The theme of this year’s Clinton Global Initiative was “the future of impact.” I began to think about what we can do as individual le
aders to create a better world for the next generation. There are many different ways to go about this, but I do believe that there are three fundamental changes that we can make. If we implement them into all tasks, big and small, I think that we can create some positivity for our future.
GIVE BACK
Everyone, successful or not should give back. It isn’t just the right thing to do, but the gratification that it gives you is like nothing else. Volunteering creates shared value for everyone – whether it is employees, customers, partners or shareholders. When a group of people join together to take on an environmental or social issue, they take on much more than a few hours of their time. They can address an immediate need, but also put attention on a long-term solution, no matter the challenges. Every effort to give back makes a difference in someone. That someone will turn around and impact someone else or some thing in a positive way as well. Giving back has a multiplier effect, remember your one action is not alone.
MENTORSHIP
Mentoring young people around me is something that I have always naturally done, probably because I had it done for me. Besides my parents, I have had many other brilliant mentors that have shaped me into the person that I have become. My favorite part of mentoring others is watching them grow and realize that they are capable of great things. Us, as mentors are an invaluable resource that can ignite a mentee’s ambition – so we need to take advantage of it and lead them to opportunities we know they can handle.
I am a firm believer that everyone has something to learn from someone – yes, even your mentees. I think that by working with others, especially from diverse backgrounds and interests, we can achieve so much more. By simply having the commitment of working together, two people or a group of people can create a new way of thinking that can have better impact on the future than you could have had alone.
Very early in my life, I was taught the importance of “paying it forward” and I believe that these three steps should serve as reminders of how we can have a lasting effect on the world and its future leaders.
Advisor Abbate 