Category: Social Good

Goodwill organizations divert more than 3 billion pounds of clothing and household goods from landfills every year by recovering the value in consumers’ donated goods. Three billion pounds is equivalent to 8,185 jumbo jets or 300,000 pick-up trucks. But that’s not all that Goodwills do to support the environment. Local Goodwills support a range of programs — from waste and energy reduction to reuse and other more holistic approaches. This Earth Day, I would like to take a moment to recognize some of those programs.

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The theme of this year’s Earth Day – Sunday April 22 – is to end plastic pollution by employing the principles of conscious consumerism: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose, Recycle. Earth Day is an opportunity for many to remember their impact on the environment, and to take actions that decrease any negative impact. For some, Earth Day has expanded into Earth Week or Earth Month. At Goodwill, however, stewardship for the earth is part of our mission and what we do every day.

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Standing up and speaking out for what you believe in for yourself, your family and your community has always been important, but the value and power of advocacy has been especially emphasized over the past few years. It’s not just individuals who are talking to lawmakers, organizations also play an active role in making their

READ MORE from Join Goodwill Industries International for Virtual Advocacy Day

Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Michigan (SEMI) was recently featured in a video titled The Life of Your Book, showcasing how donated books are recirculated into the community. The Life of Your Book will be featured at the Michigan State Capitol Department of Education, through Lenawee Cradle to Career. When you donate books to Goodwill SEMI you are impacting programs right here in our community.

READ MORE from Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Michigan Advocates for Literacy Throughout Their Community

A recent Harvard Business Review article, How to Increase Your Influence at Work, looks at basic strategies for aspiring leaders who are wanting to develop their influence as they move along their career paths.

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Navigating career pathways can be very daunting. There are many different industries, companies and skill sets that an individual can pursue. There is a specific skill set that will improve one’s ability to gain access to all sectors. We all know that good soft skills are necessary for functioning on teams, building relationships and balancing work and home.

READ MORE from Digital Literacy, a Necessity

Just as organizations must evolve to meet changing technologies, employee needs and market demands, leaders must also be flexible and lead their organization through challenges and changes. Being an agile learner doesn't only apply to business. It can also lend itself well to the changing mission landscape and evolving workforce development needs.

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Bestselling author Seth Godin recently published a blog post about the loud noise in our heads. This noise is our inner monologue and, as Seth says, “It's the only voice that has seen everything we've seen, believes everything we believe. It's the noise that not only criticizes every action of every other person who disagrees with us, but it criticizes their motives as well. And, if we question it, it criticizes us as well.” There’s no doubt that this voice is powerful and sometimes overwhelming. It is the voice we follow when we take action, make decisions and lead. To be good and successful leaders, however, we must quiet our own inner noise and intentionally listen and pay closer attention to the experiences of others.

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As the population ages, the profile of leaders change. After years of steady growth – albeit with a few scares, like “the recession we had to have” – Baby Boomers are starting to retire and Gen X are filling more and more senior leadership positions with measured and meaningful skills they learnt along the way. But what about Gen Y, or as they are increasingly being referred to, Millennials? What will be their way of working and have we even considered what legacy they will leave?

READ MORE from Why You Should Be Investing in Developing the Leadership Skills of Millennials

If you have been following our blog series, you may have read our previous social good blog where we discussed how leadership is more than a title, it is a healthy mix of actions, aptitudes and attitude. The future of successful business is dependent on good leadership that includes and values everyone. Check out this TED Talk Playlist for some great tips on how to be an inclusive leader.

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It’s a common postulation that people will follow you based on a title. CEO, President, CFO, COO, CIO, Vice President – these are all titles that, at face value, command respect and obedience. But I would say that the level of someone’s title is not automatically synonymous with leadership. To be sure, effective leadership goes way beyond what comes after the name on a business card – it’s a healthy mix of actions, aptitudes and attitude.

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People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) often represent a talented, untapped labor market that employers should consider. Hiring people with IDD doesn’t mean that employers have jettisoned their business interests. On the contrary, hiring people with IDD is good for the bottom line.

READ MORE from The Advantages Employers Receive from Hiring People with Disabilities