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Communities connecting the Online with the Offline

We have discussed the benefits of networking but the challenge in this day and age is connecting the online with the offline. We are all so connected online but this can be quite isolating; We are all about community building and connecting talent and we want to bring people together but this begs the question, how do you connect to people face to face that share the same interests or enable you to expand your business network. Whether you’ve moved to a new city or you’ve lived there for 10 years meeting people with new and fresh ideas is always invaluable. These are 5 online sites that are bridging the gap between online and offline, and we think they’re doing it very well!

1. Meetup

Meetup is all about connecting people with common interests, activities and hobbies. Whether you want to stick to what you know or you’ve decided that it is time to branch out and try something new. Even though the connections are initially made online, the real impact is made when the member actually “Meetup” and connect, discuss, and practice activities related to their shared interests.

2. Facebook

It is tried and trusted, with it’s 2.45 billion users surely you’d be able to get to know someone who is like-minded. The way it uses pages, groups and events which can all be used to connect with people. The simple use of hashtags and seeing what mutual friends people have can help to connect face to face.

3. Eventbrite

Eventbrite is bringing people together through real-life experiences. Being accessible around the world it is the perfect platform to hop onto to see what is happening in your area. It is all about people who want to create, share and find events that will enrich your lives, whether they’re a festival, marathon or competition it is an amazing way to meet new people.

4. Bumble

You might only know Bumble as the dating app where women make the first move but what you might not know is that they have branched out and now have Bumble BFF and Bumble Bizz. If you’re looking to expand your business network Bumble Bizz could be your next move, it puts you in contact with mentors and helps you to foster new career opportunities.

5. Startup Grind

Startup Grind is the largest independent startup community. It educates and inspires entrepreneurs nurtures startup ecosystems in over 125 countries through events, media and partnerships. Their main focus is the monthly events which showcase founders, innovators and educators who will share what they’ve learned on their journey to become successful.

6. Teamup

Now for this one, there does need to be someone bringing you all together but it is a great way to plan events, share events, connect people and get them to sign up and eventually meet face to face. We believe that this is where the most authentic connections will be made.

5 Ingredients for a Successful Startup Ecosystem

Startup hubs seem to be appearing all across the world but what is making some cities produce more successful startups. Ecosystems, successful startup ecosystems can make or break a business no matter how good an idea may be. You may have heard the saying that it takes a village to raise a child well in a lot of ways your startup is just like your child. You watch it grow from a tiny little thing, that learns from the world around it, spends a lot of your money, needs frequent attention but if raised correctly it will grow and be successful and if you’re really lucky you may get a financial return. There are a fair few ingredients that are required to create a successful ecosystem for a startup, here are ones that successful cities have had.
1. Ideas!
Entrepreneurs are nothing without their ideas, it is their launching point for their startups. So, for a successful ecosystem, the people in must be rich with ideas!! These are often found near universities so a city with prestigious universities never hurts. Ideas come from knowledge, so being close to universities allows access to a wealth of knowledge through students, professor and the research that goes on within its walls.
2. Access to talent
Whether you’re all about the big city or love the small-town life, for a successful startup there must be people around who are hardworking, knowledgeable and most importantly accessible. Successful startups need good people who are happy to lend a helping hand. These people will also have probably walked a similar path and they can help you to prevent making the same mistakes.
3. Moolah!
When deciding to start a business most people have ambitions of changing the world and revolutionising their chosen field. Whether you are only creating a startup to make money or not the reality is that you will need capital to get it off the ground. If an area has access to angel investors and corporations who are willing to help out the little guy an area will flourish!
4. Government policies
These are often the defining features for whether or not a city becomes a successful ecosystem startup. In some country’s entrepreneurs have to go through a paper maze to get their business off of the ground. In other countries however governments provide funding and support to help get startups off the ground with minimal paperwork. One way for startups to overcome this though is to fork out the money and get yourself an accountant to navigate the challenges for you.
5. Passionate People
This is the most important ingredient for any startup ecosystem! The people involved need to be passionate about what they do, passionate about helping others and create a culture of breaking the standard business model. If a startup has a passionate mentor, it is far more likely to be successful. If people in an area share the same ideals and willingness to work together will lift each other up and grow together.

5 Reasons why Networking is so Important

Most people focus on networking purely to get a new job, but it is just one factor of the valuable thing called networking. Connecting with other professionals will help steer personal and career growth. Networking has come a long way from cigars and whiskey, but there has always been one consistency, and that is face to face. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn, have all grown in popularity and new networking tools seem to always pop up. Still, business groups hold meetings, video calls are used to try and recreate face to face and people pay hundreds to go to conferences.

1. Free promotion of you and your business.

If you are out and about, talking to likeminded people a whole world of opportunities opens up. It is a great way to get the word out about what you can do and what your business is doing.

2. Helps other people, creating good career karma!

Networking allows you to become a resource to other people as much as they are to you, it is a worthwhile process. It will give you a good name within your chosen industry and will encourage others to put in a good word for you in the future.

3. Learning from others, and expressing your professional opinions

Friends and family are invaluable but sometimes they just don’t quite understand your professional side in your chosen industry, but networking with likeminded people removes this barrier and opens the door to talk about industry-related matters. It creates an inbuilt support system for you and an environment that will help you succeed professionally.

4. Let’s get your innovative ideas across and let’s take it to the next level

Have you had an idea muddled up in your head, not sure quite how to enunciate it, or need some funding or help from someone far more experienced in the field, a networking event is an ideal route to take. You can share, explore and expand on your idea and get it to the next level with someone’s fresh perspective and understanding. Sometimes all your idea needs are an external perspective to get it going.

5. It is often a long-term investment.

You may not benefit from a connection that you make with someone tomorrow or even next week but six months from now you might be looking for the right person and luckily at the conference, you attended you made what is now an invaluable connection.

5 Steps for a Successful Conference

Millions of conferences are held every year but how can you make yours stand out? What can you do to make it engaging? Below are 5 tips that will make your event a success.

Find your niche, find something that no one else is doing. Make it different

If you search for startup conferences, you will get 372,000,000 results, but every effective conference has an edge, something that sets them apart from the rest. Polar Bear Pitching is a really cool concept that takes on startups in a refreshing way. It is an event held in Oulu, Finland where startups go for a dip into a hole cut into the frozen Baltic sea and pitch to investors.

It is all in the marketing, get social, live-tweet your event, if the president of the United States is on twitter you should get on there too.

Without marketing people won’t come through the doors and, the marketing industry is changing, and evolving people love seeing the content. They want to know just enough to get them interested but leave some questions open about what is to come. Drip feed them pictures and videos of the upcoming event to create excitement.

Connect to your target audience, through good speakers and conference moderators.

So, you’ve got people to your conference but know that they’re here, it is time to make sure they stay and come back next year. Make sure that your moderators hone in on the strengths of speakers, so all the attendees can learn, connect and engage effectively. Industry leaders are the key to an effective conference as they have obviously done something right, so it is a chance for startups to follow and the industry to grow.

The future is online, but nothing will replace face to face networking.

Especially at a conference focusing on the future of technology, it is an asset to showcase what technology can do. It can make conferences more interactive for the attendees, for example, create a live forum where people can post questions before or during the session. Technology like slido is making this possible, so people can hold more engaging Q&As.

Make it personal, make the audience feel like they are being invited into a private conversation

Fireside chats are growing in popularity, it is a more informal interview technique where a moderator and guest have a conversation. This conversation brings in the audience and makes them feel like they’re in your living room. It is also a good technique to make the speaker feel more relaxed and get the best information out of them. Set the scene with sofas and get on the same level as the audience, just like in a living room.

Sonar 2018: Community in Concerts

Traveling is full of ups and downs as you begin to navigate cultural differences, and being in a city that is unfamiliar is bound to be full of surprises. However you tend to forget how these culture shocks can show up in settings you usually find to be familiar.

On the surface, Sonar appeared to me to be like any other music festival: great music, huge crowds, and water being sold for outrageous prices. But even in a concert setting that I thought myself to be a “native” to, I still found myself surprised to see how something so universal as music could be experienced so differently.

This year Sonar celebrated its 25th anniversary. To commemorate this special year, 126,000 people attended the festival, more than ever before in its history its website boasts.

As my friends and I made our way through the night, there were 3 aspects of Sonar that made it unlike any festival I have ever attended.

The Crowd

In the US, a festival crowd is survival of the fittest. Concert goers will arrive when the doors open so they can sit at one stage in order to be front row when their favorite artist comes one. As the night goes, the closer you are to the stage, the less room you have.

This creates problems, especially if you’re claustrophobic or running low on water. That friend who left for the bathroom? Say goodnight to them because there is zero chance they will be able to fight their way back to your spot (if they’re lucky enough to spot you in the sea of people). I have been to festivals where people pass out from heat exhaustion or lack of water and it becomes difficult to get them out of the crowd to get medical attention. What’s more, there’s a general hostility in the crowd as everyone is fighting and pushing for the best view.

I feel this stems from the social media culture that entices everyone to compete on having the best night. “Did you even really go if you didn’t put it on insta?” This mentality says it doesn’t matter what you’re actual experience was, just as long as your pictures will make someone jealous, it was worth it.

It is worth noting that the crowd at Sonar consisted of an even spread of people from different age ranges versus a massive amount of highschool and college age kids we expect at concerts.

Sonar mystified this expectation I had. My friends and I arrive right around 10 PM right when the headliners for the night, Gorillaz, began. The crowd isn’t shoulder to shoulder but spread out and authentically enjoying the music. A large portion of the crowd danced and sang along to the groovy sounds of the Gorillaz. We managed to stand within 20 feet of the stage and had a large bubble of space that we could spread out and dance along with the locals. It was one of the best concert experiences I had.

Atmosphere

Influenced by the crowd, the atmostphere of the event was open and friendly. Despite the ever looming threat of having your phone pickpocketed, my friends and I were relaxed and had light plesentries with other attendees. Whether in the enormous line at the bathroom (where one woman shared her private stash of toilet paper with me, a coveted resource at festivals) or waiting in the crowd for the next artist, we danced and chatted with locals and visitors of Barcelona.

Even though I was quite a bit younger than many of the people we met, the exchanges were fun and interesting. Music was the equalizer and made the event universal, even across generations. We were not judged for our youth or belittled by it, and the same experience was had for the veteran concert goers.

At one point (which later I would refere to as a highlight of the night) I was dancing along to the fun beats of GoldLink, this woman was passing through and saw me dancing. She was around her 30s but began dancing with me and we encouraged each other with exclamations and laughter. I have never had any experience like this at a festival in the US. The people at Sonar go for the enjoyment and total experience, including the community that attends the concert.

Endurance

Let’s face it. Spaniards know how to party. Maybe it’s the mid-day siesta that lets them recharge before the night begins, maybe there’s something in the water, but my friends and I somehow managed to keep up with the locals till 6 AM the next morning. Yes, you read that right. After a full day or work on Friday, we arrived at Sonar at 10 PM and did not leave until 6 AM the next day. Because we had been there so long, my friends and I stumbled out of the venue dazed by the sunlight that was beginning to build as the morning began. Sonar had become reality for that night and coming back to the real world was like having a bucket of ice water thrown on us.

It is important to say that not everyone stays that late or long, however there was still a considerable crowd size when we left.

But to give more credit to the locals, many of them also went to Sonar by Day. Maybe it’s something in the water, maybe it’s all of the drugs the dealers were selling in the crowd.

Reflecting on my experience, the biggest takeaway I have is that it is truely the people that make the concert, not the artists. You can see the same artist but have a completely difference experience each time. The community contributes their spirit to the event, and depending on what they give determines what is given back. Sonar has this spirit because the spectators go for the music, not for their social media. This mindset is something I hope to take back with me and share with others in the US, just as Sonar has done for me.

Cards Against Conflict

Card games have risen in popularity in recent years. Games like Apples to Apples and Cards Against Humanity are known to bring groups of friends and strangers together with laughter and fun. One card game, however, is doing this while starting insightful conversations to bring peace to conflict areas in the world like Colombia.

Enquiry is a methodology in the form of a card game that uses tailored words in order to evoke deep discussion. With a group as little as two or big as 10, players each have five cards that are used to inspire and create questions. A player that has a card that says “fear” on it would ask a question to the group related to that word and start a discussion.

The card game is designed by Pentagon Wave, a group that is trying to create peace and understanding in conflict zones in Colombia. Because of the civil conflict between paramilitary groups and the Colombian government beginning in 1960s, Pentagon Wave is combatting the divide between the people of Colombia that stems from this strife.

Héléa Khaizourane is a founder of Enquiry. Her doctorate in medical chemistry and her studies related to technology and health helped her developed the methodology to positively impact participants.

“They needed something that could bring that diversity to unity,” Khaizourane said.

Pentagon Wave has already used this game by different groups of all demographics and seen success. The game relies on diverse groups of people from different backgrounds. Players share issues they are facing, and work together using their own personal experiences to help one another overcome these obstacles.

“When we share what we are facing, the walls and the dreams, we realize that it’s not that far from a business man or a sports man or an artist,” she said.

As players share their worldview, they can come together on common ground and understand each other by communicating their own experiences. Enquiry helps players see each others’ perspective by creating a productive dialogue.

“We are not in a bubble, we are facing the same things,” said Khaizourane.

The game uses what Pentagon Wave calls “technology without cables”, making it accessible to a wide range of people of different backgrounds. The format of a card game also makes it available to the masses because how little it costs. All one needs is the 50 card pack and they are ready to play.

Steven Pineda is a founder of Enquiry as well. He works with marketing for Pentagon Wave and Enquiry. Pineda said they had to envision a format for the methodology that was effective but accessible.

“We had to design something that had to be useful in many situations,” Pineda said. “What society needs right now is experience. It’s not more theory. It’s action. It’s doing.”

Pentagon Wave is using this game in Colombia to bridge the divide created by the civil conflict, but is not stopping there. Enquiry has made its way into universities and areas in Europe to combat issues like anxiety and violence.

How can you teach peace? How can you teach respect?” said Pineda. “This is what enquiry brings.”

Get to Know Our Speakers: Purposeful Leadership Roundtable Discussion

Here at People On The Grid, we are excited for the roundtable discussion we are hosting on September 20th. Not only will we get to hear the importance of purposeful leadership and the tangible impact it has on businesses, but we will be in Cloud Coworking’s beautiful roof top space.

As we get ready for this event, we want to share some information about our speakers so you can get to know them and their work before the event starts. All of our speakers are experienced leaders in their fields and practice purposeful leadership themselves. At our roundtable discussion we will hear them discuss this practice and how they have seen it change work culture.

Mehdi J. Alaoui, Growth Strategy and Business Development at GE Renewable

Mehdi has extensively worked in finance since working with Paris based audit firms Grant Thornton and KPMG in 2001. After his work with these firms, he joined Alstom’s finance department in 2007 working in different leadership roles. In 2013 Mehdi was promoted to CFO of Alstom Wind Offshore and Offshore segments. When General Electric acquired Alstom in 2016, Mehdi continued as a leader in finance and presently works as Growth Strategy & Business Development for GE Renewable Wind EMEA.

Through his work in finance Mehdi has used purposeful leadership as a way to improve the companies he works for. Mehdi uses his financial role as a way to ensure that the company works comprehensively towards its goals. He believes is leading by example from top to bottom. This proactive style aligns all employees to effectively accomplish their goals.

2. Koert Grever, Education for Business Leaders with Purpose at IESE

Koert has a background in business consulting and leadership development. Before working IESE, he worked in business development and consulting for companies like Oracle and CMC. Between his position at IESE and working for CMC, Koert was a freelance consultant for entrepreneurs from 2010 to 2012. He is currently working for IESE and works with business directors and managers to develop their leadership skills.

Koert teaches company leaders the principles of purposeful leadership to improve business performance. He strives to create leaders who make “lasting and positive impacts on their companies.” By teaching this mindset to executives, they are equipped with the skills to recreate this leadership style in their own businesses.

3. Sorin Tomus, expert in Leadership and Change management

Sorin has dedicated his career to leadership development and coaching. He previously worked for Fabory as managing director starting in 2006 where he optimize the company’s business model and work culture through his leadership. He started working as a freelance consultant for business development this past January 2018. In his current position he helps businesses build effective teams that strengthen the identity of a company as well as change management and sales force effectiveness.

Sorin focuses on developing the work culture in companies to make them more proactive and successful. He believes that making businesses more profitable and productive creates an environment that promotes learning and growth for its employees.

4. Arit Balcells Alexander, CEO and Co founder of LALO Experience

Arit began her career in team building and motivation with IESE in 2007. In her position as as Program Manager for the International Department of IESE Business School, Arit developed and managed programs that helped business leaders and teams work on skills that made them more effective in their careers. After her role with IESE she continued working with Viatges World Business Travel as a team-building director. With this position she would create and manage events related to building skills and company culture. She now is the CEO and Co-Founder of LALO Experience where she creates projects for companies to build leadership and morale.

Arit bases the foundation of her business on four pillars: conscious leadership, teams, emotion, and lean management. She helps businesses by creating a positive and united culture that inspires passion and happiness in the workplace. Arit does this by working with the leadership in companies who then create this new work culture in their own businessess.

5. Carlos Piera Serra, founder and CEO for Delivering Happiness Spain

Carlos began his work with purposeful leadership in 2009. He began working with Grupo CMR as a sales associate innovator, where he created projects aimed at improving sales, customer service, and leadership. In 2011 he began collaborating with Delivering Happiness to make the business model that the company use to improve their business. In 2012 he helped launch the business into the Spanish market and became CEO of Delivering Happiness Spain that same year.

Purposeful leadership is the basis of his company. Through his work, Carlos helps businesses create a better work environment for its employees to boost morale and give purpose to their work. He feels that when employees are happy in their career they are more dedicated and perform better.

6. Zsuzsa Csuvár, Director of Customer Care for Typeform.com

Zsuzsa specializes in problem solving. She began working for Typeform.com in 2015 as a Customer Advocate. She then became a Customer Education manager and then was promoted to her current position as Director of Customer Care. She has helped her company declutter and streamline to find the most effective and inclusive solution. Her role requires her to manager her department in a way that brings the most happiness to her customers and colleagues.

Zsuzsa is able to do this by implementing purposeful leadership. Communication and listening are aspects of purposeful leadership she practices herself when working.

Now that your know their background, be sure to see them in-person as they discuss purposeful leadership. This practice is something all of our speakers are passionate about and have dedicated their careers to. You can learn more about purposeful leadership and how it can change your business by coming to our roundtable discussion on September 20th at 7 PM, located in Cloud Coworking’s space.

To RSVP or see more information about the event, click on this Facebook event link: https://www.facebook.com/events/433445133733441/

Conscious Capitalism: Bringing Ethics into an Amoral System

Keeping in theme with our blog post about purposeful leadership, we want to highlight a way that business leaders are tying in consciousness even further into their work. How’s that? By changing the system their company operates in.

Capitalism is an amoral system, meaning that it is devoid of ethics and consciousness. This is to not be confused with the term immoral, meaning to be intentionally harmful. Due to the nature of capitalism, it prioritizes profit and success at whatever cost.

In years past, the nature of this system has left many workers feeling burnt out and purposeless. Retention rates plummet and more and more people are dissatisfied with their career.

However, conscious capitalism is an emerging mindset that hopes to combat this issue. The method doesn’t prioritize profit above all, but considers the lives of those who contribute to the company’s and system’s success. The system aims to use the power of capitalism as a tool to alleviate poverty and improve society.

The Conscious Capitalism Conference is coming July 9th, beginning at 2 PM at IESE Business School to educate people in the business sector how they can adopt ethics that benefit their company and the world around them. The conference hopes to inspire and teach this conscious mindset by hearing from business leaders who practice this system themselves.

In preparation for the event, we asked some of the speakers what drives them to embody conscious capitalism in their own lives. Alexander Böhmcker is CEO of Telemedicine Clinic, a radiology center aimed at one day providing quality care for all people, not just the few that can afford it. For Alexander, conscious capitalism is an important marriage between the system and meeting the needs of those around us.

“It combines the driving forces of capitalism with the human aspect of making business and therefore is a sustainable and enduring form of working together in the future,” he says.

Böhmcker thinks that sustainability is an important aspect company leaders need to strive towards to be more conscious leaders.

Böhmcker highlighting sustainability as an important aspect of conscious capitalism rings true. While many adopt conscious capitalism because of their moral principles, it is important to look at it through a pragmatic lense too. Companies that practice conscious capitalism as well as purposeful leadership inspire and motivate their workers by bringing purpose into their lives.

By inspiring your employees you are able to bring drive and motivation that leads to a more effective company. Companies that practice conscious capitalism have a common goal that is collectively worked towards being achieved. This mutual objective is communicated through all levels of a company so that purpose is given to work.

Lluís Gras will be a speaker at the event and is the owner of ScaleUp Business Coach. Lluís works with entrepreneurs and companies to develop their skills and unlock their potential. He is speaking at the event on how he is using the principles of conscious capitalism to shape his clients’ lives while also learning more from other speakers.

“ I feel I need to learn more about conscious capitalism, to empower me to talk about it,” Lluís said. “We spend a third part of our life working, better to enjoy it, The enterprises should be a place where people develop their talents and have great attitude all together to become better persons.”

You’ve been able to hear a snippet from two of our speakers for the conference, but there is so much more to conscious capitalism than this article holds. If you would like to learn more about it, be sure to attend the conference on July 9th at 2 PM at the IESE Business School.

RSVP and find more information at this link: https://capitalismoconsciente.es/actividades/conferencia-del-capitalismo-consciente-2018/

Conscious Fashion: 8 Tips to Stay Stylish and Sustainable

Think about the last article of clothing you bought. Are you committed to wearing that dress, shirt, or trousers at least 30 times? If the answer is no, then save your money and start saving the planet.

Sustainable fashion is about bringing consciousness into the way clothes are manufactured and worn. This practice is combatting “fast fashion” or stores that sell cheaply made clothes that are sold for low prices. While these shops help you stay on trend, they create an even greater trend of textile waste that takes years to decompose in a landfill and enable poor working conditions for manufacturers.

To raise awareness of this issue, we are collaborating with OneCoWork and Oceanic Global to host a sustainable fashion charity event on July 8th, starting at 12 PM that will be a zero waste event. At this show, you will be able to see top designers like Thembe Fashions, Post/O and Ernesto de Barcelona who embody sustainable and recycled fashion in their garments and accessories. Enjoy some mimosas and brunch while overlooking the scenic Port Vell at OneCoWork’s beautiful space. The fashion show benefits the organization Zero Waste Barcelona and their aim to educate and promote zero waste practices. We will be mirroring these ideals too by having no plastic at our event.

Even before the event, you can start practicing sustainable fashion habits yourself. Here are eight ways to create less waste with what you wear.

Choose more biodegradable textiles. With the technology we possess today, we are more capable than ever to create new and better materials. Instead of buying polyester, or synthetic textiles that take years to decompose in a land fill, you can opt for a synthetic garment made of recycled materials or biodegradable textiles that are durable and better for the environment.
Avoid cotton. This tip might surprise some. While cotton is a durable, breathable, and natural material, this textile has a large water footprint. The amount of water need to grow cotton is proportionally larger than other natural textiles. Many manufacturers are now produce blends of fibers like bamboo or hemp that have less of a water footprint. Try opting for these fabrics instead.
Buy fair trade. Fair trade textiles are important for being a sustainable consumer. Not only is it important to consider the environmental impact of your consuming habits but also on the people around you. Buying fair trade ensure that the people behind fashion manufacturing are being ethically treated.
Purchase well made, high quality clothing. While this tactic isn’t the most budget friendly at first, buying quality clothing means that your garments will last longer and be used more. You may have to pay more for better clothes up front, but know that proportionally it is a better value. Sure a $10 shirt is tantalizing, but you may only get to wear it ten times before it wears out or goes out of style. A versatile or classic piece of clothing that is well made being sold for $30 will last you much longer and be a better deal in the long run.
Recycle your clothes. Many retail stores offer recycling programs where you can take your worn clothing have them repurposed and reused. This alternative prevents non-biodegradable textiles from sitting in landfills for years.
Buy clothes made of fabric scraps or recycled materials. Alongside these retail stores’ recycling programs, different recycled plastics or textiles are being reimagined into new articles of clothing. What was once a plastic bottle or torn shirt is now a sweater. More retail stores are becoming more conscious of how much fabric is wasted when creating clothes. Now they are using zero waste methods to use as much of the textile is possible in other garments.
Buy from thrift stores. Consignment and thrift shops allow you to buy gently worn clothes at a cheaper price. You can give these perfectly fine garments a second life instead of having them waste away in a landfill. If you have clothes yourself that you no longer wear, consider recycling them or donating them to a charity or thrift store to reduce textile waste.
Rent or trade clothes. Today there are many companies that provide a rental service for clothing. You are able to wear a garment for an event and then ship it back to be worn by others. This is a great alternative for big occasions where you may wear a dress or outfit once. Additionally, instead of renting clothing, you can trade clothes with friends and family.

Now that you know how to get started on sustainable fashion, come see the beautiful recycled designs and accessories that will be showcased at the fashion extravaganza. Enjoy a mimosa and soak in the sun at OneCoWork’s bright and modern space. Don’t forget your sunglasses.

For more information or to buy tickets, go to our Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1431060420372536/

Purposeful Leadership: Change Your Business and the World Around You

Actions have consequences. This seems like a common statement, but how many people contemplate this statement when carrying out their day-to-day activities or running a business?

Purposeful leadership is a new approach to management, and can be as a management tool in business or even in your daily life. The concept is simple. Just think to yourself, “how will my actions affect those I lead?”

We are holding a roundtable discussion on September 20th at Cloud Coworking start at 7 PM, where we will be talking to the leadership of different companies as they explain how they are implementing purposeful leadership with their own staff. We will hear from speakers like Mehdi J. Alaoui, Growth Strategy and Business Development at GE Renewable, Koert Grever, Education for Business Leaders with Purpose at IESE, Sorin Tomus, expert in Leadership and Change management, Arit Balcells Alexander, CEO and Co founder of LALO Experience, Carlos Piera Serra, founder and CEO for Delivering Happiness Spain, and Zsuzsa Csuvár, Director of Customer Care for Typeform.com.

There will also be two mini-workshops covering innovation and culture in the workplace. They will last 15 minutes each and compliment the thoughts and advice of our speakers on elevating your business.

So, as you’re probably wondering, what exactly is this leadership style then?

This leadership method takes conscious values of a company and instills them into each level of the organization. Instead of the leadership creating and practicing these values, they communicate and encourage them to all employees at every level. Practicing purposeful leadership places importance on the relationship between the company, its employees and its community.

This strong identity of values helps a business in many facets. Not only are the company goals clearer, but they are able to achieve these goals more effectively. Each member of the organization is able to see how they have a role in achieving these four pillars of purpose, culture, leadership, and stakeholders, and communication helps them understand the individual impact they have towards the overall goal.

Another defining feature of purposeful leadership is the compatibility of success for the business and the world around them. Instead of focusing entirely on profits and short-term goals, companies look long-term at their impact and success.

Practicing purposeful leadership means that business are sacrificing themselves in certain areas for a higher cause or purpose. The importance of ethic values in their business is more concerning than achieving success in the moment.

Although this form of leadership isn’t the most monetarily profitable, companies that practices purposeful leadership have greater advantages in other areas of their business. Lower employee turnover rates, stronger morale and a positive impact on the community around you are just some of the benefits of purposeful leadership.

To start creating the foundation of this leadership style, you have to understand your own business and your ethical goals the see how you can marry its success with those goals you have.

After laying this strong foundation, you communicate your goals with your employees to ensure that the goals of the company will help you achieve the impact you want make on the world. By inspiring your employees with your values, you create workers that are more passionate towards your goals and willing to sacrifice their time to achieving them.

Building this morale is the key to success in purposeful leadership. You reduce employee turnover and reinforce these ideals at every level of your company as your workers understand how to personify these ethic pillars. When employees understand how their position impacts the overall goal, they are given a sense of purpose and find their work more meaningful. Clear communication removes uncertainty for employees, leading to a solid identity in values.

By adopting purposeful leadership, companies can create a better and more meaningful cause for their workers while accomplishing their goals more efficiently.

If purposeful leadership is something that interests you, we encourage you to attend our leadership roundtable discussion on September 20th, 7 PM at Cloud Coworking’s new space on Aragon and Passeig St Joan. You can learn how to build your own leadership skills that will in turn benefit your business. You can find more information about the event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/433445133733441/