For the last part of their experience, Canopy’s Summer Student Ambassadors took time to reflect on the idea of doing good while doing well.
This concept is one that Canopy’s leadership team takes to heart and incorporates into its decisions. We asked the student ambassadors to express their take on this concept, through words and art! Read on to see what these up and coming leaders believe about taking time to impacting others for good while running a healthy business.
Doing Good While Doing Well
By Ambassador Ajla, Art by Ambassador Gabby
Many people have different opinions on this definition, but to me, doing good while doing well means to make positive impacts while also achieving personal success. In a world that often emphasizes self-interest and personal gain, the concept of doing good while doing well offers a refreshing perspective to many people. It provides suggestions that individuals can achieve success in their hard work while also making a positive impact on others and the world around them.
Doing good refers to actions that have a positive impact on others, communities, or the environment. It involves acts of kindness, social responsibility, and making smart choices. On the other hand, doing well refers to achieving personal and/or professional success, such as career placement, financial stability, etc. The heart of doing good while doing well lies in combining these two aspects, allowing success to be a helping hand for making a positive difference in the world.
Another point you may consider is that collaboration and networking are powerful tools for doing good while doing well. By connecting with like-minded individuals, organizations, and communities, individuals can amplify their impact and create partnerships. Collaborative efforts enable the resources, expertise, and influence, leading to more significant and sustainable change. Networking also provides opportunities for learning, mentorship, and exposure to diverse perspectives, which can further enhance personal and professional growth. Through collaboration, individuals can extend their reach, create collective solutions, and make a broader positive impact.
You might be questioning where I learned these values and who installed these ideas into my everyday life. That would be Canopy Credit Union itself. Before starting this ambassador program or my internship here, I had no idea that these two values could work together to build for a better life. Canopy taught me that you can still maintain a successful business while giving back to the community. In fact they taught me that giving back was CRUCIAL in maintaining a successful business.
When I started the ambassador program I was shown the core principles of the credit union and how involved they are in the community around them. During my internship there, I saw just how much effort is put into doing good while doing well. I’d walk by and overhear an employee discussing business strategy to better the company in one room, but in that very next room I would hear another employees talking about a workshop which helps the elderly get in touch with technology and teach them how to access their banking information online. To be able to recognize that someone needs your help, and to be able to help them free of charge, is truly inspiring. Canopy’s guiding principles impress me and have taught me a lot.
Doing good while doing well is an inspiring and transformative approach to success. It’s to align personal and professional goals. It’s to make a difference once step at a time.
What does it mean to do good while doing well?
By Ambassador Jack, Art by Ambassador Illiana
In today’s world where there is an increasing wealth gap which is leaving people behind more than ever, we often find ourselves obliged to help individuals who are struggling. Our society is increasingly connected and socially conscious, so the idea of ‘doing good while doing well’ is quickly making its way into our everyday vocabulary. This sentiment encapsulates the idea that it is possible and also beneficial for one to thrive personally while also making a positive change in their community and around the world.
The Struggle of Pursuing Success as well as Impact
To fully explore and understand the concept of doing well and doing good, we must first acknowledge that these two principles are not mutually exclusive. In fact, success can mean personal, professional, and financial success in addition to philanthropic and charitable impact. (This is not to say that one who is not financially and professionally successful cannot do good for their community; often these individuals are some of the most generous.) Even still, obtaining and successfully implementing the idea of doing good while doing well can be difficult. At the core of this sentiment, we have three pillars:
- Matching Ones’ Values with Actions
An individual who is doing good while doing well will recognize that their everyday actions need to align with their values. They may strive to integrate their moral and ethical belief systems into their personal and professional lives. This is the first step to connecting personal success to positive social impact.
- Utilizing Resources to Create Impact
In the world of creating impact not only in your community, but throughout society, individuals who seek to do good while doing well will understand that the resources associated with success can be embraced to power their social impact. Additionally, they effectively use those resources to crate the impact that they want to see in their community, whether it be time, money, or brain power.
- Full Recognition of Social Responsibility
The final pillar of doing good while doing well is the full sense of social responsibility. Before one can create positive change, they must understand the implications of their actions. Balancing the positive and negative effects of ones actions is the key to unlocking the maximum impact and benefit to society.
A Few Ways to Do Good While Doing Well
- Philanthropy
The most direct way to make a positive change is through philanthropy, or donation of funds and resources. Individuals who are occupationally successful often choose to donate their monetary wealth to promote causes that they are passionate about. Additionally, individuals who are not as financially fortunate can and often do good through philanthropy.
- Volunteering
Aside from monetary donations, time is another invaluable resource for charitable organizations. Individuals can choose to volunteer for specific organizations, leading to direct tangible change. Volunteering is a great option because it combines direct impact with specific causes and it does not require direct monetary contribution.
- Moral and Ethical Leadership
Moral and Ethical leadership can mean several things. For individuals who are successful professionally, making decisions and leading with integrity in addition to working to the benefit of not only their employees, but also their customers and communities. For individuals who may not find the same professional success, they can still lead and make decisions morally and ethically. Examples can include choosing to become civically engaged, watching out for neighbors, or even donating a couple cans of food.
- Environmental Responsibility
Leading an eco-friendly lifestyle and following sustainable principles is another way to make a direct and positive impact on one’s own life, but also those around them. Additionally, this is a great way to make a positive environmental change.
Connecting Principles to Action
In the pursuit of doing good while doing well, individuals may find that following the three pillars above will afford them a deeper sense of fulfillment and moral satisfaction. As you think about how your personal, professional, or financial success can improve the lives of others as well as your own, remember to connect the three pillars of doing good while doing well to your day-to-day life. You may just find that success in personal, professional, or financial life and success in community impact are more closely intertwined than you thought.