You're considering a Social Impact career. What are the strengths and weaknesses you need to know about?

Fundamentally, social impact is about making the world a better place (*or at least trying to do so). That's an important asterisk at the end of the previous sentence. The most successful social-impact organizations have bold, brave missions and a coherent way of executing on them. But not everyone stays on track. After all, this is hard stuff. Expect to be overwhelmed sometimes by the size of the challenge, vs. your team's limited resources, regardless of whether you're fighting poverty, trying to improve schools or working toward racial justice. Do you believe in your team? Can you find ways to keep moving forward, no matter what? Can you win allies? If so, a career in social impact could be a great fit for you.

Seeing the effects of true and measurable social impact work is one of the most rewarding experiences during one’s work life. Taking it from idea all the way to execution where the outcome creates tangible value for people and societies benefits not only the organization but can serve as a powerful employee motivator. Being able to work for a cause that fits with your core values and passion leads to increased employee satisfaction, productivity, retention, decision making and efficiency. However, it’s not easy work and you may experience resistance, challenges, inability to mobilize the needed resources and a lack of management buy-in. This may create a sense of hopelessness and loneliness, so make sure you surround yourself with allies.

Social impact happens when a compelling purpose and relevant stakeholders intersect with a collaborative focus. Social impact is not a solo endeavor; it is a collaborative effort. With a defined purpose, the work begins, filled with tensions that must be resolved. An essential element of social impact is capacity building. Depending on the purposeful impact being pursued, certain capacities will need to be developed—leadership, creativity, courage, problem-solving, etc. Social impact, by definition, means capacity building to achieve something larger than one person (e.g., common good, greater good). A

what is the literal meaning of "IMPACT "? under layman's sense, the impact may be output due to input any system by which output may be scalable modelled a positive or negative effect on any system due to some reported -known /visible & unknown/non-visible/unreported contributory variable. so social impact career must be associated with all activities that must be " in all respect effectively ( cost-effectively by ROI_IRR NPV & CPM TOOL) encircled with " reducing harmful negative impact in any society by promoting investment targeted way -calculated way -resultorienated measurable .quantified way ( Both qualitative & quantitative which must be statistically validated by monitoring system involving involving justice system )

Social impact is, for me, all about equity. That’s equity in terms of access, equity in terms of outcomes, and equity in terms of big hairy audacious goals. Social impact can be sneered at by some as ‘social engineering’, but the reality for so many is that without consideration for social impacts, policies and programmes are implemented in such a way that the marginalised are once again left on the sideline, watching those with privilege participating and profiting. When equity headlines process and programmes, social impact is itself measurably fair, despite the nay-sayers who imply that targeted responses is somehow racist or unfair.

A strength of social impact careers is developing skills, talents, and capacities beyond those firms focused on shareholders and profit only. Developing and refining a compelling vision and purpose is the start, and then encompasses the talents of problem-solving, collaboration with diverse stakeholders, and measuring purpose-oriented outcomes. A strength of these careers is developing leadership skills that bring diverse individuals together, guide and distribute tasks to the right stakeholders, and be adaptable as progress is made or when challenges are encountered. Unlike many other career tracks, social impact careers will develop skills that prepare leaders to understand how to gain momentum in the most difficult areas of need.

The best thing about impact businesses is the purpose of contributing to something greater than yourself. Realizing that you are building a more just, sustainable society through different worldviews. It's a field that stimulates you to think and propose creative solutions to complex challenges, to go beyond and truly think outside the box. Learning and collectively building a world that makes more sense - that's the bright part of social impact careers.

Unfortunately, it is still a greatly undervalued area that receives very few resources. Often, you start with low compensation, and in this sense, you need to understand your limits, as there is a significant emotional demand (something that can lead to frustration). Having a potential impact requires understanding these limits and acting professionally to face the challenges that will undoubtedly arise. Some view the realm of impact businesses as a form of charity or a heroic attitude when, in fact, the foundations of these businesses are very material and realistic. It takes a lot of patience and resilience to continue on this path without hesitation.

Trying to engage in networking groups and spaces where you will be connected with people who share similar purposes, getting to know other career paths and possibilities. Mentorship programs are crucial for this. Additionally, it's necessary to understand which specific field you want to work in, so you can then seek out organizations that are aligned with your mission. You also need to understand what kind of technical knowledge you need to master and develop, and what type of role you want to have. Is it an engagement with communities that receive public policies? Or is it a role that involves decision-making? You need to understand your role to be able to set your career goals towards your progress.

Improving your performance in social impact careers will be done by how uncertainty is navigated and how tensions are resolved. Uncertainty will take many forms since profit and purpose are being pursued at the same time, along with a diverse mix of stakeholders. Tensions will arise between profit and purpose, business and society, and change and stability. Successful individuals will perform effectively through uncertainty and intense tensions.

Working with impact is very uncertain - and you need to understand that anything can happen. There are many people involved, and many interpersonal relationships, and everything is subject to change. It's necessary to have humility to understand other perspectives and to see if it makes sense for your mission. We're talking about realities, challenges, and lives, so if we want to promote changes, we need to put ourselves in this place of active listening.