The Greatest Anti-Poverty Program in History

Today the Grameen Foundation is launching $27 on the 27^th. This is to commemorate Dr. Mohammed Yunus’ first micro-loan back in 1976. He loaned $27 to a group of impoverished women in Bangladesh who were living on less than $1 a day while working their hearts out. The economic system of the rural villages was designed by middle class traders to keep their village work forces in constant debt. The women that Dr. Yunus loaned his money to were making a profit of 2 cents a day. Almost immediately their profits increased 50 times to over a dollar a day. Within a few years Yunus had founded the Grameen Bank, which means Village Bank, and thousands of poor women have become self-reliant, often doubling or increasing their net income by 10 times within months of having a legitimate source of investment capital.

Today the Grameen Foundation supports over 200 micro-finance institutions operating around the world from Asia to Africa, China to the Middle East. There are now over 150 million families benefiting from micro-investment capital. The power of this business model is that it is a business. Interest is charged to support the micro banks so that they can loan more money and keep it in an endless virtuous cycle of reinvestment. Today the Grameen Foundation is operating with the wisdom of a global social enterprise by helping create software and other technology solutions to help microfinance banks operate with high efficiency. They are also creating micro-franchises so that village entrepreneurs can establish solar-powered villages while reducing the need for diesel and kerosene. They’re helping women become village eyeglass dispensers so that people over 40 can read on their cell phones and of course they have brought cell phone technology to tens of millions of people in the developing world. For the first time in history we can actually imagine a world without poverty driven by the values of self-reliance. After doing this for 30 years we now know that women are the world’s best poverty fighters because they reinvest in their children and their communities.

Today the Grameen Foundation is seeking to establish a constant and reliable source of donor income. They are asking us to contribute $27 a month every month, a little less than a dollar a day. What they hope to do with this sustainable flow of money is build a worldwide system that provides capital, education, access to basic health care, technology and leadership development to help the poorest of the poor lift themselves to a life of dignity. Their vision is a poverty free world.

I have adopted the Grameen Foundation as my central cause because I have never seen so much sustainable good achieved by integrating the best of business practices and the highest moral vision that human beings can aspire to. So I invite you to consider becoming part of this great movement to end poverty. Go to the Grameen Foundation and join up. I already have.

Taking a Stand for the American Dream

Since starting the American Dream Project I have been an active proponent of the strong values of our founders establishing a society that promoted the greatest happiness for its citizens.  This is happiness based on integrating the values of self-reliance and a shared civic concern for the common good.  As a nation we seem scared.  Our jobs have disappeared, our education and health care systems are broken and we owe nearly a trillion dollars to China.  Meanwhile we swim in a torrent of special interests that use the language “personal independence,” “maximum material success” and “sacredness of property rights” to marginalize the values of social responsibility, sustainable consumption and the sacredness of human rights.  It is frustrating that when we attempt to solve our problems using wisdom, creativity and higher values the debate degrades to a war of special interests trying to rig the future to their benefit.  The only counterbalance to their self-aggrandizement is citizen resolve to reach for new solutions.  Solutions that honor all our legitimate values but ensure fairness to all.

This is difficult.

That’s because we believe that what we know is reality.  But reality is a tricky beast.  The problem is that reality has at least two dimensions.  The facts of a situation represent the content of reality while the meaning of those facts is the context.    Our sense of meaning is driven by our values.  And for our values to be useful in making decisions they must be held in hierarchy.  Simply put, some values are more important than other values.  Values tell us what to do with facts.  That’s why it’s so important not to let others define our values or confuse us as to what’s most important.  Because, if we let them, they will create a closed bubble for us.  And in the bubble of their emotional logic their conclusions will make total sense.  Soon we’ll be interpreting all facts through the false reasoning of the bubble like clones in a frightened world.  This is not just a theory.  People who call President Obama a Nazi or a socialist and people who label conservatives as hillbillies and hate-mongers make the same error.  They are trying to recruit followers through fear.  This is very dangerous.  It’s what happened when Hitler hypnotized Germany.

When the courageous Christian pastor, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was struggling to find ways to rid his beloved Germany of Hitler, he wrote a series of essays that point out the folly of being seduced by those who appeal to our fear and pride, and pointed out that followers become spellbound by slogans and repeated assertions that gradually become “facts” to morally passive followers.  As simplistic slogans are spread by an over-active media, a moral flu has the power to inflict a whole society. When our prejudices are enthroned in a twisted emotional logic that our self-interest is the premier virtue, facts and evidence that contradict our opinions are simply disbelieved and dismissed.  As a successful business owner recently said to me, “I know what I believe is true, so why should I listen to anything that would make me question my convictions?”  Why, indeed.

What Bonhoeffer, who was executed by Nazis three weeks before Hitler’s suicide in 1945, pleads for is for us to “take a stand.”  His call is to stand for love.  He called on Christians to save Jews because the great work of moral humans is to bring relief to all who suffer. He challenges us to consider “the outcasts, the suspects, the powerless, the oppressed…with new eyes of generosity, humanity, justice and mercy”.

In my view the greatest act of humanity is to relieve today’s suffering and build self-reliance so that all people can lift themselves to a decent, hope-filled life.  My work with the Grameen Foundation, who empower the poorest of the world’s poor to lift themselves by providing access to microloans so they can become self-sustaining entrepreneurs, convinces me that the vast majority of humanity has the will, talent and ingenuity to live a responsible life.  They just need the tools to get started.

To return to the beginning, I am saddened that demagogues in our nation can rally millions with fear-based messages with the primal message, “Every man for himself.”  I also worry that public spending that weakens our self-reliance and creates institutional dependencies is old failure path. The people I most respect are those who hold strong beliefs, recognize that evil is real, exercise timeless values and continue to have an open mind.  Above all, they refuse to be driven by fear, pride or intolerance.

For me there is a higher center that calls for civic engagement in the common good, the restraint of greed, and the promotion of self-reliance.  It is time to take a stand.   A time to stand for our highest values.  This is not time for fear and divisiveness.  It’s time for creative idealism and a fiercely open mind.  These issues are great questions of our day.  (For a view on my suggestion on healthcare that attempts to blend personal responsibility with citizen lead social responsibility, see my other posts: Outraged at the Politics of Healthcare and Will Marre’s Radical Solution to Health Care.)

So what do you think?  Am I missing the point?  What do you believe are the answers to our challenges?

Believe - We Can Be So Much More Than What We Are

It was a great weekend for football. My USC Trojans prevailed once again and all the coach of Notre Dame could say was, “we fought hard.” The thing about performance is that the description of effort as an excuse of failure is simply a story we tell ourselves. Great teams find ways to win, even when they don’t deserve to win. Notre Dame had so many extra chances and they were unable to win. Some of that is just karma. The continuous success of a football team is primarily due to its coach. A coach is nothing more than the organizational leader. The coach sets the tone, creates the culture, and they either create a culture of winning without excuse or simply trying hard. It is much more fun to win! I have been on both kinds of teams, and trying hard is not enough. I’m not talking here about winning at any cost. I’m just saying people that do what it takes to prepare well, to make sure that mistakes aren’t made, and to make sure that strengths are magnified consistently win. That is fun!

We should teach our children what it takes to win. Participation is simply not enough. People have no idea how great they can become. Recent research shows that most people plateau after 50 attempts of doing anything: 50 attempts at learning a dance, 50 attempts at painting a picture, or 50 attempts at trying to serve a volleyball. At 50 there is some mental trigger where most of us think, “well that’s about as good as we’re ever going to get.” But, great people continue to learn, to get feedback, and to diligently practice after the 50 times plateau. How good can we be? We have no idea, but we have to come at life with the idea that we’re good enough to be extraordinary at what we are passionate about, because WE ARE!

The Gap Does More Than Set Fashion Trends

I recently came across The Gap’s social responsibility website. I was quite impressed and wanted to give a shout out to their efforts. While their contributions to Project Red and their stand against child labor are more well known, what I was most impressed with is their dedication to employee involvement in their CSR initiatives. Some of their initiatives include:

• 2000 employee community leaders who organize company-sponsored service events and act as ambassadors for their work in the company and the community.
• In 2008 alone they donated $10.3 million in employee-driven community investment.
• Their Money for Time program provides a $150 grant to nonprofits for every 15 hours of employee volunteer time.
• Their Take Five program offers exempt corporate employees five hours of paid time off to volunteer each month, or 60 hours per year.
• In Action Days are events organized by employees of Gap Inc. brands to provide local volunteer opportunities. Thousands of employees have participated, dedicating hundreds of hours to a wide variety of projects.
• Team Grants support employee team projects. When at least three store employees spend 25 hours volunteering with a nonprofit that supports underserved youth or women, Gap Inc. provides a $250 grant to that organization. Each store receives an annual grant budget based on store volume. Since the program began in 2006, it has grown significantly, increasing from 220 team projects in 2007 to 723 in 2008.

Will Marre, leadership expert, is a huge proponent of employee involvement in CSR initiatives. In “Personal Social Responsibility Drives Employees to More Deeply Commit to Their Organization’s Success” he cites research that reveals that 93 percent of American employees say it is important for their companies to provide them with opportunities to become involved in social issues, and 72 percent want their employers to do more to support a cause or social issue. Marre believes that the best way to engage employees and create deep loyalty is to provide them with opportunities to make a difference in their community. He calls this Personal Social Responsibility.

Gap Inc. is a great example of Personal Social Responsibility. On their website it states, “We see a direct connection between our employees’ volunteerism and their commitment to Gap Inc. Engaged employees deliver strong business results, which is good for the community and our company. In a 2007 employee survey, nearly all respondents said it is important for them to work for a company that invests in the community. Studies also show that when a person is emotionally connected to a cause, giving is related to positive emotions and personal happiness. The bottom line: volunteering makes people happy, and happy people make better employees.”

Personal Social Responsibility is indeed becoming the new trend of CSR. As Marre states, “In the real world organizations are finding success by transforming a paternalistic paradigm of CSR into a launch pad for inspired employees to “save the world” right where they are.”

“Dirty Black” Jeans - A Company I Love Working With

One of the highlights I had last week was talking to a young executive at Gap. I guess a young executive is redundant, because almost all the leaders of Gap are young. The vast majority of people who run the company are between 35 and 45. Their new CEO has brought a great focus on operating excellence, and has allowed the clothing designers and store merchandisers to express themselves without the usual bureaucracy. I myself recently bought myself a pair of 1969 anniversary “dirty black” jeans. I love the way they fit and I love the way they make me feel about 20 years younger! I am going to be speaking at Gap on the 28th and I was invited to wear the pants for my speech. Now that is the kind of company that I love working with!

International Community Foundation - Saving Mexico

I am privileged to be helping the International Community Foundation. They are non-profit here in San Diego focused on helping raise the quality of life throughout Mexico. They have programs in health, education, economic development, and the environment. They especially attract the donations of people who have second homes in Mexico or visit there frequently. I was shocked to learn that only 27 million dollars of charitable funds aid go to Mexico from the United States, and only 45 million dollars in private charity. Mexico is our neighbor and believe me, they need lots of help. They are running out of oil revenue and efforts to promote the common good are an acute need. It’s certainly in our interest to make sure that Mexico has a thriving economy and a law abiding society. Anything that we can do to help the development of that country is well worth our investment. The strategy session itself went really well. We came up with a number of ways to focus the organization on its areas of highest impact and it’s outstanding reputation. We discussed several cause-marketing campaigns with major corporations that might be attractive and other initiatives that might magnify ICF’s impact dramatically.

10 Most Critical Questions for a Non-Profit to Answer

On Thursday I am going to be working with the International Community Foundation. They are really focused on helping improve civil society throughout Mexico. When I approach these kinds of assignments I use my list of the 10 Most Critical Questions for a Non-Profit to Answer which are:

1. What problem are you willing to solve?
2. How will you know when it’s solved?
3. What would you do if you had 10 years to make your difference?
4. What is your promise; your commitment to each stakeholder?
5. What is your unique Factor; What do you do that is different?
6. What proof do you have that your unique factor works?
7. How much money and what resources do you need to succeed over the next 10 years?
8. What are you willing to do and not do to achieve your mission?
9. What’s your new vision story of success?
10.What’s the most important thing for you to accomplish in the next 90 days to ensure your success?

What I find is that non-profits that can answer these questions know what they’re doing. Non-profits who can’t are still hacking at the leaves while the roots of evil grow deeper.

A Change In Jobs Could Be a Good Thing

I just read a story about the number of people who’ve had to change jobs during this Great Recession and how often how much happier they are. In fact, in recent research most job changers are happier with their new job than their old job, even if it pays them less. In this story a young 29-year-old woman who was a recruiter for the IT industry got laid off. Yet, her real love is of dogs, so she became a dog walker. She charges 18 dollars a half hour and 55 dollars for an overnight stay. What’s so amazing is that she’s making almost as much money as she did doing something that she could barely tolerate. Now she gets to meet new dogs all the time, and do her little dog-walking job. She says she couldn’t be happier, and couldn’t imagine going back to that of a corporate guy. Perhaps there is a lesson in that for all of us.

Top 10 Things Every Business Leader Should Know About Strategic Sustainability

1. Sustainable Abundance is good for business. Every product and every service needs to be re-invented to create a sustainable future.  This is the greatest economic opportunity in history.  (Consider automobiles, light bulbs, airplanes, energy…. everything.)
2. High Sustainability Standards and Maximizing Human Benefits can generate “leapfrog” designs to invent new products and new business models.  (Toyota was creating the Prius while other car companies slept.)
3. Sustainability Thinking saves money. The relentless challenge to improve durability, re-use parts and eliminate packaging brings bottom line innovation. (91% of old Xerox copier parts are reused in “new” Xerox machines.)
4. Removing the Bad attracts new customers. Consumers and business customers are stampeding to choose the benefits of non-toxic, no-waste products (Clorox’s non-toxic Green Works Cleaners is their fastest growing product portfolio.)
5. Create a Cause Bigger Than Your Brand. Over 80% of consumers say they choose brands that support good causes because it makes them feel like they are “voting with their wallet.” (ClifBar’s brand in the manufactured nutrition bar business repeatedly earns the highest loyalty rating.  They famously support the organic sourcing and the buy local food movement as well as women and fitness initiatives.)
6. Sustainability Obliterates Costs. When smart people consider how to satisfy a need or want without waste or even cost, new business models spring to life.  (When Apple designed the ipod, eliminating the cost/waste of CD manufacturing, shipping and distribution was the natural outcome.  The ipod led to the iphone, greener product design and tens of thousands of digital apps which create user loyalty without more cost.)
7. Sustainability Drives Game-Changing Business Models. When leaders consider solving huge problems in sustainable ways, new thinking creates breakthrough businesses.  Before the radio, who would have thought of music with a band?  Before the light bulb, who would have thought of light without a flame?  (Today micro-entrepreneurs are installing solar panels on huts in the world’s poorest areas because solar generated OLED light is cheaper than kerosene.  Power without the grid.  Is everything possible?)
8. Sustainability Creates Smart Marketing.  Engaging your customers in the benefits and breakthroughs of your green and sustainable products requires a new level and a new type of communication.  It’s called smarketing.  Marketing that makes your customer smart.  (GE recently asked design students to come up with creative ways to use GE’s new organic LED lights.  Tens of thousands have seen their video on YouTube and the product launch is still months away.)
9. Sustainability Attracts Top Talent. The best science, engineering and business schools report that top graduates only want to work for companies that are serious about making a difference in creating a sustainable future.  (Ask any college recruiter.)
10. If You Don’t Fully Embrace Sustainability, You Are Toast. The debate over green is over and green won.  Consider the failures of GM and the transformation of Wal-Mart.  It’s better to ride the wave than drown in the rip tide of change.

For information on the speech or seminar, “Leading for Sustainability,” email candie@willmarre.com.

Will Marre Vision.org Interview about Save the World and Still Be Home for Dinner

The critical issue of leadership today is MORAL INTENT.  If we get very effective people being leaders who don’t have worthwhile moral intent, we get what we’ve got.

In this interview at Chapman University in Orange County, California, Will speaks to Vision about, Save the World and Still Be Home for Dinner… about leadership, organizations, changes in the corporate world, personal contentment, and quality relationships.

Listen to it here.

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