Estás construyendo un equipo de Impacto Social. ¿Qué cualidades buscas en un nuevo empleado?

Paixão para a causa? Não sei. Motivação e interesse, sim. Mas se queremos "levar a sério" e entregar trabalho de qualidade, são muito bem vindas as competências analíticas, o espirito crítico, a capacidade de não achar tudo "amazing" ou giro. Uma boa cultura política, económica e sensibilidade para a gestão e resultados são indispensáveis. As boas intenções, a empatia não chegam.

I believe that passion for the cause is important, but we over-index it. Sometimes our most effective staff are those who show up everyday to improve operations, handle the administration, measure effectiveness and prepare reports, etc. Passion glasses can lead to burnout and turnover. We know this. Sometimes a job is a job, and that's okay--even in the social impact sector.

True passion and belief in the work you are doing to create an impact is critical if you are growing your team. Authenticity can be an overlooked component in identifying a new hire. Please don't deprioritize this piece.

It is important to note that passion should be coupled with a solid foundation of demonstrated competence. While caring deeply about the issue is essential, being successful in a role won't solely rely on passion alone. Individuals with passion but without the right skills may excel as supporters or advocates but might struggle to contribute significantly in a professional capacity. On the other hand, candidates who combine their passion with the appropriate skills are more likely to drive meaningful change and contribute effectively to your organization's goals.

“Passion for the cause will help your new hire stay focused, resilient, and creative in the face of challenges and setbacks.” This is not always true. Often, this is the difference between a volunteer and a colleague. You can be passionate about an issue/cause without sometimes really understanding the problem from an ecological perspective or wider scope of impact. Sometimes the most impactful colleague won’t be the most passionate. It will be the person who understands how to separate the emotional entanglements of an issue to deconstruct their understanding and solve a problem without creating additional or hard to manage complexity.

I always say if you want to go fast, go by yourself but if you want to go FAR- go together. Going far and making LASTING change is essential for social impact and that is only possible with a collaborative mindset. There is POWER in your people - and when you learn to lean on your people and draw from their power that will help you and your project reach its purpose.

Social impact projects should never operate in isolation. Inclusive of various lived experiences and disciplines, any project aimed at societal betterment should embrace diversity. A prospective teammate working on social impact projects should be enthusiastic about this essential aspect of the role. During the interview, asking second and third-level questions can effectively delve into how candidates envision their role within both larger and smaller team dynamics, aiding in identifying strong candidates for the given position.

When building a social impact team, a crucial quality to look for in a new hire is a collaborative mindset. This means individuals who actively seek and value input from others, work well in team environments, and are open to diverse perspectives. A collaboratively minded team member contributes positively to group dynamics, fosters effective communication, and promotes a collective approach to solving challenges for greater social impact.

Communication and Collaboration are definitely key while working towards a cause. What is often missed, is the ability to accept constructive criticism. A team member who can work on their personal growth by accepting feedback, is indeed an asset to the team.

Social innovation and social impact projects should be social in both the 'means and the ends'. In order to best identify social problems and design inclusive, effective solutions it is necessary to adopt a mindset of collaboration over competition. Whilst hiring we found it useful to simulate situations/ tasks where we could assess how an applicant would seek to collaborate with other team members, and how they would view their unique contribution as part of the bigger picture.

Critical thinking is going to be one of the most demanded attribute in the 21st century. In my opinion critical thinking is - Taking different perspectives, harnessing past intelligence and presently available data points to make effective decisions circumventing all obstacles. Leveraging logic and understanding emotions while decision-making makes one a good problem solver and a greater leader.

Collaboration is hugely missed out in large teams. They say "if you dont make time for mistake avoidance, you will need to make time for fixing them up later". Campaigns are often at the mercy of less experienced members and when things go south, everyone's time is consumed.

Critical thinking is a key quality we seek in new hires for our social impact team. We value individuals who can analyze information, assess situations objectively, and make well-informed decisions. Critical thinkers demonstrate the ability to evaluate complex problems, consider various perspectives, and devise effective solutions that contribute positively to our mission.

Addressing social impact issues more often than not, brings to the table long-standing problems. Problems that have persisted in spite of a long line of people who came before you who endeavored to tackle the problem. When sizing up someone's critical thinking abilities, it is important to listen carefully for other people's philosophies being regurgitated and packaged as their own. These are not the people you want in the trenches with you as you fight a fight that so many before have lost. Original thinkers to the front of the line. TLDR: Anyone can study the ideas of others and recite them. But the last thing you need is a parrot in a suit.

Social impact projects provide multi-dimensional growth. Empathy and decision-making improve manifold. For such individuals, making mistakes and correcting them iteratively adds a lot of value to them as well as the cause. Weaknesses can be overcome by jumping over the 'comfort zone' barrier, allowing you to actually achieve holistic growth. Eventually, the individual becomes a fantastic combination of caring and daring.

Curiosity is a must-have trait for anyone joining a social impact team. Consider that, like a scientific experiment, creating social impact will take forming hypotheses, forming ideas for solutions, testing those solutions, then changing them with feedback. To do this, curiosity (and the humility that comes with it) is required, because if you can't admit you were wrong, or get stuck on a solution that isn't working, you won't actually create impact.

In the dynamic landscape of social impact, growth orientation is not an option; it is a prerequisite for success. Social impact endeavors often involve tackling complex societal issues that require continuous learning, adaptation, and innovation. Individuals with a growth-oriented mindset are the driving force behind these transformative initiatives.

Patience isn’t discussed enough. We live in a time where everyone wants everything real time and/or immediately. However, if you have a holistic mindset, understand socio-historical context and culture, you understand that long term problems often require long term solutions. Sustainability requires the long game, and patience.

Teams need a clear interface into corporate priorities. This is different from an executive champion which is also critical, but is a person on the team that “sees both sides” and can recast team activities in clearer business terms. Your social impact team needs to dream big & advocate, AND be able to see around corners to where their arguments don’t land and /or don’t fit into what is going on in the business.

I would also say, invest in someone who is ready and willing to grow alongside you. Sure you need people on your team who have expertise, but those people also need a growth mindset. People need to invest in the vision and be willing to iterate until that vision comes to life. Build a team that is ready to go the distance.

I would say that domain expertise matters. It is finding people who can compensate for each other's domain expertise and are willing to learn at the same time.

I think we need to challenge the "usual" way of doing things. Yes, we need collaborative, strategic thinkers who are passionate....we also need innovators and change-makers who can challenge the status quo. On top of this, brilliant communicators who can engage others on the journey.