How to Set Yourself Apart, Like an ALG Leader

Our faculty have a few tricks up their sleeves you’ve probably never heard before to set yourselves and your work apart.

Most of the leaders who join our network are employed for the public good doings things like organizing their community against the abuse of the environment or serving as the executive director of an organization that provides support for marginalized populations. These are jobs that make the world a better place and seek to restore or transform some part of their community’s brokenness such that a brighter future might be realized. It is fulfilling work that must be done, but it does not fund itself. This is why we teach our leaders how to set themselves apart so that they can attract collaborators, followers and funders which allows them to increase their constructive impact in Central America. The following are two tips the leaders of this years Certificate in Leadership and Collaboration are learning. 

Here’s the first one: let your heart lead. 

Everything that ALG does starts in our hearts. We use structured processes to discern, decide, and design each of our programs, and we believe that this is the reason ALG is the organization it is today. We impart this wisdom on the leaders who pass through our programs because we have seen personally that the more in line the work you do is with your heart, the more people are attracted to your work. When you are excited about something, people notice. In each of our programs, in some way or another, we ask participants to share what their passions are, to tell us what motivates or inspires them, to list the things they are naturally drawn to. At first these questions and concepts may feel awkward and uncomfortable, but over time the leaders become more engaged with what their soul really loves and wants, and when they work from there they find much greater results.

Here’s the second: know your elevator pitch and use it. Often. 

You may LOVE your job so much that perhaps people would call you obsessed. It may be the thing that puts air in your lungs, blood in your heart and dance in your step. And yet, you may find yourself unable to eloquently and efficiently convince a stranger that they, too, should be excited. They should walk away from a conversation with you eager to join in what you’re doing. This is the power of an elevator pitch. Having a set script that you use, tailored, of course, to the person with whom you are speaking, you are able to feel confident that what you are saying perfectly presents the passion you have for you project and demonstrates why they should be passionate about it, too. An elevator pitch may be just the thing that enables you to make the connections to bring your project to the next level. Our leaders use elevator pitches to attract new partners to the exciting and invaluable work they do for their communities so we know it works. 

Tune in each month to receive more tips and tricks that ALG’s faculty and staff have discovered in their journeys as leaders and learners!