If I could present ideas to CEOs, what would I share?

I have produced a huge library of ideas that anyone can use to develop strategies that help kids in poverty move through school and into work. Many of these articles focus on the business community because that's a source of talent, ideas, technology needed to support the growth of volunteer-based youth serving organizations. It's also a source of role models to expand aspirations for kids living in high poverty areas, who don't have people in their family or community modeling the many different careers youth might aspire to.

On Thursday, I attended a Summer Jobs Program summit hosted by JPMorganChase. Their Skills At Work web site provides a wide range of information showing the skills gap and why leaders in every industry should build a strategy that helps "pull kids through school and into jobs".

I added this link to a section of my web library with similar articles. I wonder how many people in business will read these as part of the Research & Development they do to support their employee engagement strategies.

I had a dream last night that CEOs were looking at information I'd provided, in a thick document. I woke up saying, "that's too much".

What one, or two documents might I want them to read?

This "Role of Leaders" would be the first document. Why? First, without CEO commitment, not much happens. Second, busy CEOs need to appoint a "get it done" person to take charge of their efforts. Such people look for opportunities while traditional HR and Philanthropy managers work with scarcity, and limited budgets. They are often forced to look for reasons to say "no".

Role of Leaders - How CEOs can help inner city youth from birth to work by Daniel F. Bassill

While the "Role of Leaders" pdf includes many graphics, it does not include the Strategy Map shown below.

CEOs who put their name in the blue box at the top of this map are making a long-term commitment to help kids in poverty neighborhoods move through school and into careers. They are encouraging other CEOs to get involved, just as Chief Crusaders of the United Way fund raising campaigns do. They are encouraging involvement of employee talent, not just manpower. They are looking at year-to-year progress that they have made, not just at what their non profit partners and local schools have made.

CEOS who embrace the "Role of Leaders" and this Strategy Map are encouraging teams of employees to do the learning and research needed to support constantly improving engagement strategies and effective on-going uses of company resources in all places where they do business, not just in their home office city.

We could count the number of CEOs in every industry, in every city, who commit to this strategy, and give recognition and awards to those who do it better than their peers each year. We could expand this to political and faith leaders, celebrities and others who are leaders in their own sectors, who also need to adopt this thinking.

Ten or fifteen years from now the world for youth now living in concentrated poverty would be different, if the list of CEOs were growing every year.

If this makes sense to you, please share it with CEOs who you may know.