It’s a fact, social entrepreneurs are some of the nicest, genuine, and most collaborative people I’ve met. But is there a downside?
I think there are couple of ways social entrepreneurs are too nice, and it’s making progress slower.
1. Avoiding Sales for Fear of Being Pushy
I’m guilty of this, and I think many are. We’re afraid to confidently ask and direct people through a sales process for fear of being too pushy. But if we truly believe in our work, it’s our responsibility to bring it to the world.
2. Avoiding the Spotlight
Social entrepreneurs are often people who like to lift others up. Taking credit and standing in the spotlight is not in the DNA, but this also means they don’t take a public stance and build a name and personal brand for themselves. This leaves a huge opportunity for impact on the table.
3. Too Many Agreeable Conversations
Progress and innovation comes from people having opposing ideas. I believe we’re too often agreeing with each other to get a feeling of connectedness and acceptance. We’re good at opposing the obvious issues in the world, but when it comes to solutions we need to stand up and say “I think that’s a bad idea”. Not just for fun obviously, but if you have another option, speak up. That’s how we have good dialogue for solutions.
Be Confident
So let’s put our full selves in the world. Don’t hold back because progress depends on you taking a stance. Perhaps we all need to build a bit of a thicker skin to do this, because it inevitably involves rejection and criticism, but it will only help us improve.
Do you agree? What other ways do you think social entrepreneurs are too nice?
