Fifteen Questions to Certify That You Are a Social Innovator

While not a scientific test, this quiz measures 15 variables to predict your success in being a “social innovator” and ability to bring in the big bucks. Answer true or false for each of the following questions.

Do you have a degree from an Ivy League university, MIT, Duke, Northwestern, the University of Chicago, or any school in California?
Do you consider yourself more forward thinking than the average nonprofit person?
Are you close personal friends with at least three foundation executives?
Over the past 18 months, have you conferenced at the Aspen Institute, Wingspread, or Pocantico?
Do you have an enthusiastic but determined look on your face at least 75 percent of the time?
Can you casually drop the following strategic words and phrases into an ordinary conversation with special import?
- Metrics
- Evidence based
- Highly effective
- Impact
- Value added
- New normal
- New reality
- Solutions business
- Catalytic philanthropy
- Going to scale
Did you do at least a minor favor for the Obama campaign?
Do you spend 20 percent of your budget on self-promotion, public outreach, and travel to essential national confabs?
Do you refer to yourself as the “founder” of something?
Are you a private reader of contemporary business magazines and heroic CEO bios?
Do you consider high levels of unemployment, obesity, and homelessness as amazingly great laboratories for innovation?
Do you feel a need to be discreet about your personal ambitions?
Do you consider the work of other organizations to be ultimately well-meaning but pedestrian and not worth learning about?
Is your compensation at least 150 percent that of the next highest-paid person at your organization?
Do you believe that being insufferably annoying and pretentious is defensible if your cause is just?