Social Impact 2.0 - Developing the Leader
When it comes to social impact, people tend to be obsessed with metrics and measurement. While these have their usefulness, they are just tools for the journey - and tools are only as good as the carpenter. While harping on about the Theory of Change, we never stop to ask if we have changed? Ultimately, if the “be” does not precede the “do”, there can be no real and sustainable change, even if you measure it with the best metrics. After all, we’re human beings, not human doings.
At the #TBNAsiaConference2024, our Social Impact 2.0 - Developing the Leader panel discussed what is truly at the heart of purpose-driven social impact? Firstly, we start with the Leader that has conviction. Change is inherently tough. Without a strong belief in the cause, it's easy for passion to fizzle out when hit with a roadblock. Secondly, heart. If you don’t love the people that you are there to serve, you can’t hope to build a relationship with them, or to bring any societal benefit.
One of the speakers shared that when they first entered Africa, they partnered with an organisation to build wells for the people in the villages. But 6 months later the people were still walking miles to get their water and the wells were untouched, because the people saw it as the ‘white people’s wells’, not theirs. The objective was to build wells for the people, but as an organisation they missed out on the “for the people” aspect, which is the building of relationships with the people that they were building the wells for.
Finally, leadership style is important. A servant leader with the right values is there to serve and invest in the people. While leaders can influence from the top down, systematic transformation is ground up, and it starts from within. We will only see the needle move when enterprises combine values and profit - and values come from the Leader: character over charisma, sometimes even character over competence (competence can be grown, character is much more difficult).
Ultimately, any organization is only as effective as the Leader who leads it. We can never give what we don't have. So let's elevate our game, take social impact to the next level, and invest in the change that comes from within. Remember: metrics and measurement are only the tools, it's the carpenter that wields these tools. Long live the carpenter.
There is a part 2 to this topic at the 2025 TBNA Conference this year, “Character-based Finance: Because it Matters”. Join us as we break down why numbers never tell the whole story.