This past weekend I had the pleasure of helping 2 young women bring to life their vision. One completed her 1^st run of taking an already successful women’s only event national, (a blog about the event to come), and the other forming a team to help her with the process of adding more structure to a dream to create opportunity for girls who might not have otherwise known they had a voice; a beautiful dream that I know will be bigger than what any of us can see right now.

As I worked with these two ladies, still very startup and grassroots in nature, I began to wonder what these two seemly small operations would look like when they grew up. And in trying to picture them growing up, what would it take and how could they ensure, (if it did indeed help not hurt their growth), that the heart of the movement these two organizations represented would not be tainted?

Despite being burnt by organizations and the people who run them, I still have hope. Knowing full and well how dirty some of these well-known nonprofits and organizations do the people giving them their hard-earned dollars and labor to, I can’t help but be hopeful about what this generation is more than capable of in terms of innovation and fostering a culture of change.

I can’t help but to be hopeful that we will be wise enough to seek counsel from the experienced yet learn to think for ourselves and not be discouraged when we don’t always fit the mold. Know when it’s best to just re-invent the wheel yet retain a youthful curiosity, maybe even a bit of teenage rebellion enough to want to explore territory others before us were too weary to try out.

And when I think about what these two young women represent and what their organizations are to represent to the larger girls and women empowerment movement, I can’t help but to hopeful about the change agents that will sprout out of the heart of their movements.

So anyway, these are my thoughts, and here is my question; I’d love to hear from you!

How do you grow your organization, business, climb the corporate ladder…and yet remain true to your original purpose?

Until Next Time…

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