I chose to follow the Global Social Benefit Incubator for several reasons. I don't know anything about the particular members that have been selected and I don't know a ton about the group. I am assuming (on the recommendation of EVOKE) that GSBI is a selective group and only brings the best-of-the-best into their fold. I further assume that the members the organization has chosen have all agreed to participate for the purpose of Social Innovation. Therefore, under those assumptions, here is why I chose to follow GSBI via Twitter (@socialedge).
COLLABORATION
Regardless of how high your opinion is of yourself, everyone knows there is room for improvement. There have been a few times in my past where I've been approached about joining what has been affectionately called a "Think Tank" - it was really just a group of people who wanted to get into a room together to knock around ideas and figure out real, actionable next steps. These sessions were fantastic for generating not only "What If..." ideas and scenarios, but also "...and here's how" solutions for solving the problems that each of us found. This is very different from a brainstorm where every idea is put on the whiteboard and discussed - these are real discussions about what's feasible now and what resources would be needed for this to be feasible in the future.
The purpose? Creative people need stimulation. Simple. I could sit in an office surrounded by white boards and hash out ideas all day on my own. The problem is that I am limited by own thought processes. The same is true for everyone. It's a Thought Paradox: one's own mind restricts what is thought to be unrestricted thought. And, therefore, by bringing people together to really discuss problems and hash out real actionable solutions, the world of possibilities becomes closer to limitless. Through collaboration, the "What ifs..." and "...here's how" can come together to create terrific hypothetical situations. Which leads to the next reason I chose GSBI.
INCUBATION
An incubation program places small (but significant) investments in multiple projects to fund early-stage growth with the thought that the project that comes together will, in the future, fund itself and/or find additional funding in the future. I think the
3 Characteristics of Success laid out by Senator Jeff Bingaman (D) for an incubation program are perfect: Leadership, Speed, and Capturing Industry Attention. Incubation programs live and die by the very members of their project teams, and - in theory - the group brought together by GBSI will brings real-world experience for Leadership, an urgent mindset for change to fuel Speed, and highly-visible individuals who will help to Capture Media and Industry Attention for the goals of the group.
Collaboration and Incubation are the tools that fueled big business before, and they are the tools that will fuel Green Business in the future.
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