We all can’t be Nina and build a website for each company we wish to work for (#Nina4President). But we can take a page from Nina and learn how to demonstrate our values and value-adds to future dream employers. I’ve collected and adapted some exercises and strategies you can use to help you figure out your own WHY FACTOR. This can be used in interviews, pitches, professional profiles and the like. Most importantly, it’s for you to uncover your purpose. I challenge you to dig deep and ask WHY. Why do you want to do what you want to do? Why are you driven to do it? Why is this part of your story?
The Head // Heart Hustle
The idea behind the head heart hustle is that, for meaningful and productive work, we want to merge and engage both, not just one. This story, borrowed from Echoing Green’s Work on Purpose curriculum, illustrates head + heart:
Andrew spent most of his life trying to help people through direct service, by volunteering for various organizations for a few hours at a time, but he never felt like he was making much of an impact. He was less 
effective than he could have been because he was not bringing his head to his service. Meanwhile, he was excelling in his career, rising through the ranks of an illustrious consulting firm, but he found no joy in his job because he wasn’t bringing his heart to his paid work. Finally Andrew realized that he could help people most effectively not as a volunteer, but as a CEO.
When we tap into both the head and the heart, that’s when we’re truly able to hustle and get into a streamlined work flow.
Are there creative ways to combine items from each? Maybe they don’t all make sense. But think about a time when you applied both your head and your heart and what you were able to achieve. Let’s figure out ways to do more of that.
Life Map
I’m serious. Get out the markers and butcher paper and think about…What brought you here, to this moment? How has your history shaped you? Your family? Education? Challenges? Triumphs? Failures? Relationships? Why are you here, with FMS, why did you make this decision for your career? Reflect on your lived experiences and the choices you’ve made through challenges you’ve overcome. We are in constant motion, change, and states of learning. What might you learn from the sum of your experiences to direct your present and future decisions? Think about how you can be your own feedback loop, iterating, adjusting, and progressing towards our very own sweet spot.
We make choices in our lives based on what we value, you said YES to the FMS training because it aligned with your values – whether it’s a 180 from your past life or the next step in your trajectory in pursuit of a meaningful career. Take some time to reflect on your own values – personal and professional values and how you wish to see the world. Now map it out.
Five Whys
You know how kids ask why a lot? Why is the sky blue? Why does hair grow? Why are you so tall? And then they follow-up with ‘Why?’ a hundred more times until at some point they feel satiated. Though I do encourage curiosity, my point really is to encourage you to ask yourself three to five whys on pointed questions. You can start by journaling about these questions:
Social Impact Story of Self
I want to give a shout out to Harvard Professor Marshall Ganz. He dropped out of Harvard to help mobilize the Ceaser Chavez 
farm workers movement. He was instrumental in orchestrating Martin Luther King’s political campaign along with President Barack Obama’s 2008 win. After all, what are political campaigns if not well crafted stories? And to that end, is branding (for products and services or personal use) not the same thing? Ganz’ narrative framework has three phases: Story of Self (personal), Story of Us (community), and Story of Now (sense of urgency). I’ve adapted some pieces from Ganz’ Story of Self method to apply to an exploration of a career in social impact. If you didn’t know Mr. Ganz, now you know!
List your top 3 core values. 
Think of a moment in your life that exemplifies these values. Is there a story from your personal or professional life that illustrates your values in action? Journal about these moments.
1. VALUE #1____________________________
2. VALUE #2____________________________
3. VALUE #3____________________________
Now, I want you to think about what you gravitate towards in the social impact space. Is it financial inclusion? The ocean? Sanitation & hygiene? For me, it’s about women & girls and economic opportunity.
Describe the change that you wish to see in the world. This may be tough to articulate. Remember, nothing is set in stone. We are always iterating, perhaps, changing our minds, and refining. I wish to see a world where every individual has the opportunity to be self-determined.
Begin to construct your own theory of change. What change do you want to see in this world? Why is it that specific change? You will see that the way in which you see the world and the change you wish to see in the world is a mirror of your values and in alignment with your talents and aspirations. This is the start of your social impact career story.
I’ll share with you my most recent iteration of my social impact career story (based on a mashup of all of the above and then some) in hopes that it helps you construct your own. Remember, 1) you can’t fit it all – keep it succinct, 2) modify it to fit the current audience, and 3) there’s no magic bullet, but if there were one, it would be to keep it authentic, keep it real.
These are additional resources (slide decks, articles, and TED talks) I found super useful and insanely inspiring:
Build a Career Worth Having – HBR
Quick guide to writing your elevator pitch – Idealist, snappy ways to build punchy sentences.
Acumen Founder & CEO Jacqueline Novogratz TED Talk – WHOA! Say yes to watching this!
Net Impact Self Assessment Passion Mosaic – a 10 minute self-paced guided exercise with Dr. Mrim Boutla. If you are seeking more support in unpacking and aligning your passions with your talents, check this out.
Social Venture Network “Get Inspired” Videos – watch short clips featuring successful social entrepreneurs about the advice they wish they would have gotten from the start.
