Guest post by Cynthia Lardner who interviewed Nadine B. Hack -“I had the opportunity to interview a woman I admire tremendously and we had a wonderful conversation about how she came to be a woman of conviction respected globally.” CL: What influenced you when you were young and who were your role models? NBH: My grandmother was an extraordinary woman, dedicated to helping others.  She immigrated to the US from what was then Russia (now Ukraine) to escape Tsarist pogroms.  I grew up in an building where our extended family lived (her brothers, sisters, their children and grandchildren).  She taught me that when I went to the bakery I should ask the price of today and yesterday’s bread: then, after... more

Guest post by Dr. Surendra Soni — Indian philosophical wisdom, especially in the Sāmkhya school of philosophy and the Bhagavad Gita, describes that our lives operate under the influence of an admixture of various modes of energy. We are not under the influence of the same mode of energy all the time. This varying blend of energy has an overwhelming impact as much on our relationships as it has on our actions and performance. This energy, which has a certain quality of consciousness, flows into our actions and our relationships and goes on to mould and shape them. These varying modes of energy lend charm and colour to human life and pursuit, but they also have us swing between harmonies and... more

beCause Associate Peter Cook just released a book with Bloomsbury Publishing, Leading Innovation, Creativity and Enterprise . I asked Peter for some insights into this, the 11th book he has written or contributed to over 22 years in business. What prompted you to write this book? I have had three passions across my life – science, business and music. When I was four years old I wanted to be in The Beatles. By nine, I wanted to be a brain scientist. At 18, I joined a pharmaceutical company as a chemist and traveled the world, fixing factories and scaling up life-saving drugs, including the world’s first treatment for HIV / AIDS and work to introduce human insulin to the world. By 29 I became... more

beCause Associate Lina Srivastava interviewed by Henry Jenkins, Professor of Communication, Journalism, and Cinematic Arts at University of Southern California – As my student Geoff Long likes to say, transmedia is an adjective, not a noun, and as such, it needs something to modify. Much of the conversation here has centered around transmedia entertainment, transmedia storytelling, or perhaps transmedia branding and transmedia learning. But, when the word transmedia modifies activism or mobilization, there is no more important voice in the world today than Lina Srivastava. In her hands, transmedia becomes a verb — something we do to make a difference in the world. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiOKsv_1wRo#t=22 I first met her in Madrid several summers ago when we were both speaking at a gathering of thinkers... more

by professor innovation management IMD Business School Bill Fischer – By now, everyone reading this knows (or should know) that you never want to be the so-called “smartest guy in the room.” Surround yourself with smarter people and you’ll all win. More ideas, more energy, more connections, smarter people make smart people even more successful. But, what about being “the dumbest guy in the room”? Ever think of that? Have you ever aspired to be the one who asks the dumbest questions? In fact, we think that someone has to do this in order to take most conversations to a higher level, and yet most of us instinctively shun such a role to the extent that it often never happens, and we’re all the... more

by beCause Associate Jennifer Sertl   I am a pilgrim on the edge, on the edge of my perception. We are travelers at the edge, we are always at the edge of our perception. ~ Scott Mutter (Escalator ~ Copyright 1984 Scott Mutter used with permission from Bob Mutter) The people I know in this impact community often do a great deal for others. As caretakers and as innovators, we need reminders to slow down and also take care of ourselves.  This message is particularly for all my colleagues fostering social innovation. Here are a couple of exercises I hope sharpen your senses and allow you more grace in the midst of the pressure that comes with being change agents. There is a... more

by beCause CEO Nadine Hack – “I meant what I said and I said what I meant.  An elephant’s faithful one-hundred percent!” ― Dr. Seuss, Horton Hatches the Egg It’s well known that our children learn from our actions, not our words.  The admonition “Do what I say, not what I do!” never has worked even for the least cleaver child.  The same absolutely holds true for how we each and all can inspire authentic, purposeful leadership by embodying it ourselves. I have found that self-awareness is the most fundamental dimension for this.  Can you to look into your own mirror with clarity and honesty about what examples you are setting on a daily, if not hourly, basis?  Are you being open,... more

by beCause Global Associate Robi Damelin, co-leader Parents Circle, those who have lost children to the conflict and work together for peace rather than vengeance — So many see our situation in Palestine and Israel as hopeless, impossible, and quite frankly unsolvable. We who live here, who care about the safety of our children, cannot afford to become immune and wait for somebody else to take care of them and their safety. We do not have the luxury of apathy or of waiting for some leader to emerge who will save us from ourselves. Today, more than ever the Parents Circle – Families Forum (PCFF) , an organization of bereaved Palestinian and Israeli families, believes that women must come to the forefront and be... more

by beCause Global Associate Cortney McDermott – her Perfectly Imperfect series is about acknowledging and embracing our individual gifts and quirks-our perfect imperfection.  ***   It’s time we release the idea that every part of us must be “perfect” and we open to our full creative potential as unique beings. Stay here to learn how to replace guilt, worry and self-criticism with joy, wonder and purpose. So many of my clients — brilliant men and women with impressively successful lives and careers — experience self-doubt and engage in self-criticism to an extent I rarely see in other folks. Chances are, if you’re reading this, that you’re juggling a gazillion things at once and not giving yourself enough credit. You may also throw... more