If I stay, I will be like you.

I was listening to Design Matters where Debbie Millman was interviewing Jaqueline Novogratz and asked about her pivot.

How does a banking professional end up launching Acumen?

Acumen was incorporated on April 1, 2001, with seed capital from the Rockefeller Foundation, Cisco Systems Foundation and three individual philanthropists. Our desire was to transform the world of philanthropy by looking at all human beings as members of a single, global community where everyone had the opportunity to build a life of dignity. The organization would invest “Patient Capital,” capital that bridges the gap between the efficiency and scale of market-based approaches and the social impact of pure philanthropy, in entrepreneurs bringing sustainable solutions to big problems of poverty.

I am fascinated at the decision or choice that creates movement toward or away from something. Jaqueline recalled a time in her earlier banking career being judged on her appearance and throaty laugh—the critique was suggesting clients would confuse her for a junior member of the team—perhaps a secretary (gasp). She thought, “If I stay I will be like you.”

This resonates with me. As the data person on a wide variety of teams throughout the years I often heard:

“Well, they didn’t pay for that so…” — when I mentioned we didn’t have the right data to answer a question.

As someone that left behind a pharmaceutical industry writing career nestled deeply into the 6 figure realm I marvel at folks that can tell themselves a different story.

“It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it!”—Upton Sinclair

If I stayed in the industry who would I be now? I tried to challenge stagnant thought all the way up the supply chain but was either ignored or accused of heckling.

Healthcare is approaching 20% of GDP. What would our country do if we suddenly became a healthier nation and that number drastically dropped? We pretend we are worried about the costs but we have no plan for success. Let’s at least be honest.

Poverty is not just about a wealth. It is about a lack of dignity, a lack of choice a lack of opportunity a lack of visibility—Jaqueline Novogratz

Are you interested in exploring poverty? I have been discovering ArcGIS Hubs and Story Maps. I will share some of those insights in upcoming posts along with a asynchronous video to help you duplicate the findings.

Stay tuned…

Pink house with virus cells by Zamurovic Brothers from Noun Project