Success Stories - Chad Schapiro

Ten years of changing the world

2011-04-05T13:10:00.000-07:00

Acumen celebrates its tenth anniversary this week.

Lesson 1: In fact, you can make a difference, you can start something from scratch, you can build something without authority or permission. Passionate people on a mission can make change happen.

Lesson 2: In fact, philanthropy works. Building systems and enhancing entrepreneurial outcomes generates results far bigger than the resources invested.

Lesson 3: You better be prepared to stick it out, to exert yourself, to last longer than you ever expected and to care so much it hurts.

Some highlights:

•More than 3 million people have access to safe, affordable, and efficient energy
•7,000 people have jobs and hundreds of millions of insecticide treated bednets have been produced by A to Z
•More than 330,000 farmers are changing their families’ lives with drip irrigation systems
•Hundreds of thousands have access to quality sanitation in Kenya – and Eco-Tact has become a model for other countries
•More than 150,000 farmers have access to quality, affordable hybrid seeds in Western Kenya
•1298 is now answering more than 30.000 emergency calls every month in India (and has created more than 1250 jobs)
•Kashf has reached more than 300,000 borrowers with micro-loans and emerged as one of Pakistan’s important civil society institution
•The first commercial mortgages for the poor have been provided in Pakistan and Saiban has developed a working, sustainable model for low-income housing development
•More than 350,000 individuals have access to safe drinking water (and this doesn’t include the copycat companies that have emerged as a result of WHI’s innovation in the Indian marketplace)
•Aravind provides quality eyecare through telemedicine to millions across India and has served as a global model
•Sekem is the largest exporter of organic goods from the Middle East to Europe (working with 4,000 farmers on reclaimed desert land)

That a small band of talented, driven people could make this happen isn't surprising to me. What surprises me is that we still wonder whether change like this is possible.

Seth Godin

Wait to worry

2010-11-19T11:33:00.000-08:00

1) Break up the repetitions of life. Sometimes the simplest change will help because it activates our engagement and takes us out of the “life on autopilot” thinking. When I was speaking constantly and I found a talk becoming rote and routine --- bordering on boring---- I rearranged the points to increase my interest and concentration. Routine is necessary for efficiency, but that cannot be the highest priority. Effective living requires more juice.

2) Add something good to your life. Start a new activity, take up a new hobby, see old things in new ways, open up new friendships, or do something special for someone each day. As my body becomes less cooperative, I have to think of mental activities. When I could still get “out and about” I thought about enrolling in courses, signing up for a foreign film series, attending musical or athletic events. But most importantly, do good for yourself and others. Remember: the more bored you are, the less energy you will have to begin the process, but just start. And the more interested you are, the more interesting you will become - to yourself and those around you.

3) Take something out of your life. We all have junk that needs to go…things we needlessly carry around. The first on my list is the sedentary life. Wasted calories are another good candidate for jettisoning.

Pruning

2010-11-18T05:48:00.000-08:00

Say goodbye to "the Joneses": Chasing symbols of success can be an-consuming, hollow existence. Your focus on living in a larger house, driving a more luxurious car, joining the right clubs, and updating your wardrobe will bear no fruit when it comes to peace of mind. Before you make your next purchase, ask yourself these simple questions: Is this something I really need? Can I do without it? Will it make a positive difference in my life?

Live by the 80/20 Rule: In business, there's a rule of thumb that twenty percent of the sales people will generate eighty percent of the business, and that twenty percent of your customers will create eighty percent of your problems. I've found both to be true. I'm suggesting that you apply the rule to your personal life. First, identify the twenty percent of problems that create eighty percent of your stress in life. Then, focus on resolving that twenty percent. You'll be amazed at how much better you'll feel by making progress on these major issues. I also predict you'll get a boost in attitude from just making the list.

Unload your emotional baggage: Hate, anger and resentment can lower an invisible ceiling on your future. Repeat to yourself the words of William Ward, "Forgiveness is the key that unlocks the handcuffs of hate."

Secret Garden

2010-11-11T10:28:00.000-08:00

When she first enters the garden, she finds that it appears to be dead, much like her cousin, a bedridden boy, and her uncle, still haunted by memories of his lovely wife who died giving birth to the boy. In harmony with natural laws and principles, the girl faithfully plants seeds and brings new life to the garden. As the roots are warmed and the garden cultivated, she brings about a dramatic transformation of her entire culture within one season.

When she first enters the garden, she finds that it appears to be dead, much like her cousin, a bedridden boy, and her uncle, still haunted by memories of his lovely wife who died giving birth to the boy. In harmony with natural laws and principles, the girl faithfully plants seeds and brings new life to the garden. As the roots are warmed and the garden cultivated, she brings about a dramatic transformation of her entire culture within one season.

One of the exciting fruits of the "secret garden" is an ability to consciously choose your own motives. Until you choose your own motives, you really can't choose to live your own life. Everything flows out of motive and motivation that is the root of our deepest desires.

Now, when I get into a frustrating or perplexing situation, I enter into my secret life. That's where I find not only motives but also correct principles; that's where the inner wisdom is. As I learn to be proactive in exploring the secret life, I tap into self-awareness, imagination, conscience, and into the exercise of free will to choose another motive.

Leaders develop daily, not in a day.

2010-10-05T14:39:00.001-07:00

They commit themselves to the process of growth, and over time they reap the rewards of daily investments in their development. In this lesson, I'd like to share five principles to encourage you to adopt a lifestyle of personal growth.

#1 Growth is the great separator of those who succeed and those who do not.

When I went to college, there was no gap between my peers and me-none at all. We started on the same level. However, at the age of 17, I made a commitment to spend an hour a day on my personal growth. I studied and read, filing the lessons I learned along the way. Now, in most cases, the gap between my former classmates and me is pretty wide. Am I smarter than they are? Absolutely not. Many of them got better grades than I did in college. It's the growth factor-my commitment to the process of personal growth-that has made the difference.

#2 Growth takes time, and only time can teach us some things.

When it comes to personal growth, you cannot substitute for time. Yet, the mere passage of time doesn't make you wise. Experience is not the best teacher; evaluated experience is the best teacher. To gain insights from your experience, you have to engage in reflective thinking. I have a habit of taking ten minutes every evening to look back on the day. As I reflect on what happened, lessons emerge, and I capture them in my notebook so that I can learn from them.

#3 Growth inside fuels growth outside.

The highest reward of our toil is not what we get for it, but who we become by it. At the age of 17, I decided that I would read, file, and begin to prepare lessons. From that simple discipline I accumulated a wealth of content that fueled my speaking and writing. I never set out to be a leadership specialist; I was simply diligent about reading, filing, and studying. With respect to personal growth, take the long view on results. The most important question to ask is not "What am I getting?" from the discipline of personal growth, the most important question is, "Who am I becoming?"

#4 Take responsibility for your own growth.

For 15 to 20 years, the school system holds us responsible for growth. Educational curriculum clearly spells out, "here's what you do next," and "here's the next step." Then we graduate with diplomas and certificates, and we no one longer have anyone to map out the next step for us. If we want to continuing growing, we have to do it ourselves. We have to put together a game plan so that we become students of life who are always expanding our minds and drawing upon our experiences.

#5 Determine the areas of your life in which you need to grow.

You've probably heard someone say, "You can do anything as long as you put your mind to it." Sadly, as nice as that sounds, it simply isn't true. In watching people grow, I have discovered that, on a scale of 1-10, people can only improve about two notches. For instance, I love to sing; that's the good news. The bad news is that I can't carry a tune. Now, let's be generous and say that, as a singer, I'm a "two." If I put lots of money, effort, and energy into developing my voice, perhaps I can grow into a "four." News flash: on a ten-point scale, four is still below average. With regards to my career, it would be foolish for me to focus my personal growth on my voice. At best, I'd only become an average singer, and no one pays for average.

Don't work on your weaknesses. Devote yourself to fine-tuning your strengths. I work exceptionally hard on personal growth in four areas of my life. Why only four? Because I'm only good at four things. I lead, communicate, create, and network. That's it. Outside of those areas, I'm not very valuable. However, within those areas of strength I have incredible potential to make a difference.

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2009-01-27T09:23:00.000-08:00

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