Business as Mission

I’m anxiously awaiting the end of this semester for several reasons, one of which is the luxury of reading for leisure which is somewhat limited when there are MBA books to study. I have recently become fascinated with the idea of business as mission and have discovered numerous books on the topic. The past few months, I have been reading a book called the end of poverty which was kind of academic and a bit hard to plow through at times but left me amazed by how our life experience often leaves us more equipped to help the world than we ever dreamed possible. I’ve slowly become to realize that our traditional ideas of charity may sustain the poor today but do nothing to change their tomorrow. I also stand in awe of a god who somehow convinced a stubborn girl to switch her major to business knowing that eventually I would become passionately interested in learning the way its principles can be harnessed to pull developing countries out of their cycle of poverty. I had no idea what I was in for.
A book I’m incredibly excited about beginning came in the mail yesterday. Here is an excerpt:

After more than 20 years of working in Africa, India and Pakistan, I’ve learned that solutions to poverty must be driven by discipline, accountability and market strength, not easy sentimentality. I’ve learned that many of the answers to poverty lie in the space between the market and charity and that what is needed most of all is moral leadership willing to build solutions from the perspectives of poor people themselves rather than imposing grand theories and plans upon them.
The book is called the Blue Sweater and is the story of Jacqueline Novogratz who is the founder and CEO of the Acumen fund. The Acumen Fund, if you are not familiar, is an amazing and innovative International Non-profit that provides capital to entrepreneurs around the world who start businesses that ultimately help some of the poorest citizens of the world climb out of poverty. I can hardly wait to get started!

Potential

Susan Boyle Sings on Britain's Got Talent 2009 Episode 1 @ Yahoo! Video

Admittedly I'm more emotional when I'm tired and also when I'm stressed and this morning I am a bit of both. However, as I looked over the news when I first signed online this morning I noticed a story about a woman named Susan Boyle that made me tear up a little. This clip doesn't show the whole interchange between the judges and Susan but before she began to sing, Susan told the audience that she is 47 years old, that she lives at home with her cat and that she has never been kissed. You can see the look on Simon's face as he anticipates a female William Hung and then a complete change of countance as he realizes the hidden talent this woman holds. It is amazing to me that Susan has been living in some tiny British village in a tiny cottage and sings like a Broadway star to a feline audience of one. For years she has been cultivating this gift unnoticed and alone, until this moment when suddenly her gift was revealed to the World. To me it says something profound about the hidden potential inside of each of us. It reminds me once again that outward appearances aren't always indicitive of what's inside and that each of us has something profound to give to the world if we will only take the opportunity to share it.