Leadership For The Love Of Humanity
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In This Episode
What does giving back mean to you? Is it solely financial in your mind? Do you have a specific motivation that pushes you to help others? How do you look at those going through difficult situations? Join us for a conversation with Marcel LeBrun about all these topics.
Marcel is a returning guest of ours who joins Dave and Emily to discuss the idea of Philanthropy and the steps available to all of us to be leaders in our communities to help others. The discussion moves around the topics of positive business culture and giving back financially, and we hear all about the work Marcel has done with 12 Neighbours.
First 10 Minutes
We kick off with Emily re-confirming she will be doing her next ultra marathon in Arizona. Dave ties her recent work with sports to her executive coaching. Emily shares how exercising is a creative experience for her. Dave mentions how Mark Leger said that Marcel LeBrun is one of the leaders that inspires him. Marcel introduces his background as a tech entrepreneur and how he’s now focusing on his social entrepreneurship venture, 12 Neighbours. Marcel tells his Arizona story of climbing Camelback mountain in the dark. Dave asks how Marcel got into tech and entrepreneurship. Marcel shares his interest in building things and solving problems.
10 Minutes – 20 MinutesĀ
Emily shares the experience of hearing Marcel speak at a recent event, and Marcel shares a little about that experience. Dave brings up how Mark talked about how Marcel invests in the community even after a massive successful exit. Next, Dave asks Marcel to share the backstory of Radian6. Marcel talks through the story of Radian6 and how the company evolved to being acquired by Salesforce.
Dave and Emily highlight how the story helps show that living in Atlantic Canada shouldn’t limit what’s possible. Marcel talks about the purpose of business and how it’s really about improving the world. Business is not here not to extract but to give. Marcel shares the meaning of the word Philanthropy.
20 Minutes – 30 Minutes
Dave brings up how many people feel business needs to be cutthroat, and Marcel shares how it’s not about the financial success for him but how people enjoyed working at Radian6 and have never had another experience. Emily asks how all that ties into the 12 Neighbours project. Marcel shares a story about how an individual he met shared how he wished the community had changed more and to find ways to do things differently. Marcel talks about how we have a mindset in the west of just giving by giving a few dollars and emergency relief. This makes us pretty good at crisis.
30 Minutes – 40 Minutes
Dave says he feels like most people don’t realize the full extent of the issue. Marcel shares how there are so many layers of what people have been through, the trauma they have been caring for for years, and what they’ve had to overcome. Marcel says there’s a notion that it’s up to us to install dignity on people, but that’s not true because it’s always there. Marcel talks about how we need to talk about coming from a place of people’s strengths instead of asking, “What Happened” which can make people feel like they deserve the circumstances that happened to them. Emily asks about the winning the lottery idea. Marcel shares where he heard that concept from and how it impacts how you look at people.
Marcel LeBrun
Technology executive, entrepreneur, social entrepreneur. I like building new things and solving meaningful problems.