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8 Jan 2025

Leadership in Social Enterprise - How to Manage Yourself and the Team

By Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship

This report by the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship supports social enterprise leaders in tackling unique challenges like balancing social impact with commercial goals, managing diverse teams, and meeting stakeholder expectations. Grounded in global insights from interviews, case studies, and surveys, and developed with input from experienced social entrepreneurs, it offers practical, stage-specific guidance. Designed as a collaborative tool, it fosters knowledge sharing and equips leaders with strategies to drive mission-driven organisations effectively.

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Summary

This report by the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship is designed to support founders and CEOs of social enterprises. It addresses the unique leadership challenges faced by those running mission-driven organisations, such as balancing social impact with commercial success, managing diverse teams of volunteers and paid staff, and meeting high stakeholder expectations.

The manual is grounded in real-world experience, drawing from in-depth interviews, case studies, and a global survey of social entrepreneurs. It offers practical advice tailored to the specific needs of social enterprises at various stages of development. The content was developed collaboratively, with significant input from a task force of experienced social entrepreneurs from different countries and sectors. This resource aims to be a practical tool "from social entrepreneurs for social entrepreneurs," facilitating knowledge sharing within the social enterprise community.

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