Social responsibility is when one takes into consideration how their actions affect the world around them. Making the decision to pick up litter or donate to a charity that supports the common good are two ways people can be socially responsible. But what does it mean to be a socially responsible leader? Is it forcing those that follow you to pick up trash or donate part of a paycheck to a worthy cause? While these examples might sound good to some, it goes beyond making people follow rules. Truly successful socially responsible leadership occurs by fostering an environment where other people’s needs are placed above your own. Let’s discuss what this can look like at work, with friends, and with family.

Socially Responsible Leadership at Work

Socially responsible leadership while at work takes some insight into yourself, your company, and its culture. This starts with introspection as to how your daily decisions affect others and the environment. Author and C-suite expert Jeffrey Hayzlett points out that socially responsible leadership puts your people and your planet first, and that if you do so, profits will follow. The environment and employee treatment are growing concerns, especially when it comes to Gen-Z according to Forbes. This generation, as they join the workforce, wants to ensure companies are addressing social issues within their business plans. Things like addressing climate change, global poverty, hunger, and human rights weren’t always taught in business school, but it’s becoming a common discussion at universities today. While some business leaders might think this isn’t the best use of time and money, there is an upside. According to Double the Donation, 55 percent of consumers are willing to pay more for products that come from a socially responsible company. What does this mean in more practical terms?

The first thing that might jump to mind is donating to a worthy cause. It’s a great way to start, but you have to vet your charity and verify that choosing one or two NPOs is better for your brand than donating to many. The flipside of socially responsible leadership is internal. It’s making sure that your employees get the benefits they need to live a happy life. This means keeping an eye on work-life balance. You also need to think about providing benefits, like 401(k) matching, maternity/paternity leave, and plenty of sick leave. The happiness and satisfaction of your employees has a real benefit. According to Hodges Mace, 75 percent of employees say that they are less likely to leave a company when they feel cared for. This saves you money on training new hires and provides a 20 percent boost in productivity according to Zenefits. While being a socially responsible leader at work is good for the world, it can help your bottom line quite a bit, too.

Socially Responsible Leadership with Friends

If social responsibility is important to you and you want friends to join the endeavor, the best thing you can do is lead by example. Try not to preach about it as that might appear condescending, which could alienate your friends from the prospect entirely. For example, if recycling is important to you, make sure the recycling bins at home are in a prominent place so that friends and family can easily put their empty beverage cans inside. This shows that recycling is easy and something that they could do in their own homes. Another example would be to suggest carpooling or even taking a bike or walking when on a group outing. This can help reduce everyone’s carbon footprint with the added benefit of exercise. If your friends aren’t interested in being socially responsible, follow your ethics anyway. There is a good chance that just by practicing what you preach, your socially responsible attitude will sway some of them eventually. This is an effect called social contagion. As described in the Huffington Post, this is a phenomenon where habits and lifestyles rub off on those you surround yourself with, which means the more you practice social responsibility, the better the chance that your friends will, too.

Socially Responsible Leadership with Family

It’s never too early to teach socially responsible habits to your children. If you think your child might be too young to understand how social dynamics work, author and education expert Rick Ackerly disagrees. He reports on research that shows “children have been researching their social milieu for thousands of hours by the time they are 18 months and, therefore, have a pretty good sense of what another person wants and, furthermore, have a natural desire to give that person what he wants.” This indicates that you can introduce socially responsible concepts at any age. Whether you are trying to guide your children, nieces, nephews or grandparents–everyone can be involved. So, what does this look like? It could be asking your family to volunteer at a local green space and clean up litter. No matter the activity, it’s important to maintain an open dialogue with each family member so they understand the importance of their actions. If a family member doesn’t understand, listen. Not everyone will be on board, but explaining your vision for the future and how your family can help build that will go a long way in gaining support.

These days, it’s important for both businesses and individuals to show socially responsible leadership to benefit fellow humans and make the world a better place.

Imagine what it might feel like to have all the odds stacked against you. No one is going to help you. The only things on your side are your own mind and spirit. At some point in our lives, we all face challenges like this. We want to look at some people who, despite the odds, rose above the hard times that came at them. They didn’t accept their lot in life, met adversity head-on, and through sheer resilience, beat it. If you are feeling like life is standing in the way of your dreams, take a page out of any one of these folks’ books in order to find the success you’ve worked hard for.

Oprah Winfrey

When Oprah moved to Nashville she eventually became the first African American TV correspondent for WTVF. She moved to Baltimore, then Chicago, working each time to rise through the ranks of local media, facing both misogyny and racism along the way. But Oprah was a notoriously hard worker, who wouldn’t take no for an answer. While in Chicago she turned her AM radio show into a nationally syndicated TV talk show within three years. This led to the Oprah that we know and love today.

J.K Rowling

J.K. submitted her bestselling book Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone to over a dozen publishers before her manuscript was finally accepted. All the while Rowling battled sexism. In fact, while she was working with editors, they convinced her that little boys wouldn’t read a book written by a woman. She added the initial “K” to her name in order to have a more “masculine” name. As the series continued, the increasingly dark tones of the story reflected her increasingly difficult personal life. Still, after the success of Harry Potter, she went on to be the first author to be a billionaire. This status didn’t last too long though–she donated so much money she is now “just” a millionaire. Rowling, like everyone else on this list, is a true inspiration.

Do Wan Chang

Do Wan Chang and his wife left South Korea in 1981 during a tumultuous time in the country’s history. They traveled to Los Angeles where Chang immediately took a job at a coffee shop for minimum wage ($3 an hour at the time). This wasn’t enough to support his family, so he took a job at a local gas station and started his own office cleaning company– while working 19 hours a day. After noticing that the people in the garment industry drove the nicest cars, he and his wife began saving their money. After pooling their money they opened a store called Fashion 21. Over time this turned into Forever 21. Their store has since become one of the most profitable apparel stores in the United States.

Jan Koum 

Jan Koum was born in Kyiv, Ukraine and lived there until the age of 16 when he and his mother emigrated to California. The two secured an apartment with the help of government assistance and Jan got to work sweeping floors at a local store. At this time his mother was diagnosed with cancer and they lived on disability benefits. All the while Koum bought books on coding from a second-hand bookstore and taught himself to code. While he had trouble graduating from high school, as a self-professed troublemaker, he eventually enrolled at San Jose University. He worked his way through school as a software security tester for Ernst and Young. This led to a job at Yahoo and to the founding of WhatsApp, a messaging app that he sold to Facebook for billions of dollars in cash and shares in Facebook.

To be resilient means to do your best no matter the challenges you face. The people on this list saw these obstacles as opportunities to not only grow but succeed. They took adversity in stride and ran right through it. They turned their passions into careers that vaulted them to success. While there are many individual lessons that we can learn from each one of these people, just remember that resilience isn’t a special talent that only certain people are imbued with. This quality is simply the choice to work hard in order to overcome your obstacles.

Here at Alpha Kappa Psi, we celebrate and champion many great characteristics. But when it comes to succeeding in the business world, few are as vital as resilience. Gaining success in a career or new business endeavor doesn’t happen overnight. Even when things are going well, there can be difficult impasses and moments when the world seems to be at odds with your dreams. Though we have countless success stories in our alumni, there are a few that we felt truly encapsulate the process of staying motivated and grounded. Here are their stories!

James Cash Penny, Founder of J.C. Penny

Penny began his chain of department stores in the early 1900s, primarily in the Western states of Wyoming, Utah, and Idaho. By 1917, the chain had grown to nearly 200 locations, and then to nearly 1,000 by the 1920s. However, after the stock market crash of 1929, Penny found himself in financial ruin. Despite the store’s success, Penny found himself at his wits’ end and eventually checked himself into a mental health sanitarium. After his stay, Penny resumed his position and continued to travel across the country. He visited stores and locations, meeting with employees and customers alike. Such a traumatic experience may have been difficult, but Penny displayed great resilience to stay committed to his dream.

Bernie Marcus, Founder of Home Depot

We may not think of Alpha Kappa Psi when picking out light fixtures or sorting through paint swatches, but founder Bernie Marcus was a prominent member of our fraternity. His journey is one marked with setbacks and obstacles. He was born to Russian immigrant parents who lived in a fourth-floor walk-up.  In 1978 he was fired from the hardware store Handy Dan. In an act of resilience, he chose to pursue his love of the home improvement industry when he and a fellow coworker decided to then open their own hardware store. Though they faced stiff competition, Home Depot now has over 2,000 locations worldwide, making it the global leader in home improvement retail.

Alexis Ohanian, Founder of Reddit

After graduating college in 2005, this University of Virginia Alpha Kappa Psi member dreamed up a little idea. In collaboration with friend Steve Huffman, they developed the concept of “the front page of the Internet.” This would be a place where all the important links, stories, and content could be brought together in one place. However, only a few months into the process of building the site, Ohanian received extremely disconcerting news ; his girlfriend fell five stories and subsequently was in a coma. While Alexis was still reeling from this accident, he learned that his mother had an inoperable brain tumor. For many, either of these would be cause to give up. However, through the pain he persisted in his work and eventually helped Reddit to grow to over 300 million daily active users.

The road to success is rarely a clear one. Along the way, even the most accomplished professionals will undoubtedly encounter difficulties and setbacks. The key is not to let these diminish your dreams, but to push through them. Whether you’re starting a chain of stores, dreaming up internet sites in your dorm room, or finding your way in a new endeavor, staying motivated and pushing through obstacles is the only pathway to success. How will you showcase your resilience in business? We simply can’t wait to see what else our members can do!