This month I attended the Social Impact Summit, held at UTS by the Impact Institute.
Thirty-two years ago, when I left a marketing job working on projects like BTL strategies selling banking to children, I thought… there must be more than this.
Then a position at a not-for-profit came up — at half the pay — and I went for it. At 25, I had taken a huge step "backwards", one that meant I had to take on a second job in hospitality just to make ends meet. Sydney was pretty expensive, even back then.
Fast forward to the present, and that "backstep" turned out to be the move that led me into the world of social enterprise — a field now associated with terms like for-purpose, impact-focused, mission-driven, and more. I just like to think of it as doing the right thing.
To be perfectly honest, I didn’t make the move for altruistic reasons. I just thought it sounded like a lot more fun. And it was. The job was at Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, and it changed my life.
Since then, I’ve been lucky enough to forge a career both within and alongside like-minded organisations, soaking up the wisdom and behaviours of some amazing volunteer board members, CEOs, and small business owners.
As a long-term small business owner now, it's a constant juggle to make a living and make a difference. But I think we do a pretty good job of it. The challenge is putting that into a context that benefits the health of the business and supports the futures of the incredible Leading Hand team who’ve become like family to us.
Coming from a very hands-on, "doing" environment, a lot of what I learned at the Social Impact Summit helped me understand how we can better communicate the tangible outcomes our work delivers for clients. It’s all part of showing our stakeholders how we contribute to society — and what we intend to do to deepen that impact.
As we look into various accreditations that could help verify our intentions and practices as a social enterprise, I’ll remember the words of one of my favourite speakers at the summit, Professor Paul Thambar. He said something along the lines of: “Don’t let the measurement be the outcome”. A clarifying (and at the same time confusing) statement that keeps circling in my mind. Not such a bad takeaway, methinks.
Jamie Carroll
Creative Director
Leading Hand Design
