WASHINGTON, DC | October 28, 2013 - This week on BIZ+SOCIAL, we bring you the best from the New Global Citizen, Business Fights Poverty, SSIR, and more.

GLOBAL PRO BONO

The Pro Bono Ripple Effect: How Two Months in Africa Changed One Man’s Career

The practice of pro bono consulting transforms individuals on a professional and a personal level – creating global citizens who are better equipped to address challenges and take advantage of opportunities in the ever-changing business world. This transformation has a ripple effect.  As it is Pro Bono Week, we take a moment to celebrate this. Skills-based volunteering is subtly shaping career trajectories, shifting corporate culture, and catalyzing institutional learning for organizations such as the Government of Lagos in Nigeria and the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators, both of whom have benefited from pro bono expertise. “We Need to Think Simpler When Marketing in Emerging Countries” Meet Matt Berry, Director of Mobile Marketing for IBM’s MobileFirst program.  Matt participated in both IBM’s Corporate Service Corps and the Smarter Cities Challenge – the first, five years ago, at the program’s inception and the second, this past summer.  As IBM celebrates CSC’s fifth year, it has sent nearly 2,400 employees on short-term assignments in emerging and frontier markets in more than 30 countries worldwide. Read More…

IMPACT & INNOVATION

Pro Bono Innovation

As we celebrate Pro Bono Week, it’s worth reflecting on the powerful trends that have recently emerged from businesses across the country as they continue to scale and deepen the impact of their community engagement programs. In the 2013 Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy “Giving in Numbers” report, 50 percent of companies surveyed reported that they offer either a domestic or international pro bono program. This is an increase from 32 percent in 2008, clearly showing a growing trend of companies embracing skills-based service to lead change in their communities. Over the past two years, we’ve also seen more than 500 companies pledge $2 billion in pro bono services tononprofits through the national A Billion + Change campaign. Pledge companies are inspiring others to lend their time and talent to nonprofits through the powerful business and social impact that pro bono offers. A picture is worth a thousand words, so we created an infographic showcasing the broad social impact and business value that the pledge companies are generating. Read More…

LEADERSHIP

Creating Leaders with the Competencies to Make the World a Better Place

“In 1970, the top three skills required by the Fortune 500 were the three Rs: reading, writing, and arithmetic. In 1999, the top three skills in demand were teamwork, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills.” - Linda Darling-Hammond, a professor of education at Stanford. This quote comes from a recent article in Wired Magazine “How a Radical New Teaching Method Could Unleash a Generation of Geniuses” by Joshua Davis about how elementary education needs to change to better prepare students for the digital age. In today’s world innovation, creativity and independent thinking are as, if not more, important than the traditional knowledge base taught in schools –it’s not just what you know about the world, it’s how you think about the world. The article focuses on primary education, but it made me consider how a similar philosophy can be applied to talent and leadership development for adults. We spend a great deal of time talking about entrepreneurs and technology companies. Even the world’s most established companies, however, need to consider how to better prepare their employees to operate in a globalized, rapidly evolving world – one that requires advanced skills in teamwork, problem-solving and interpersonal interactions. Read More…

CITIZEN DIPLOMACY

Iowa View: An Iowa Export Worth Celebrating

Today, Iowa celebrates a remarkable milestone: 30 years of friendship with our Sister State of Hebei, China. What an extraordinary accomplishment for an entirely volunteer, nonprofit effort dedicated to connecting Iowans with the world. In fact, this citizen diplomacy may well be our state’s most valuable export. For more than 50 years, Iowa has been front and center in volunteer, people-to-people diplomacy through our long tradition of Sister State relationships. Sister State exchanges bring the world to our doorstep and have helped Iowa build deep and lasting friendships throughout the world, resulting in greater cooperation and trade. That is why the Principal Financial Group is honored to participate in this anniversary celebration. We’re especially proud to welcome some 180 distinguished guests from Hebei province to our global headquarters. This visit not only celebrates past achievements, but serves as an important opportunity to expose Iowa’s global competitiveness in financial services, agriculture, manufacturing, bioscience and renewable energy to a whole new generation. Read more…

ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT

A Moroccan Woodworking Artisan Shapes His Trade

 Wandering through the old Fez Medina, where vendors of various goods peddle their wares, an older woodworker stands apart from the rest. In the middle of the hustle and bustle (emphasis on hustle), I notice him, an old man bent over his crafts. Beautiful wood pieces that he has carved by hand are stacked up and spread out in front of his stall. Surrounded by an incredible array of colorful crafts—leather goods, glassware, mosaic dishware, beautifully woven rugs, and tapestries—accented with pink, green, purple, and yellow, this man’s goods are all varying shades of brown. It was this contrast that first lured me in to take a better look. As I walk closer, I see inside of his roughly 50 square-foot stall, shelves displaying more of his work and pricing signs—ten Euros for this, five Euros for that. Virtually unheard of, set prices are a true rarity in the Fez Medina, the land where haggling reigns. He is sitting on a foot stool a few inches off the ground. He is hunched over and using his bare feet to operate a simple machine that is carving a piece of wood in his hands. Read More…

MORE

The Future of Employee Engagement: IBM’s Triple-Benefit Programs

Women, Business, and the Bottom Line

The Five Characteristics of Successful Innovators

Young, Bright Minds Driving Change in China

Likuni Mission Hospital Gets Diagnosed and Treated

“For Me, You Are America”