The GSBITM's success can be attributed to people - social entrepreneurs, guest lecturers, a committed leadership team, and experienced volunteer mentors. Much of the strength and long-term sustainability of the GSBI has been built on the reservoir of experience, passion and good will of GSBI Mentors - a unique program feature.
GSBI Mentor Values
These values and prioritization thereof, were generated by our community of mentors and social entrepreneurs. The mentors see this as a "live" document to be reviewed from time to time. Based on this work, we would say that a GSBI Mentor, as an expression of our shared values, would be:
- Engaged & Committed - a pledge to truly be there with the social entrepreneur
- An Active Listener - to help the social entrepreneur actively explore and probe; pursuing more than just the spoken words
- Pragmatic - serving the social entrepreneur by insisting on solutions that are practical and realistic to implement and achieve... but not taking over
- Challenging - our role includes the importance of sometimes "pushing back" or "pushing for more"; sometimes referred to as "tough love"
- Honest - authentic; being sincere and frank with integrity
- Expressing Humanity - sharing the social values of our social entrepreneurs of being humane and benevolent to our fellow travelers
- Humble - the absence of arrogance of the importance of focusing on the social entrepreneur rather than self
- Respectful - appreciative and valuing the social entrepreneur, their business and culture; as well as respecting fellow Mentors and GSBI staff and faculty
- Inspiring - reinforcing the social entrepreneur and their vision for scale and change
- Encouraging - being complimentary and the positive "cheerleader" of the social entrepreneur's growth and work
