This Is A Social Entrepreneur: Ellison C. Pierce
- Jason Baker
- Sep 1, 2020
- 5 min read
Updated: Sep 2, 2020
Introduction
Many people do not understand how simple, but yet complicated it can be to become a social entrepreneur. There are many good role models to look up to if you have a passion for creating systematic change. People like Ellison C. Pierce and Bill Drayton have paved the way for a new generation of social entrepreneurs. It is disappointing that these problem-solvers have gained little recognition for such revolutionizing ideas. Throughout this blog, I will be discussing a social entrepreneur named, Ellison C. Pierce, and also discuss some determining factors and qualities that each social entrepreneur should possess.
Ellison C. Pierce: Leading a Pivotal Change
Ellison C. Pierce, a native of North Carolina, was a social entrepreneur who attended Duke Medical School in the early 1950's. His goal was to improve the administration of anesthesia in the healthcare industry. About twice in every 10,000 operations a death would occur and this was a very troubling statistic for Pierce to stomach. According to research, there are an average of 35 million operations involving anesthesia per year and that resulted in the death of 3,500 to 7,000 patients per year. The thing that bothered Pierce the most was the fact that these occurrences were avoidable in most situations. His focus on making a change intensified when his
friend's 18-year-old daughter died from anesthesia during a simple wisdom tooth removal.
The lack of knowledge that anesthesiologists displayed during procedures was a cause for concern and Pierce knew he had to act immediately. He began creating a committee on patient safety that administered classes/sessions for many healthcare companies and anesthesiologists. Eventually, Pierce decided to establish a foundation named the "Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF)," which raised money and helped create meetings with different occupations that use anesthesia. Today, APSF has many subscribers to their newsletters and funds research opportunities in patient safety. Pierce has managed to drop the death rate of anesthesia-related malfunctions to about one in every 100,000 to 200,000 operations. Ellison C. Pierce revolutionized anesthesia patient safety and was involved throughout his whole life until his passing on April 3, 2011.
Determining Who Is A Social Entrepreneur
Contrary to popular belief, a social entrepreneur is someone that not only has an idea, but also has a multi-year vision for that idea. In Chapter 10 of "How to Change the World," David Bornstein discusses Bill Drayton's four categories of determining which social entrepreneur to work with. Drayton's four categories include:
Creativity: Drayton breaks this category into two different sides, the goal-setting creativity and the problem-solving creativity. The goal-setting creativity is the ability to see your vision past the horizon and find other patterns that can be changed in the field. The problem-solving creativity is the ability to find a way through all the trials and tribulations that you face and find new ways to adapt to the changes.
Entrepreneurial Quality: The entrepreneurial quality is all about a certain way of thinking. A way of thinking that exceeds the limits of just a single idea. Social entrepreneurs are more worried about thoroughly solving a problem and carrying that solution throughout many different cultures.
Social Impact of the Idea: This is solely about the idea and has nothing to do with the individual. It has to do with the impact of your idea after you are no longer an available resource for it. Drayton is concerned with how many people will be affected and the extent to how they are affected.
Ethical Fiber: Trust is a main reason for why this category exists. You cannot become a social entrepreneur if you cannot be trusted by other individuals. A good question to ask is: Would you be comfortable during an uncomfortable situation with this person? Ethics are the ultimate test and has nothing to do with the knowledge of social entrepreneurship.
Qualities Of A Social Entrepreneur
There are 6 qualities that ALL successful social entrepreneurs should exhibit, according to the book, "How to Change the World." These 6 qualities are listed below with an explanation to what they consist of.
Willingness to Self-Correct
A social entrepreneur should be willing to correct themselves when facing a problem. Problems will arise throughout their journey and in some cases they may have to retrace their footsteps in order to make corrections. In the mind of the Author, David Bornstein, this quality can help separate the new entrepreneurs from the older and more knowledgable entrepreneurs. Sometimes denial or roadblocks can cause the entrepreneur to rethink their situation.
Willingness to Share Credit
A social entrepreneur is a person that does not put themselves first and usually give lots of credit to their partners. Being recognized in the spotlight is not something that these individuals are seeking. Working from behind the scenes is the most comfortable position for successful, systematic change. Ellison C. Pierce had many partners along the way and these partners helped him add to or found different types of committees/foundations.
Willingness to Break Free of Established Structures
A social entrepreneur does not necessarily like to be enclosed in established structures like the government. These structures do play important roles in systematic change and problem solving, but they are not the driving factors of change. Most entrepreneurs like to be independent of organizations and work at their own pace.
Willingness to Cross Disciplinary Boundaries
A social entrepreneur enjoys crossing disciplinary boundaries by bringing people together from different types of cultures to build working solutions. Multiple point of views can cause a solution to be great instead of just good. Diversification is a unique way of connecting and becoming more knowledgable about our society as a whole.
Willingness to Work Quietly
A social entrepreneur is content with working quietly to achieve a greater change for the world. This quality can go hand-in-hand with the willingness to share credit. Recognition usually does not come until a few years after your change has been in affect. Change can take years of working and planning to have a successful initial "launch."
Strong Ethical Impetus
A social entrepreneur is an ethical person and stands strong on their moral values. This quality is one of the most important ones because it can be the driving force in developing a great change in the world. It is important to know and understand the difference between right and wrong when conducting any kind of business process.
Conclusion
Overall, it is impossible to spot a social entrepreneur as you walk down the street or find a social entrepreneur just because they have an idea. They must have an idea and be able to expand on that to reach different levels of people and cultures. They must look over their set horizons and continue to evolve throughout their journey. It is amazing how ideas or experiences can turn in to revolutionary changes throughout a certain industry, like Ellison C. Pierce with anesthesia. I am challenging you to look beyond your passions and find ways to make a difference for generations to come.
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