Strategic Altruism

Altruism is a great quality to have in a person. Doing things altruistically is amazing.

However, sometimes one must be strategically altruistic. What I mean by this is a person still is doing something for the better of others at no cost or pay out to him/her simply by participating in whatever it is also benefits him/her too in some way.

An example of this is being on a review board. One may not want to be on the review board but by volunteering his/her time to be a part of it not only is he/she being involved and helping others but also strategically this is a perfect way to build a network. Maybe the other people on the board could possibly help one get a job he/she wants, help with a business venture, or help edit a grant proposal.

It's not money in your pocket but its buying and building equity in yourself. Plus, volunteering is favorable because there is more flexibility. If it were a paid position there is more responsibility and rigidity to the schedule.

There is nothing wrong with being strategically altruistic. Helping others while helping oneself further one's goals.

Networking is under estimated. Network, network, network!!! That is how you can make BIG things happen for yourself.

Introduce yourself! Talk to people. Go out to lunch or coffee. Ask questions! You can learn A LOT more from talking to an experienced venture captialist over a one hour lunch than you ever will in a 2 year MBA program.

People that go into debt or fork out the money to go to big name colleges like Harvard for an MBA are not paying those big bucks for the classes they are taking. The money they are putting down is for the network they are creating by simply being in the program. They are investing in themselves and building self equity.

It is on you to make what you want out of your life experiences. Anywhere you go you never know who you may meet and what they can potentially help you achieve in life by simply having them as a reference. Don't be so reserved or stuck up that you don't learn how to interact with people or look down on people YOU think are not good enough for you.

You never know what the person who you think is not good enough for you could actually do for you. Sometimes doing tedious things needs to be done to achieve what YOU want to achieve.

Learn how to sell yourself. Be confident! Learn to always look put together when leaving your home. You never know who you will meet. First impressions are everything. Remember...

Strategic altruism.

Until next time.

-Norah