”All you need is guts and grace” is a fitting quote to anyone successful in the working world. In some fashion or another, from the business to the educational sector, from non-profit to simply networking after work, those who step out of their comfort zone more often than not– tactfully and graciously– will be rewarded generously. Time and time again I see start-ups crash and burn, students transfer after a non-adjusted semester, and non-profits unfortunately struggle to attract funds and volunteers to sustain their mission. The stars among the bunch are the innovative and persistent characters that inspire me not with the stuff they collect or retain, but with the smarts, creativity, boldness and outside of the box thinking they exhibit. These inspirational characters take matters into their own hands and live by the saying when faced with roadblocks, “there’s always another way to get where you’re going.”

The “Mariposas” shown above, whom I was first introduced to through my Latin American history books in College and then on the wall shown here outside my Bed and Breakfast in the capital of Dominican Republic, are a perfect example of exhibiting guts and grace. While researching in the Dominican Republic, I learned more about these inspiring and smart young women who risked their lives for change in their country, not just for their own right to fairly have the opportunity to develop academically and professionally, but for the greater good of their country under a smothering dictatorship.

Bringing it back to concerns for many in North America, for many who have the freedom to excel academically and (more so than other developing countries) fairly, it’s still not easy to reach out to someone you don’t know to ask for help for a school or professional opportunity. It’s hard to take a chance and apply to the program or company you don’t know much about, or travel to a country alone you’ve never been to for an opportunity of a lifetime. But if you don’t go, you won’t know, right?

I have a friend applying for jobs now, patiently waiting on HR reps and recruiters to call him back and provide him the answers or attention he is looking for. He’s got a great resume, but the data won’t walk the line like a phone call or a relationship will. People are busy. There are others, who I see climbing the ladder of success, that are patient and calculated, but never sit back on their heels. They seek out the opportunities and proactively connect the dots to create the connections needed to secure an interview or lead on a job opportunity, sometimes connecting dots that didn’t seem obvious at first. They are able to spin that patience into action and opportunities. This takes time and the unknown can be time consuming or frustrating. Sometimes the route to where you’re going is indirect and seems inefficient at the time.  But that first connection or bold move, can make all the difference.

In the country of Colombia, among celebrating vibrant art, complex history and a bounty of eco-trade and an organic product world of possibilities, they face a messy history of kidnapping, crime and cultural conflict. This is a dynamic environment that historically has not offered much consistency nor confidence to an investor or traveler. However times are changing and Colombians are working hard to adjust this reality. From another angle, someone is taking a chance in Colombia through sport, investing in and attracting positive attention through Golf. With a little guts and grace, this article about how golf in Colombia aims beyond tourism and drives change. It shows there are new stars who took a chance at one cross road or another they came to, to play a sport so unpopular and unsightly in a soccer-crazed culture.

Public and private relationships abound, Latin America also acknowledges and supports the need to step out of one’s comfort zone to learn and invest in education in a new way. The lesson? Studying abroad is important for learning not just inside the classroom, but beyond, and could have positive affects on their international relations and trade down the line. This recent article in the Chronicle about Latin American countries pushing more students to study abroad, discusses how from Brazil to Central America governments are investing more money toward scholarships to send their students abroad. Another organization I’ve been working with this summer, Connect-123, a global social enterprise that encourages students around the world to go beyond the study abroad experience, provides tailored intern opportunities with civil society organizations and local entrepreneurs and businesses to contribute to the local culture, economic development and social impact they’re living in. In return, the beyond the classroom reward is tenfold academically and personally, while  developing professionally.

From Latin America to Eastern Europe, the Non-profit Enterprise Self-Sustainability Team (NESsT) works tirelessly with social enterprises and businesses to sustain profit and marketable opportunities, while contributing to civil society. I’ve worked with their Latin American and Eastern Europe offices for the past 9 months. Boasting 13 different languages and almost 50 talented individuals who took a chance in their career to help the growing sector of social enterprise, they carve sustainable solutions out of international development opportunities daily. In doing so, they provide better livelihoods to hundreds of organizations and communities in emerging markets around the world. With a little guts and grace myself, I’ll be traveling over to Europe for work solo. During my trip I’ll get to work with colleagues from NESsT in Budapest hailing from Slovakia, Romania, Croatia and Hungary on global communications and management solutions online.

How are you exhibiting guts and grace in your professional and personal life? How do you see innovation playing a part in this? Do you have good stories to share about others sticking their neck out and making a difference in their own careers or for others?

I head off to an unknown land of Eastern Europe for me– taking boat, train, bus and plane to get me from Spain over to Budapest. I look forward to spotting some new gutsy confidence and innovation along the way, and sharing it with you all later. For now, the door is open. Stay bold and take hold of those opportunities. They’re out there, but they are not waiting on you, so why wait on them?

Springtime and cleaning signals “out with the old and in with the new,” bright, fresh and new commodities, ideas, conversations, and partnerships. This can come in all shapes and sizes, moods and tones, and occurs around the world in different ways.  Fresh, new starts come in a package of one or ten; welcoming the new perspective is what’s important to me.

This week, as spring shook off its frost and chilly rain in northern California, and the sun finally shown its warmer face, conducting a media coverage sweep for a class project and client has brought me all over the globe.  It’s taken me traveling across headlines to and fro, across various social media platforms, 20 languages and over 110 countries, in fact.  Exciting? Yes this is sweet and sure thrill for me. Just like the exhilaration of  handing in a squeaky clean and meaty reseach paper, a new and digitally visual presentation, saving the day at just the right moment, or walking into the sunshine in a bright new outfit.  It’s like having an “aha” moment or “big idea” with a colleague or client when you are completely stuck in a rut or challenge – when that sweet, born again moment or idea emerges during a brainstorm or stategy meeting.  It’s when you turn the curve, you get ahead of the curve, and you start again, on the right track. 

This week, the old school idea that rejuvenated itself into new ways and relationships, were various exciting global socially-driven public/private partnerships fueling various new perspectives and energy, innovation, engaged citizens economic development, social impact and entrepreneurship.  These stories and announcements are refreshing brands, rejuvenating non-profit efforts and resources, and driving online marketing and publicity as springtime helps us “clean out the old and bring in the new.” Just this week I’ve seen new shiny and bright futures for Ashoka, a “hot” new Website for Kiva, and other social entrepreneurship organizations getting injected with more funding and resources through big, bright and shiny partnerships, and with big company names, like eBay and Ashoka’s new Opportunity Project launch. 

As change is made, positive partnership making not only includes having a clean new look, but to have  a clean story.  When non-profits lack clarity or mix enterprise for unclear reasons, it doesn’t engage supporters just increases question, concern and distrust.  In this article, Soles4Souls has been collecting shoes to donate to people in need of shoes since 2006. Now they’re found to donate shoes to citizens in need overseas, but also to merchants, to then sell to their communities instead as distributors, at a small handling fee. Regardless of the true story, after looking into it more, question is in increased and this article explains more how Soles4Souls does offer an opportunity where it lacks in the societies they work in - in jobs and commerce, however confusion causes surprise and distrust from its supporters and donors.  Selling used shoes is creating jobs at a low cost, but it is also flooding the markets, falsely driving up demand and down prices for second hand, low quality shoes that came from our soles, under false pretenses.  At the end of the day, it is up to the board and leadership of the organization to make these decisions in how they donate and where funding comes and goes. My concern is in the marketing and online communications to their supporters, donors and the world– which shows lots of bright faces and promise through their marketing campaigns saying they’re looking to collect more shoes in 2011 for needy soles around the world…but it is really to boost their shoe numbers to donate to more people in need or to their “microenterprise” program? Whatever it is, they they should just clearly say it. Transparency is clear, fresh, clean and a good way to start the season.

Similarly in this time of positive change and on a good note – we see the US government investing in promotion of female entrepreneurship through trade and other means in this public, private government initiative from Hillary Clinton talks trade and promoting women in Latin America – Pathways to Prosperity program. The “Pathways to Prosperity can and will help spread the benefits of economic engagement and trade to women, rural farmers and small businesses, Afro-descendants, indigenous communities, and others too often left on the sidelines of progress.” — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton Stated. 

Kiva also hits new milestones through engaging with the public and private sector, as they’re efforts go viral and partners from many private sector areas looking to ”do good” or use their loan activity for tax write offs join in to support. Kiva hit a new milestone recently with 200 million dollars in loans. But are these all effective?  Money is being given to entrepreneurs around the world – social or not, with or without training. However, something can be said about crowd support and funding– sustainable and/or with or without training, that is a better opportunity than not.  They have focused internally in terms of sustainability; chatting with employees recently they’ve shared they have overhauled their volunteer process to make it more effective, thus realizing their mission and impact better.

Kiva and other organizations make many headlines everyday through partnerships with other foundations, businesses, current events or media news.  This promotion and conversation either contributes positively to social entrepreneurship either directly or indirectly, like recent film launch of To Catch a Dollar.

Finally, another global project came across my desk hailing from the region I know best– a Spanish BBVA– a partnership with Ashoka and Skoll (also corporate partner PwC and ESADE– a Spanish school for business and law) boasts their support for public/private partnership with the Spanish university to promote development in Latin American and “social entrepreneurship to consolidate, grow and scale their social impact.”

The lesson of the day is not what one is supposed to do for proper “spring cleaning” or how to define it. It is not even whether public/private partnerships are the true answer to promoting social entrepreneurship, social enterpise or making a true impact. The question for me, on this (finally) warm spring day, would be — what does Ashoka’s strategic partnership team eat for breakfast? Is it Cheerios or Wheaties? Because based on just this week’s news, I’d like to have what they’re having, to learn how to secure and offer the sustenance and (hopefully) resource sustainability Ashoka would appear to now benefit from in the coming year. And this type of advice on strategic partnerships, social innovation, creativity, persistance and follow-through is one meaty lesson of the day, especially when talking about making the most of your morning coffee, and whatever you have with it.