engagement. The need to adapt to difficult circumstances has inspired young people to find new ways to interact, especially through ICT solutions. A study commissioned by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre named ‘ICT-enabled social innovation services for active inclusion of young people”, stresses that ICT driven social innovation for young people is focused on three main areas: education and training, active inclusion aimed at supporting young people’s entry into the labour market and youth inclusion addressing issues around social and civic participation. Many youth initiatives have done the best they could with their resources thanks to ICT solutions. Social innovation became the cornerstone to transforming youth initiatives into smart organisations.

There are numerous examples of how young people have taken the initiative and have created socially innovative solutions in many EU countries as well as globally, before, during and after the Covid-19 pandemic. We have the example of Zafer Elçik, a 24 year old from Turkey who recognised that his autistic brother was most attentive when he was using his smartphone, which gave him the inspiration for the idea of an educational Gaming app which would serve children and young people with learning difficulties and special needs in order to help them develop their cognitive skills. Otsimo, the app he developed is now helping more than 30.000 users and is downloadable for free. There are numerous European initiatives which have been pioneers in social innovation among youth, such as Capacitare, Consultoria e Negócios Lda,   Citizens in Power, Geopaideia, etc.

In this period of uncertainty, having young people collaborate and innovate along with their peers to find solutions which are socially advantageous is more important than ever. Through peer to peer collaboration they can find solace during troubling times and contribute in their community, therefore regaining a little agency in the development of their social circles as well as beyond their initial sphere of influence.

The labour market is currently governed by large industries, nevertheless it is still noticeable that entrepreneurship is becoming increasingly important. The labour market can be shaped and renewed thanks to the potential that can be brought by young social entrepreneurs and their innovative solutions. Although social entrepreneurship is an innovative concept in and by itself,  there are still areas and niches which have not been explored and have not been served. This presents an opportunity for young people not only to focus on an activity which has a positive impact on society and turn it into an enterprise, but to automatically reduce youth unemployment as well.

It is important to remind young people that before starting to develop their project or business idea they need to start by creating a solid plan and form a team of peers that can help them navigate their project. They can seek the help and consultation from civil society organisations in their vicinity, they can pitch their ideas to potential investors and therefore involve more potential partners in what they have envisioned.

There are a plethora of opportunities for young people who want to start something of their own.  One of these examples is the Erasmus programme for young entrepreneurs, thanks to which a young person can be mentored and assisted by an experienced entrepreneur in another EU country.

A network which can be of relevant importance to young people who are interested in developing their idea or in finding like-minded individuals to develop their socially innovative idea with, is the JEUNE network – The Young Entrepreneurs Organization of the European Union, which currently represents as many as over 1,660,000 young people from 20 countries who are interested in entrepreneurship. As it is the largest European-wide network of young entrepreneurs it is crucial to foster and create relations between civil society, companies as well as governments with the aim of voicing the needs for development of entrepreneurship among youth, as well as improving the opportunities for youth by creating a relevant and useful network, which is at their disposal should they need it to further their prospects.

To conclude, it is clear that young people nowadays come across many challenges in acquiring employment opportunities, and social innovation through entrepreneurship is still what can be considered a niche through which they can become active members of their communities as well as earn their living or even create employment opportunities for their peers. It is up to decision makers to help foster this and it is up to CSOs to offer guidance and partnership to those young people that wish to become social innovators in their communities. ”

by Caterina Rende Dominis

Source: https://digitalsocialinnovation.org/youth-building-skills-and-gaining-opportunities-through-entrepreneurship-and-social-innovation/

 

received_2563814793867341

erasmus_plus_logo-300x86

 

This publication has been prepared  for the Social Innovation Network project and is fully consistent with INDIGISE project objectives.  The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the project coordinator and may not always reflect the views of the European Commission or the National Agency.

Young People and Social Innovation in Europe
| |

Young People and Social Innovation in Europe

By Ljupka Janevska.

“Social innovation is the process of developing creative ideas that will eventually ‘’grow’’ into practical solutions, which will improve the overall wellbeing of the community. The primary goal of implementing or designing a new social innovation is to solve different systemic issues that will hopefully contribute in increasing the enviorenment value. However, the basics of implementing a new social innovation can be found in the energy and passion of the young people, who are brave enough, not only to identify, but also to challenge and address global problems that are worthy of attention and investment.

In Europe, the process of youth social innovation is a growing challenge. Fortunately, there are a lot of successful social innovations in Europe that aim to raise awareness of the positive outcome that social innovations can have on young people and communities.

  • Student integration in employment

Young graduates often struggle to find their first employment experience. In Latvia, young people are almost twice as likely to be unemployed compared to the rest of the population, due to lack of a professional network and skills experience. The youth social innovation of ‘’The Demola platform’’, established in 2014 in Finland, connects companies with university students. The companies can submit a specific problem situation for students to address , and by participating in problem-solving workshops the students are developing their skills as potential problem-solvers instead of as young people in need of work experience.

  • Active youth participation in local decision-making

One of the priorities of the EU is to provide meaningful social, civic and political engagement opportunities for all young people. Young people prefer to support causes that are directly relevant to them, and they usually engage in them through alternative participation methods, such as volunteering or online support. ‘’The Youth Participatory Budgeting (YPB)’’ is a Portuguese youth social innovation that aims to foster an active participation of young people in the decision-making process, and thus promote a stronger sense of citizenship, through an online platform that serves young people’s need for democratic participation.

●     European exchange programme for young Entrepreneurs

Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs is a youth social innovation that provides ambitious young European entrepreneurs with the necessary skills to start or successfully run a small business in Europe. New entrepreneurs gather and exchange knowledge and business ideas with an experienced entrepreneur, with whom they stay and collaborate for a period of 1 to 6 months. ‘’Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs’’ is financed by the European Commission and operates across the Participating Countries with the help of the local contact points, competent in business support.

  • Youth opportunities in the economy

‘’REvive Greece’’ is an interesting social innovation in Greece that helps young people from the most vulnerable groups (unemployed Greeks, refugees, migrants, etc.). ‘’REvive’’ is a registered non-profit mission that has the goal to integrate these vulnerable, social groups into the socioeconomic system by helping them to gain skills in the IT sector.

Conclusion

All over the world in the past decades, there has been an increased interest in social innovation as a way to achieve sustainable and economic growth. Today, social innovation as a valuable practice and worldwide movement is helping to solve some of the world’s most pressing problems with new solutions such as fair trade, distance learning, mobile money transfer, restorative justice, and zero-carbon housing. But, besides solving, social innovation by understanding and identifying a problem contributes in changing people’s beliefs , perceptions and practices about social enterprises, business engagement, and philanthropy. So, the rise of social entrepreneurs and social enterprises is not only encouraging the mobilization of people in the innovation process but also providing the’’force’’ for economic growth and social equality in the enviorenment.”

 

Source: https://digitalsocialinnovation.org/young-people-and-social-innovation-in-europe/

 

received_2563814793867341

erasmus_plus_logo-300x86

 

This publication has been prepared within INDIGISE project. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the project coordinator and may not always reflect the views of the European Commission or the National Agency.

How to support Ukraine
| | |

How to support Ukraine

We remind you how you can contribute to support Ukraine:

BLUE / YELLOW

FOR TRANSFERS IN LITHUANIA

Bank account: LT17 7300 0101 4089 4869

Bank: Swedbank

Recipient: Public Institution Blue and Yellow

Purpose of payment: SUPPORT

Bankera (UAB Pervesk) LT483550020000014662

PAYPAL

info@foblueyellowukraineusa.org

PAYSERA

Paysera account: EVP5310001450732

 

BECOME A PERMANENT SPONSOR – DONATE EUR 3 OR 5 PER MONTH

Call or send an SMS to 1482

After receiving the SMS-response, confirm with the SMS according to the instructions

EUR 3 or 5 is automatically transferred each month

(stop service – SMS with text “STOP” to number 1482)

 

Also – cryptocurrencies:

BTC – 1KeJHHnvbmC6aQquestBun3vTnZZifM72r

ETH – 0x550A09e1CFEf6EF88fa57e763f74550444ea6fA1

DASH – XigLaU3AYcLiCeoBk1g9RFEgKwF8ScqqZp

LTC – MGPNPT3j6gvNBGiR5ZJs7W6mVwLJ7M64V7

USDT – 0x550A09e1CFEf6EF88fa57e763f74550444ea6fA1

BNK – 0x550A09e1CFEf6EF88fa57e763f74550444ea6fA1

 

We will be together with Ukraine until victory!

 

received_2563814793867341

erasmus_plus_logo-300x86

This publication has been prepared within INDIGISE project. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the project coordinator and may not always reflect the views of the European Commission or the National Agency.

Third Sector and Social Economy – what is the difference?
| | | |

Third Sector and Social Economy – what is the difference?

Two terms that can often be encountered in the context of social entrepreneurship and social innovation are “third sector” and “social economy”. However, they are significantly less self-explanatory than the more commonly known “non-governmental sector”, “the non-profit sector” or “the charity sector”. To confuse things more, in scholarly articles  “third sector” and “social economy” often seem to be used interchangeably. But what do these terms mean and is it really the same thing?

In order to highlight the strong similarities and hence explain why the concepts are used synonymously, it is useful to first address the main differences.

Many social phenomena and the theoretical concepts that are built around them are heavily influenced by the social and cultural context where they have been developed. It is no different with the terms “third sector” and “social economy”. Lars Hulgård (2014) provides a comparison  in which he contrast the two concepts by pointing out that the idea of “third sector” can be believed to come from North America and entails voluntary and nonprofit organizations, but excludes cooperatives and mutuals because of the inherent non-profit restraint of the concept. “Social economy” on the other hand is to be considered as the European version of the third sector but with a wider scope; it includes cooperatives, mutual societies, associations, foundations and social enterprises. An important point is that the concept of social economy introduces a possibility to develop a broader understanding of the third sector where the defining factor of the third sector is not the nonprofit constraint but rather whether or not an organization is a part of “a non-capitalist economy” (Hulgård, 2014, p.72).

The same point has been raised by  Jean-Louis Laville arguing that the line should be drawn between “capitalist and social economy organizations” where in the latter “what is stressed at the organizational level is legal limits on private appropriation of benefits” ( 2010, p.228). In other words, the defining factor of social impact and social good organizations should not be the that they earn no money and function solely because on donations and  external funding, but rather how they earn the money and what is the profit is used for. In this way, instead of preserving rigide definitions of North American and European perspectives as they have developed historically, a more up to date version of the term “third sector” can be put in place. The has opened the field for the use of business tools in tackling societal issues. The change of trajectory has contributed to an acceleration of development of a variety of hybrid forms of initiatives that mix and match the inner-logics and practices of civil society and private sector and now are being recognized under the concepts of social entrepreneurship and social and solidarity economy.

References 

Hulgård, L., 2014. Social enterprise and the Third Sector – Innovative service delivery or a non-capitalist economy? In: J.Defourny, L. Hulgård & V. Pestoff, eds., Social Enterprise and the Third Sector: Changing European Landscapes in a Comparative Perspective. Oxon and New York: Routledge.

Laville, Jean-Louis. (2010). Solidarity Economy. 10.1007/978-0-387-93996-4_801.

received_2563814793867341

erasmus_plus_logo-300x86

This publication has been prepared within INDIGISE project. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the project coordinator and may not always reflect the views of the European Commission or the National Agency.

The Social Economy, the Future of Europe The Social Economy, the Future of Europe – report from the meeting during the Frensh Presidency of the Council of EU
| | | | |

The Social Economy, the Future of Europe The Social Economy, the Future of Europe – report from the meeting during the Frensh Presidency of the Council of EU

The social and solidarity economy (SSE) is one of the pillars on which the European Union intends to build its resilience, an objective affirmed by the European Commission on 9 December 2021, when it presented a new action plan on the social economy. European Ministers responsible for the Social Economy will meet in Paris on 17 February 2022 to take this momentum to the next level.

Europe’s social economy sector employs over 13 million people at some 3 million entities. Spanning a diverse range of legal forms, from non-profits to foundations, to cooperatives, mutual benefit societies (a specific type of collective insurance) and social enterprises, this sector prioritises social impact over financial profit.

Representing up to 10% of GDP in countries such as France, Italy and Spain, the social economy offers a forward-looking solution to today’s climate and social challenges, which is why the European Commission has designated it as one of 14 industrial ecosystems for bolstering Europe’s resilience.

Yet the social economy’s job-creation and social-value-added potential is not being fully tapped into, and many disparities exist from one EU country to another.

For this reason, in December 2021, the European Commission published an action plan to spur the social economy’s further development and unlock its potential for job creation and social connectedness – 10 years after it launched the Social Business Initiative, its first action plan to support the development of social enterprises in Europe, which significantly increased their visibility.

Olivia Grégoire, French Minister of State for the Social, Solidarity and Responsible Economy, will bring together EU Ministers responsible for the Social Economy for an informal ministerial conference.

The items on the agenda of the ministerial conference include:

  • Recognising EU countries’ diverse range of traditions, practices and legal systems regarding the social economy in Europe and the need for work to draw on common features
  • Identifying social economy entities and improving their access to funding instruments, both at the national and EU level
  • Measuring social impact as an effective way of ensuring better analysis and increased public authority support for the social and solidarity economy

This conference presents a prime opportunity to examine the resources that can be marshalled and the next steps to take to help the EU strengthen Europe’s social economy.

The work produced by the conference will feed into discussions led by the EU’s Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (EPSCO), a Council of Minister’s formation. Additionally, the work will inform the Commission’s decision-making with regard to issuing a formal recommendation on the social economy to EPSCO Council Ministers by 2023.

2.8 million –> entities in the social economy in Europe

13 million –> people working in the social economy in Europe.

received_2563814793867341

erasmus_plus_logo-300x86

 

This publication has been prepared within INDIGISE project. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the project coordinator and may not always reflect the views of the European Commission or the National Agency.

Model and invitation to Impact Procurement in Lithuania
| | | | |

Model and invitation to Impact Procurement in Lithuania

Impact Procurement: New Opportunities for Social Businesses and NGOs to Develop Quality Public Services and Collaborate with Municipalities

A procurement model where the ordering of municipal services is not based on the purchase of a specific service but on the purchase of results is called impact procurement.

The municipality identifies the partners in the field of public services, and the social partners (social businesses or NGOs) propose measures and identify the scope of the target group that can be affected and participate in market consultations in order to create a mutually acceptable model.

The social partners are allowed to choose the design of the services themselves, the measures that would be most innovative and effective in solving the problems. The partners take the risk that the municipalities’ payment for the services provided depends on the results achieved – the impact on the target group.

Municipal impact procurement

Municipalities prepare impact procurements based on long-term changes rather than measures. On this page you will find information about planned purchases and links to ordered exposure “trees” – there is a detailed breakdown of each exposure area.

When evaluating the possibilities to submit proposals to municipalities, it is possible to limit oneself to one or more areas of long-term change that are qualitatively implemented – the partner is not obliged to implement the desired impact to the full extent.

There is a possibility to use social business investment baskets – up to 15 thousand. an amount of EUR for equipment and additional consultancy for the development of social business. Eligible participants must meet the following conditions:

  • wants to start a social business and register a legal entity in the county of the respective municipality
  • is a social business that has been operating for no more than 1 year. and is registered (or plans to register) in the county of the relevant municipality.

If you have any questions or want to provide service offers to municipalities – please contact: monika.stankeviciute@zmogui.lt

More information in LT language is available HERE.

 

 

received_2563814793867341

erasmus_plus_logo-300x86

This publication has been prepared within INDIGISE project. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the project coordinator and may not always reflect the views of the European Commission or the National Agency.

Get to know asperIT Foundation from Poland, who joined the NEEST portfolio in 2021!
| | | | |

Get to know asperIT Foundation from Poland, who joined the NEEST portfolio in 2021!

NEEST provides a portfolio with tailored financial support, business mentoring and strategic networking over a five-year period.

NESsT offers investment packages up to $150,000 in the form of grants, patient working capital loans and recoverable grants over a five-year period. We encourage co-investments and are proactive towards introducing you to our co-investment partners.

Our team also provides one-one-one business consulting and leverages our partner network for industry-specific expertise and engaged mentorship for you and your team. Over a five-year period, these services are valued at more than $100,000.

Social entrepreneurs with enterprises at the validate (i.e. sales exist but do not sustain the enterprise) and prepare-to-scale stages (i.e. sales sustain initial operations but not growth).

Social enterprises must also meet the following requirements:

  • Be based in Central and Eastern Europe or South America.

  • Use market‐based solutions to create dignified employment, placements or viable income generation opportunities for marginalized groups, while also addressing the many barriers that keep these communities from accessing the formal labor force.

  • Demonstrate a willingness to be active and engaged through the months of the selection process.

Get to know asperIT Foundation from Poland, who joined the NEEST portfolio in 2021!

Founded in 2015, asperIT Foundation empowers people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to access quality jobs in IT by providing them with technical education, psychological support, and soft-skills training. At the same time, the enterprise offers corporate training services to help companies hire and support employees with diverse neurocognitive functions.

In Poland, only 1% of people with ASD are employed. Autism is a developmental disorder that affects how people interact with others. Neurocognitive variations, just as variations in size and skin colour, are an essential part of humanity. These differences equip each person with a unique set of skills that have distinct professional applications. However, this diversity of mental functioning is not reflected in the labour force – people with varied neurocognitive abilities, including people who have dyslexia, ADHD, or ASD, face hiring discrimination and lack adequate support at work.

By providing tech and soft-skill training to aspiring professionals with ASD, the social enterprise is able to expand career paths for them while providing corporations with a neurodiverse talent pool. To date, asperIT has trained 80 people and has supported many of its students to find their first jobs in sustainable and high-growth industries such as tech. Most recently, the Foundation launched its own software testing company, asperIT.com and 10% of asperIT Foundation’s program graduates secured quality employment directly from the company.

received_2563814793867341

erasmus_plus_logo-300x86

 

This publication has been prepared within INDIGISE project. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the project coordinator and may not always reflect the views of the European Commission or the National Agency.

6 Lessons for a More Human-Centered Leadership Practice
| | | |

6 Lessons for a More Human-Centered Leadership Practice

It is no secret that human-centered design thinking is an approach  to problem-solving that is perfectly suited for social economy organizations, social innovators and changemakers tackling complex societal issues. What is more, while the importance of leadership is by now more and more recognized in different types organizations across all sectors, rarely is inspiring leadership as crucial as in social impact organizations and initiatives where rallying people around an idea and a cause is essential for success. Hence, the blog article by IDEO U, the leading digital learning platform for design thinking methods,  on human-centered leadership and how to lead by empowering others is a valuable must read for anyone working with teams in the social impact sphere.

Below are 6 lessons by IDEO’s Lauren Collins and Harvard Business School Professor Frances Frei on what inspiring leadership means today.

1. Leadership is about what happens when you’re not there.

“We are only leading when we are centered on making others better.” — Frances Frei

Shift your mindset from focusing on your personal performance to how your presence impacts others. Your goal is to equip and empower people so they can continue to be awesome in your absence.

2. The Golden Rule is flawed.

“Use your curiosity to figure out how others want to be treated, and then lean into that behavior.” — Frances Frei

We’ve all been told to treat others as we’d like to be treated, but that logic is flawed. It works well when we’re around people who are just like us. But the more diverse and varied the group, the less true it is. Don’t assume others share your desires and opinions. Ask them what they need from you to show up as their most authentic selves.

3. Be curious about who’s not in the room.

“If you’re in a moment where you’re making a decision or changing plans that might impact other people, look around the room and see who’s not represented.” — Lauren Collins

This is a great first step toward building a more inclusive work culture. Ask who might be impacted by the work you’re doing and if they’re represented in the room. If they are present but silent, Frances says that’s a sign they’re not feeling included. How might you help them feel safe to speak up?

4. Soft skills are your superpower.

“Soft skills are not recognized and rewarded as much as they could be in business.” — Lauren Collins

The difference between leaders who stand the test of time and those who don’t is a person’s ability to demonstrate resilience, listening, authenticity, logic, empathy, vulnerability, and humility, among other skills.

5. Distraction kills empathy.

“Offer your attention when you’re in the presence of others.” — Frances Frei

The more we can offer our attention, the more opportunity we have to build empathy, Frances says. One easy thing you can do is to turn phones and technology distractions off during meetings. While it’s tempting to multitask, if we offer someone our distraction, we reveal we’re not interested in their trust.

6. To actively listen, first make space for everyone to speak.

“Starting with listening and making space for others before you lean into the conversation is really important for leaders.” — Lauren Collins

Some people might not feel comfortable speaking in front of a group. As a leader, it’s your role to make space for everyone to participate and show up as their authentic selves.

Try asking “Can you articulate an alternate point of view?” to widen the space for people to bring up different perspectives. Count to 10 before moving on so that people who need more time to process information can respond. Gather answers anonymously, and start or pause your meeting with a moment of heads down time. And finally, take note of who isn’t speaking. In your next meeting, reference an idea or helpful insight that person shared with you to show you value their contributions.

The full article is available here.

received_2563814793867341

erasmus_plus_logo-300x86

This publication has been prepared within INDIGISE project. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the project coordinator and may not always reflect the views of the European Commission or the National Agency.