On Setting a High Bar

Whenever I read a rough draft by a young writer, or when I look over a business plan from a student asking me for feedback, or when I am pitched an idea for a collaboration or project, I think of a woman named Cynthia. I don't even know her last name, but she had a profound impact on me.

I was a sophomore in high school, attending a writing conference for the first time. It was the Santa Barbara Writers Conference and it was a wonderful, energizing smorgasbord of resources, lectures, writing workshops, speakers, and information.

However, I felt completely and utterly overwhelmed.

The youngest one in attendance by at least a decade, to say I was "out of my comfort zone" that week would be putting it mildly. Shy by nature, I was desperately homesick and felt like I did not belong. I remember those first few meals in the dining hall, looking around for somewhere to sit, feeling like the little kid asking to eat at the grown-up table.

Then I met Cynthia, in a workshop called "Writing for Children." I summoned the courage to share a story I had written with other members of the workshop, and they responded with heartfelt encouragement. Cynthia, with no-nonsense energy and a warm smile, came up to me after class ended and asked if she could read a copy of my entire story. "You're talented," she said. "I want to help you get published." Not only did I have a friend to sit with in the dining hall the rest of the week, but I also had a writing buddy -- someone who treated me like a peer and took my work seriously.

Later that summer, I received a package in the mail with my story pages, generously written all over with comments, suggestions and edits in blue pen. Out of the goodness of her heart, Cynthia took the time (a lot of time, I know now, from commenting on student manuscripts myself) to painstakingly read through the pages of my story and help me become better. She invested time in me because she believed in me. In setting a high standard -- in treating me like a fellow professional writer, even though I was still a high school student -- she inspired me to treat myself like a professional, too.

I think of Cynthia's gift to me whenever I encounter work by a young person. I make a point to never talk down to my students or brush their dreams off, for "someday later" when they are older or wiser or more experienced. I know the truth: they have all the experience they need, right in this moment, to create the best work they are able to right now. Because we are always growing and evolving and changing, all of us, no matter how old. We are always learning and becoming better. But this marvelous and important growth does not happen when we patronize our young people. So, like Cynthia did for me, I set the bar high for my students -- and then, I delight in watching them rise and surpass those high expectations.

I thought about all of this when listening to a recent Innovate Podcast interview with Liz Maw, CEO of the nonprofit organization Net Impact. At the heart of Net Impact's mission is a passion to empower a new generation to use their careers to "drive transformational change in the workplace and the world." This struck me as incredibly innovative -- and yet also, familiar. It made me think of the way Cynthia treated me. Indeed, when I listened to Net Impact's mission, I found it refreshing that they are not aiming to connect with the established "old guard" to spur change that transforms the world. Nope -- they are reaching out to a community of students and recent graduates who are just starting out in their careers. Rather than dismissing young people as too inexperienced or not influential enough, Liz Maw and Net Impact set a high bar for these students as capable of making big positive change. And what an effect they have had! Net Impact’s community now includes more than 60,000 student and professional leaders from more than 300 volunteer-led chapters around the globe, working together for a sustainable future.

How are you setting a high bar, for others and for yourself? Who has set a high bar for you in your life, and what impact has this had on where you are now?

Cynthia, if you ever read this, I want to say, THANK YOU.

"Bootstrapping" in Social Entrepreneurship -- and in Life

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I often write about studying Creative Writing in college. What many readers might not know is that I was also a student of the Marshall School of Business during my four years at the University of Southern California. I majored in Creative Writing; I minored in Entrepreneurship.

I learned a great deal in my Business courses: about economics, accounting sales and marketing. I created revenue models, financial plans and costs/benefits analyses. For my final "capstone" course in Entrepreneurship, I wrote an entire Business Plan about creating a publishing company that would publish books written by young writers, for young audiences. That Business Plan became a reality when I founded my Dancing With The Pen series of books by young authors in 2011.

In the years since graduation, I still think of those Entrepreneurship courses often. My professors were encouraging, funny, and down-to-earth. Successful entrepreneurs themselves, they shared hard-earned lessons they had learned during their own business journeys. Something that has especially stayed with me is the idea of "bootstrapping."

This term comes from the famous expression to "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" (attribution: anonymous) which means to improve your situation by your own efforts. In entrepreneurship terms, the idea of "bootstrapping" means to use grit, hard work, and outside-the-box thinking to turn your business into reality, rather than renting fancy office space, trying to find a ton of venture capital, or investing lots of your own money into the venture. Metaphorically, other entrepreneurs might be planting seedlings --or even full-grown plants! -- they got from somewhere else; bootstrappers plant seeds, watering them diligently every day until they sprout forth from the soil. Bootstrapping might take more time and creativity, but it can yield huge return -- and lead to big change.

I thought of bootstrapping when I listened to this recent Innovate Podcast interview with Eric Sorensen, CEO and Co-Founder of Carbon Roots International, a business that encourages and enables the adoption of sustainable green charcoal in Haiti and the broader developing world. Because more than 90% of Haitians use charcoal for heating and cooking on a daily basis, deforestation is becoming a widespread problem. Carbon Roots International -- which is now the largest charcoal company in Haiti -- provides an innovative solution.

Here is a description of the "roots" of Carbon Roots International from their website:

In 2010, three friends arrived in Haiti armed with an idea about how sustainable charcoal might help a country still reeling from a devastating earthquake. Ideas were tested, and abandoned. Iteration ensued. One person contracted cholera, another typhoid. Two of them got married. The organization pivoted from agriculture to energy. They built a local team, then they built a factory, then they built a brand. Today, CRI is the largest charcoal company in Haiti.

Bootstrapping. Three friends had an idea about how they might make the world a better place. They didn't start with millions of dollars and fancy equipment. They began with a small idea that they tested, retested, changed and grew. They started locally and build their business from the ground up. They got the local citizens involved. They stayed humble, curious, and open to new possibilities.

Today, every ton of CRI's green charcoal consumed by Haitian households offsets an estimated 6.7 tons of wood harvested from live trees, and represents 8.8 tons of C02 emissions avoided. That's HUGE change.

Not only have I used this concept of bootstrapping in my own social entrepreneurship endeavors -- publishing the Dancing With The Pen series, holding contests for young writers, teaching writing camps and classes to empower youth to share their unique and important perspectives with the world -- I also think that bootstrapping is a terrific concept to apply to many different aspects of life.

Is there something you long to do, but you keep putting it off and putting it off? Maybe you think you need an expensive gadget, a fancy workspace, or a prestigious degree before you can pursue your dream. Maybe there's a project you are passionate about, but you're not quite sure of all the steps you would need to take to succeed. Or maybe you simply don't feel confident enough in yourself and your abilities to try.

Whatever your project or dream might be, I encourage you to revisit it with a new perspective: as a bootstrapper. What is the first small step you might take? Take that step, and then take the next step. Little by little, you'll be pulling yourself up towards your goal -- and using your own grit, grace and determination is what makes the whole experience that much more satisfying.

Good luck, and keep me posted -- I always love to hear your success stories! Also, you can listen to additional episodes of the inspiring Innovate Podcast at this link. Happy bootstrapping!