Infographic: Anatomy of a Winning Pitch

Entrepreneurs of any feather, including (and perhaps especially) social entrepreneurs need to be able to explain their concept, the problem it solves, and the vision ahead clearly and succinctly. We talked about the ABP (always be pitching) approach earlier.d

The reason it is particularly important for social entrepreneurs to nail down their 'elevator' pitch (i.e. being able to deliver your pitch during the time equivalent to an elevator ride) is because social entrepreneurs are often operating in a double or triple-bottom line setting, or with a defined mission in mind.

This infographic by InvestorPitches, breaks down a winning pitch into small, digestible parts. Though the visual is framed for startups pitching for VC or angel funding, the tips and approach are applicable in a number of settings.

Enjoy the infographic, be sure to pitch well & often!

The Anatomy of a Winning Pitch infographic

Change vs. Transformational Change: Darcy Winslow Explains at the Strategic Execution Conference by IPS Learning and Stanford (#StratExCon)

As social innovators focus on ways to create, optimize, and measure impact, a natural question arises as to what kind of impact should be pursued. Should you set goals that are attainable and within reach? Or should you strive for impact that is far-reaching and is perhaps beyond what your startup or organization even has capacity to meet with its current resources?

Darcy Winslow, a systemic change expert and visionary who introduced key sustainability measures within Nike, explained the nuances between planning for change and designing for transformation. She spoke at the inaugural Strategic Execution Conference hosted by IPS Learning and Stanford University on April 24, 2013.

Her talk was impassioned, intimate, and impactful in sharing her personal narrative in sustainability as well as her commitment to creating a culture for sustainable innovation within organizational infrastructure.

"Sustainability is not a problem to be solved, but a condition to be created."-@dswcollective #stratexcon #mindshift twitter.com/Innov8Social/s…

— @Innov8Social April 24, 2013

Darcy's experience at Nike & the Shambhala Initiative

Darcy spoke about her 20 year career at Nike, which included a number executive roles. When her team was approached to define the impact Nike shoe production was having on the environment and landfills---she was surprised to hear that the equivalent of one shoe of waste was created with the production of each pair of shoes, and that over the course of a year millions of gallons of oil were used to produce Nike's various lines of athletic gear.

She set forth to shift the company from the inside. Forming a team to address social impact, they established the Nike Shambhala Initiative--an ambitious strategy to re-think Nike operations centered around aspirational sustainability goals.

The goals that Nike set were not intended to reward or recognize themselves for picking low-hanging fruit. They demanded 0 waste, 0 toxics, 100% closed loop systems and other key sustainability deliverables by 2020.

I found myself noting that the plan was markedly ambitious, increasing the chance of failing to reach those high-level goals. Darcy reframed the issue as she explained the power of transformational change.

What is makes change transformational?

Darcy shared her view that any change that seeks less than an all-or-nothing results is not transformational--and is just a matter of degree. For a leading company such as Nike, she knew that a change of degree of impact was not enough. If Nike was going to get into the corporate social responsibility (CSR) movement, it would have to do so in a transformational way.

How social innovators can incorporate transformational change goals

Darcy's talk introduced the concept of a transformational change mindset. 

When we seek to transform, rather than just gradually alter ourselves or our ventures there is a different approach, mindset, and energy that is employed. It is as though we must change from within to create change in results---and the process can be transformational at an individual as well as organizational level.

The goal of creating zero waste rather than reducing waste by 50% creates a different purpose, easy measuring stick, and clearly-defined goals. These can trickle down throughout the organization. If the goal was instituted in manufacturing setting, each team of engineers would be clear that their stage of production should yield 0 waste versus and intermediate amount of waste. 

Of course, sustainability is often a product of evolution and iteration. So in addition to setting transformational change goals, it is essential to provide enough time to work to that change. When the Shambhala Initiative was introduced, the goal set was 2020--giving two decades to evolve innovation and internal practices to meet the aspirational milestones. 

Video of Darcy Winslow, Nike Foundation

You can take a look at Darcy speak briefly at her role with Nike in this short video.

Happy Birthday Mom, Remembering You

Dear Mom,

Today you would have turned 60. I couldn't miss the opportunity to wish you :) I'm sure we would have organized a big get-together. You would have overseen the food and decorations with your characteristic good taste and attention to detail.  Let's be honest,  there would have been some stress in making sure the event met your vision---but once it was in full swing laughter, great food, and the company of friends and family would have been in abundance.  Maybe we would have tried to surprise you (i.e. circa your 52nd bday---we had you pretty well that time).  Or, maybe you would have leveraged your birthday to plan a family trip or cruise---turning a multiple of 10 gives you a mega bargaining chips, which come in handy when negotiating busy schedules and noncommittal planners.

Best of all, you and Mina Aunty would have put together a fun aunties' event.  You know the ones where you all get together, dress to the nines, and basically take over a poor, unsuspecting establishment with your laughter, jokes, and vibrant stories.

There are so many things that I think you would have loved. Like the iPhone and iPad. Whenever I taught workshops on how to use them at the Apple Store, I always imagined what you would have thought of them. I have a feeling you would have taken to them like a fish to water. They are absolutely incredible. You would have used them to look up recipes, check out the latest kitchen gadgets, and maybe even FaceTime across the world.

I asked you once, between the time things were serious and very very serious, about whether I should practice law. You were steadfast in supporting my own vision of my connection to the field. I think of your belief often and feel it in the family's unconditional support.

I wonder what you would have thought of my journey and of Innov8Social. I would have loved to share with you the amazing experience it has been, the people I have met, the ideas that continually expand my mind, the innovation I have seen in action, and the possibilities to improve the world in ways that we had never imagined before.

We all think about you, and love you always.

Happy birthday Mummy :)

love
neetal

8 Takeaways from Stanford Codex #FutureLaw 2013: The Big Picture

On April 26th 2013 hundreds of attorneys, law students, legal startup founders, informatics experts, and venture capitalists gathered for the first ever Codex FutureLaw Conference (i.e. #FutureLaw) hosted by Codex-- the Stanford Center for Legal Informatics .

The day was structured in 5 panel discussions with a kickoff keynote by Charley Moore (Founder of RocketLawyer) and capstone keynote by Daniel Martin Katz (Co-founder of ReinventLaw Laboratory and Asst. Professor at Michigan State Univ). It was a day for thinkers and doers in the legal tech space to talk shop, exchange notes, and ask tough questions about the field.

The Reinvent Law movement has been making its voice heard in Silicon Valley. You may recall our recap of #ReinventLaw Silicon Valley through a compilation of tweets and photos. That event, in March 2013,  brought together 40+ speakers in a rapid-fire format to discuss major issues, inefficiencies, and challenges facing the current legal system---and solutions that tech + design + delivery can provide.

The #FutureLaw Conference at Stanford was a logical follow-up to the March event. It took place in a more intimate setting featuring fewer speakers, many of whom were leaders in this emerging space, in  interactive small panels featuring significant audience participation. The exploration into the topic was genuine---with many of the panelists posing questions from the audience in other panel sessions. The atmosphere was collegial and conversations of concepts raised in the panels continued between participants during the breaks and lunch hour.

Recaps of #FutureLaw

There are a few excellent recaps and summaries of the event that have been published. I am including Stanford Codex's Storify recap of the event below. Here are a few additional resources and recaps:

• Stanford Consensus: Notes from FutureLaw (Robot Robot & Hwang)
• Stanford Looks to FutureLaw (Law Technology News)
• Stanford Law Flickr Photos of #FutureLaw 2013 
• Some Design Notes on FutureLaw (Robot Robot & Hwang)
• A look back at Codex FutureLaw 2013 - Storify (StanfordLaw) [includes video of the speakers + panels]

8 Takeaways from #FutureLaw Conference Hosted by Stanford Codex

As the day progressed I began scribbling broad concepts in the margins of my notes. Things that left me...wait for it... #mindblown, or that provided fresh takes on enduring concepts. The field of law is ripe for innovation. The industry has been one of the hardest-hit by the Great Recession. And while select firms and attorneys have survived, if not prospered, for each success there are countless numbers of law school graduates and attorneys who struggle to find a foothold in the field, and perhaps no longer even seek one. Idle/restless legal professionals + tech innovation has given new pathways to take a look at the field through telescope, microscope, and 3D glasses. What has resulted is a movement to disrupt the status quo, and examine the success of law through the lens of its constituents rather than its practitioners. This change of viewpoint lends to re-prioritization and re-thinking of what law should be, and what data and design-driven innovation can lead law to become.

I wanted to share a few broad brushstroke takeaways from Codex FutureLaw 2013.

1. Contracts don't need to be written documents. The second panel discussion of the day was on computational law and contracts. Panelist Kingley Martin (of KIIAC) brought up the fascinating question of "what is contract?" He reframed the traditional concept of a contract by specifying that above all, it is a "workflow design" and noting that we have chosen to express the workflow through words on a document. However, contracts could also be expressed as code or in a variety of other formats---some of which might be more suitable to replicating, customizing, and operationalizing.

2. Legal startups should choose a VC wisely. The third panel was all about financing legal startups. VCs and founders shared their experience in the funding process. One legal startup founder made it clear that legal startups are a unique animal, and that founders trying to line up funding should seek out a VC who understands nuances of the field. Another panelist summed up his thoughts on exit strategies:  "acquistion is a reasonable outcome, but a terrible plan."

3. Design for people first.  Budding law students are instructed that one of an attorney's duties is to zealously represent his/her client. That makes sense for the lawyer, and the client...but not for the field of law. The result is a field that contains, gaping disconnects and inefficiencies, essentially by design. Instead, new legal startups are thinking about the participants in law as they design tools, UI, and resources. They are leveraging what people want to know about the law in designing tools to provide those resources efficiently, cost-effectively, while leveraging copious amounts of relevant data available.

4. Open source hybrids are OK. In one of the panels it was brought up that open sourcing legal information is particularly difficult because libraries of contracts, filings, documents, and research are precisely what distinguishes various attorneys and firms. Instead of a full open source mode, there might be innovative hybrid models that will enable attorneys and firms to retain their valuable information while also contributing to the overal open law movement. It doesn't have to be an either/or thing.

5. Law can be "automated".  As consumers are already used to "boiler plate" language for everything from online shopping to buying a new car. Instead of recreating the wheel, maybe there's a way to standardize it to make the content more accessible and understandable. Awhile back Innov8Social covered the movement to standardize #PrivacyIcons, lead by a group called Disconnect. Movements such as that one are showing us that parts of law can be made more efficient through smart automation.

6. Law can be re-imagined. When you are sitting at a library studying the Rule Against Perpetuities in law school or slogging away memorizing key concepts and case law for the Bar exam, there is little room for thought on ways to re-imagine the field of law itself. But the truth is, of course it can be re-imagined. Entrepreneurs and attorneys complain that the patent law system and taxation mechanisms haven't changed or adapted to emerging needs and industries. The influx and availability of digital data also changes how we interact with the field. Not only can law be reimagined, it is almost feels imperative that the movement to do so continue.

credit: Margaret Hagan

7. Law can be beautiful. One of the house favorites of the day was the panel on design. The startups and designers presented beautiful, simple, mindblowing ways to think about legal tech data. It becomes quite clear that the proof is in the pudding when you view the work of these designers, such as Margaret Hagan

8. Lawyers can re-invent law. It may be tempting to wait for changes to the field. But the conference showed that there are already a number of attorneys who are taking bold steps to reinvent the field. The final speaker of the day, Daniel Katz spoke to tangible ways that law school education can be tweaked to prepare the next generation of legal professionals---who have studied not only Torts but also computational law, informatics, and have actually worked with a team to pitch, code, validate, and launch a project leveraging law, tech, innovation, design with data and delivery.

Stanford Law's Storify: A Look Back at Codex FutureLaw 2013

Interview with R. Todd Johnson, Co-Author of California's Flexible Purpose Corporation Legislation

California holds a special place in the story of new legal structures for social enterprise. Not only was it the 6th state to pass benefit corporation legislation, it was also the first state to pass flexible purpose legislation----in the same legislative term.

R. Todd Johnson

One of the thought leaders in social enterprise law in California, and co-author of the FPC (flexible purpose corporation) law is R. Todd Johnson. Todd is a Partner at Jones Day and is the Practice Leader of the Energy group of the firm where he focuses on Renewable Energy and Sustainability.

Todd has had a lengthy career serving social entrepreneurs, having represented companies such as SunPower, Embrace Technologies, GoodGuide, LaborFair.com, as well as Grameen Trust, and advising companies like Good Capital, Global Giving, and B Labs during his 25 year career at Jones Day. He also blogs at Business for Good.

Innov8Social had a chance to speak with Todd Johnson about his vision for the intersection of law, policy, and social enterprise; as well as the story behind California's flexible purpose corporation.

Q1 | Innov8Social:  How do you define social entrepreneurship?

A1 | R. Todd Johnson, Partner at Jones Day:  

 Social entrepreneurship is applying the best tools of entrepreneurship to tackle some of the world's toughest problems, in a way that people and the planet can flourish.

Q2 | Innov8Social:  Can you share the history of the flexible purpose corporation?

A2 | Todd Johnson :

In the late 1990's as I started working with social entrepreneurs I noticed some dysfunction in the way the legal community thought about legal structures for social enterprises. The thinking was bifurcated...there was a 1 or 0 mentality on the subject, and there wasn't much middle ground. Entrepreneurs were forced to choose between being a “for-profit” or a “not-for-profit,” terms loaded with baggage of what entities should and should not do.

Then, a shift started happening. Companies such as Salesforce championed a 1-1-1 model and other corporations, often spurred by institutional investors, adopted strong environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) measures. These innovations moved the for-profit model more toward a company doing good rather than merely minimizing harm.

Even these initial steps were cautiously taken. Companies like Google already had standing mottos of doing the least harm (i.e. "don't be evil") and certain sin stock filters on portfolios excluded vice-products such as tobacco, alcohol, etc.

I began working with the social enterprise PureVida Coffee in the late 1990's, whose founders had new questions. For example, they wanted to know if you want to do something that is fully blended, what legal structure should you adopt?

As I started thinking about these issues, I met Jay Cohen Gilbert and others social enterprise thinkers at the Aspen Institute. He and B Corporation co-founders were beginning to develop the B Lab and B Corporation concepts.

In working closely on issues of social enterprise law, I saw a huge flaw in many corporate statutes. In California, for example, a social enterprise couldn't even file Articles of Incorporation with a mission/impact driven statement of purpose. The fact that founders could not write in a purpose for their corporations was a major issue.

In 2005-2006 I did a study on constituency statutes for B Lab. Constituency statutes can be effective tools in legal tool kit; however, they don't necessarily create transparency around stakeholder empowerment. And in all 31 states with constituency statutes, it is elective (i.e. Boards can abide, but are not required to).

In 2008, B Lab proposed a California constituency statute applying a "shall" requirement---to apply to all corporations. While I supported the idea that the market should allow for social enterprise, I was wary of forcing it on every corporation. A few entities, including the State Bar Association opposed the proposed law. 2008 was also the first year of major budget battles in CA (i.e. there were 99 bills that Gov. Schwarzenegger allowed to lapse, and vetoed by default). The governor didn't comment on any of the vetoes, except for this one---he told the bill’s sponsor that he wanted a better bill, and wanted CA to be a leader.

I convened a meeting at our SF offices in Fall 2008. The robust discussions resulted in a working group of 10 lawyers including attorneys from large firms, smaller firms law firm, academics, nonprofit attorneys, and foundation attorneys who kicked off a multi-year effort to create a new statute for social enterprise.

In 2009, we published a draft of a new law and distributed it to 300 social entrepreneurs, organizations, thought leaders, and incubators, and received comments from many. In response, we made changes to the proposed legislation and prepared an FAQ to explain the changes made and those that were not made in response to comments. That FAQ remains available to this date, providing transparency in the trade-offs made in drafting the legislation. In 2010, California state senator DeSaulnier sponsored the bill. Unfortunately it was another budget battle bill year, and the bill didn't proceed very far. In 2010, B Lab also ended up introducing their own legislation in MD and VT, and in 2011, introduced a version in California.

In 2011, both the benefit corporation and flexible purpose corporation legislation passed into law in CA. Since that time, fifteen states have adopted either a benefit corporation or social enterprise legislation that resembles FPC. And just two weeks ago, Delaware (the grand-daddy of all corporate laws), introduced legislation that is a hybrid between the benefit corporation and the flexible purpose corporation.

Q3 | Innov8Social:  What have you seen from the front lines of being part of social enterprise legislation?

A3 | Todd Johnson:

40+ Blogs on Social Innovation, Impact Entrepreneurship, and Social Enterprise You Should Check Out

created in Apple Pages

The field of social innovation, impact entrepreneurship, social enterprise is expanding at an incredible pace. It is a moving stream of information, barreling forward...in a hurry.

For a blogger, that can a unique challenge. You know that what you pen today may be outdated by the time you hit "publish". However, the dynamic nature of blogs (and the ability to update them) is a silver lining and can make our work more agile.

Blogging in the space, we learn tremendous amounts from other blogs that focus on different niches, hone in on discerning nuances, structure their information distinctly, adopt unique takes on design, and bring something wholly their own flavor to the social innovation table. 

With the caveat that this list will be updated as new blogs come to, here are a few interesting blogs in the social innovation space to check out. 

We would love to hear your picks and favorites (and even your #socinn blog titles) in the comments.

40+ Blogs on Social Innovation, Impact Entrepreneurship, and Social Enterprise You Should Check Out

1. Acumen Blog - bold ways of tackling poverty
2. Armchair Advocates - blog where social media meets social good
3. Ashoka - blog for and by innovators for the public
4. B Corporation Blog - voice of the B corporation community
5. Beth's Blog - how networked nonprofits leverage networks and data for social change
6. BlendedProfit - blog of past shows of thought leaders in good business
7. Building43 - compilation of blogs highlight small teams + big impact
8. Business for Good Blog - authored by CA social enterprise attorney
9. Calvert Foundation Blog - blog on impact investing
10. The Centre for Social Impact Blog - academic excellence fit for social purpose
11. Co.exist - Fast Co. blog on world changing ideas and innovation
12. Crowdsourcing.org - industry blog on crowdsourcing
13. CSRWire - corporate social responsibility blog
14. Cutting Edge Capital Blog - strategies for the impact economy
15. DailyGood Blog - news that inspires
16. Dowser - blog on who's solving what and how 
17. Echoing Green Blog - unleashing your talent to solve the world's biggest problems
18. Foundation Center Blogs - knowledge to build on
19. Good.is - social network and blog for social good
20. Google.org Blog - technology for social impact
21. The Hub Bay Area Blog - where change goes to work
22. HuffPost Impact - blog on causes, volunteering, and people making a difference
23. Idealist Blog - small and big ways people are facing obstacles, turning good intentions into action
24. IDEorg Blog - cultivating potential 
25. Innov8Social - blog exploring social innovation
26. Kiva Blog - blog by Kiva fellows field partners, entrepreneurs, and staff
27. Mashable Social Good Blog - blog on social good
28. Net Impact Blog - students and professionals creating positive impact in the workplace & world
29. New Empire Builders - blog on startups, nonprofits, + companies making the world better
30. NextBillion Blog - development through enterprise 
31. Nonprofit Law Blog - information to empower leaders, by NEO Law Group
32. Non-Profit Law Prof Blog - a blog part of the Law Professors Blog Network
33. Skoll World Forum Blog - Skoll original content
34. Social Earth - blog promoting entrepreneurship, business, and ideas
35. SocEntLaw - law & entrepreneurship blog
36. Social Capital Markets - blog on the intersection of money and meaning
37. Social Enterprise UK - national body for social enterprises in England
38. Social Innovation Exchange Blog - global network for social innovation ideas
39. Social ROI - blog on how social entrepreneurship is making the world a better place
40. Stanford Social Innovation Review Blog - informing and inspiring leaders of social change
41. The Sustainable Economies Law Center Blog
42. TriplePundit - blog on people, planet, profits
43. UnSectored Blog - looking beyond sectors to collectively define progress and enact change
44. White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation Blog

Other Resources

List of Books, Blogs, Funders, and Conferences - compilation by socialvelocity

Top 50 Social Entrepreneur Blogs - compilation by (it)magazine

Top 50 Social Entrepreneurship Blogs - blogs ranked using 20 different factors

Hosting a Social Innovation Unconference

Attending events and writing about them for Innov8Social planted a seed to organize an unstructured event on social innovation. Having been to StartUp Weekend a couple of times I noticed that a hackathon-style gathering can lead to great ideas, teamwork, and empowering ways to think bigger.

the idea

After interviewing Nathan Pham from Goodjoe I noted his passion for bringing together people and creating new forums for ideas. I pitched him the idea for an unstructured gathering of social innovation thinkers and doers. He was (thankfully) enthusiastic and interested. We worked together to plan an informal "social innovation unconference" involving a relatively small group of people immersed in different disciplines, with a knack for creating impact.

It was a grand experiment to see what happens when you put people with different life/work experiences, who are passionate about creating a positive impact in a room together with the premise of identifying local problems and brainstorming solutions.

the first group

Our initial group included: a youth services professional, founder of social enterprise GoVoluntr, graphic designer with a passion for virtual currencies, a pediatrician with international relief experience, founder of social enterprise Goodjoe (Nathan), and founder of a blog on social innovation (myself).

the first venue

The event was held at the beautiful, hip storefront LegalForce BookFlip---which is a sizeable experiment of its own. The Founder of Trademarkia and LegalForce, Raj Abhyanker, founded the swanky concept store as a retail location for law. Nestled in the heart of bustling downtown Palo Alto, across from the new Apple Store, LegalForce is what you might imagine an Apple approach to law to look and feel like. Bold bursts of orange draw the eye and the modern, design-centered theme carries through to every corner of the shop. Attorneys are on hand to answer questions and there is an array of legal and leadership books available for browse and buy.

Raj and his team welcomed us to use their lower level conference room for our un-event. Against the creative backdrop, we sat down and begun to explain our backgrounds and what experiences have shaped our desire to use our careers to create change in addition to generating value.

a social innovation unconference/hackathon

It was a fascinating few hours. The congenial atmosphere led to an abundance of humor and joking, as well as serious dives into pressing issues.

At the end of the session we whiteboarded our options for issues to address, what we wanted from the experience, and solutions to begin exploring. One local issue that came up was the lack of youth resources in the county. While a number of organizations serve youth, there didn't seem to be many centers or creative learning spaces for youth to seek mentorship, build skills, and just hang out.

The idea to address the youth issue through building some kind of youth accelerator program emerged. It could be a way for professionals to mentor youth, and for youth to drive their learning and interests. We have informally continued exploring the idea, even 'validate' the concept by pitching it to local youth.

The day for me sparked something amazing. It was an opportunity to attend an event---and be transported from the audience to the speaker panel on stage. It was empowering to share some of the high-level concepts I have gleaned from writing and thinking about these issues for a long time with others who have also been exploring social innovation through their own lens.

We are hoping to test out this social innovation hackathon unconference concept out again in the near future.

The Importance of Staying Grounded

We have talked a lot about social innovation together. We've looked at bills that have passed that give social enterprise new legal structures, fellowship programs for the field, and tools social entrepreneurs can use as they climb the proverbial mountain where money meets meaning.

One thing we haven't covered is the importance of staying grounded. 

When you've chosen  impact-driven goals, where your actions pursue profit but are not driven by them, and where risk of failure is incredibly high---it might be easy to feel a sense of self-righteousness about the cause you are addressing, the expertise you are developing, or the kinds of people you prefer to associate with.

This is a friendly note to say, resist giving in. 

However understandable it may be to develop a sense of overconfidence about your expertise or social innovation knowledge, it is potentially dangerous in a field that demands creative thinking, endless collaboration, and a good listening ear.  Forgetting the inherent "we" of social innovation could interfere with your efforts to create a positive impact.

Avoid developing a social innovation ego, and recognize it when you see it in others. 

The sliver lining, is that humility reminds us to stay grounded.

Just about as often as a room can be crowded by social innovation egos, you will meet someone who is humble, genuinely curious, and generous with their time, knowledge, and experience.  Through interviewing various leaders in the field I have seen and experienced it.

Take for example, Nathan Pham of GoodJoe. While interviewing him about his social enterprise I shared an idea I had been thinking about hosting a social innovation unconference (that post will be out soon). Instead of politely smiling and nodding and reminding me how busy he is, he began brainstorming on how we could make the grand experiment happen.

Or, Gene Takagi of Neo Law. Though we have met in person exactly twice, he has been incredibly supportive and generous over all modes of social media. He exudes genuine dedication to the field and support for those exploring it.

Another snapshot of humility is Kim Meredith of Stanford PACS. (her interview will be out soon). She heads the department that oversees philanthropy and that is home to the Stanford Social Innovation Review.  In interviewing her I was absolutely struck by her warmth and genuine passion for the field.

There have been countless others who I have met once or regularly stay in touch who remind me to stay grounded through their own energy and poise.

So, what do you do when you encounter egos in the field?

One line of thinking is to first start by checking your own behavior. That is, just like you check your phone to make sure it's off silent when someone else's rings at a movie theater; when you observe ego creeping into a social innovation effort, it can initially be the perfect reminder to make sure you've checked your own at the door. By reframing the situation and choosing not get caught up in a battle of might, you may provide just the gentle reminder and space to help others stay grounded.

After that, however, the water becomes murkier.

If a certain viewpoint or personality is overtaking a social innovation effort, do you back out or dive deeper? A great deal likely depends on personality. If you work best in a collaborative state, you might do better to find like-minded collaborative-thinkers. If you, instead, thrive in banter and don't mind the debate then stay, challenge, and fight it out until a resolution is reached.

Lose yourself in service...

Some may say that the social innovation seeks to disrupt traditional business, law, and finance precisely because they have been driven by over-zealous egos. To that end, we may need to check ourselves to ensure that while doing so, it is for the purpose of serving a greater good. Then we can measure our own involvement by how we can best serve the greater cause.

Gandhi once said, "the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." And perhaps the best way to find the path for social innovation is to remember that its essence lies in service.