Dirty Word #16 – Compassion

A friend of mine passed on a story that in one short week has made it from a chance encounter on the streets of Chicago to the nightly news.  In the meantime, it’s raised more than $10,000 for a homeless man.  The story, written by Pete Kadens on the site www.savetroy.com (this site no longer exists) tells about how Pete ran into Troy McCullough, a Streetwise vendor trying to work his way back out of poverty, and began a mini-movement (aided by the viral power of the web) to get behind Troy’s efforts.  In less than a week, he had met his goal for Troy’s financial aid. Pete rightly keeps the focus of this story on Troy.  But I want to turn attention to Pete for a second.  He’s an entrepreneur who has started and sold businesses in his short career.  While that’s not terribly unusual, his decision to use those skills for a broader purpose in this moment does set his actions apart.  He’s more than an entrepreneur – someone who sees and seizes opportunity.  He’s now a redemptive entrepreneur – one of those people who sees and seizes opportunity to make a positive difference in the lives of others around him. When you read Pete’s story (please do it – it takes five minutes and will probably make your day), you’ll probably see what was most unusual about this account.  We all see people in need.  But Pete didn’t just see Troy.  He noticed Troy.  And then he took action – first by building relationship, then by listening, then by testing, and finally by supporting. I don’t know Pete, but I don’t think he helped Troy so that he would gain anything.  But as in many things in life, by giving himself away Pete gained immeasurably in return.  I’m sure there will be twists in the story long after the 10 o’clock news has moved on to some other story.  But Pete showed all of the marks of being that top class of entrepreneur in the early days of this story.  And like any good entrepreneur, he’s already looking for ways to leverage this one success into others. So look around.  Who do you see? Who can you notice? What steps can you take?  Your story may not get on the news, but for the Troy’s out there, that doesn’t matter. (And PS, “Troy” may sit in the office next door to you – and may even have a great job!)