{"id":5724,"date":"2013-11-19T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2013-11-19T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/creator\/?p=3485"},"modified":"2020-03-30T19:09:55","modified_gmt":"2020-03-30T23:09:55","slug":"dreams-invite-make-unimaginable-happen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/community-stories\/member-spotlight\/dreams-invite-make-unimaginable-happen","title":{"rendered":"Dreams invite you to make the unimaginable happen"},"content":{"rendered":"

Better Future started with a trip to Gambia. Founder Dave Jongeneelen<\/a> visited the country\u2019s leaders, who valued his background in business development. At the end of his trip, Better Future<\/a> was born. The company offers\u00a0strategy and leadership consultants\u00a0for corporations, microfinance institutions, and social entrepreneurs all over the world. He then brought on like-minded people who were just as driven to make a difference.<\/p>\n

For this edition of Do What You Love, we spoke with Better Future\u2019s managing director Victoria Foster and partner Annemarie De Jong. Here\u2019s what they shared:<\/p>\n

\"betterfuture-wm\"<\/p>\n

AJ: The first essay I ever wrote was on how I wanted to change the world and make it a better place<\/strong>. It was written in very bad handwriting when I was 8 years old. I studied business and psychology in school, and the idealistic part of me wanted to make a difference in the day-to-day practices of big corporations.<\/p>\n

The more I worked for big organizations, the harder it was to do that. I ran a few leadership programs, but I didn\u2019t feel satisfied where I was. Then I met Dave and he asked me to join Better Future. He said, \u201cWe\u2019re bringing different worlds together to make the world a better place.\u201d Everything came together for me. I thought, \u201cWow, you can be idealistic and make money out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

VF: My whole life, I always pictured myself as a business woman<\/strong>. I did my undergraduate studies in business and went into investment banking. On the side, I did a lot of philanthropy and nonprofit work. I was interested in education and community-driven change in developing countries, and began to think about how businesses should work.<\/p>\n

A Dutch colleague of mine introduced me to Better Future and I told Dave I loved what he did. He said, \u201cExperience one of our programs. Come to India.\u201d I wasn\u2019t sure, so I had a Skype conversation with Annemarie. By the end, I booked a flight to India for the program in May 2012.<\/p>\n

AJ: The core of what we do is taking people on a journey<\/strong>. Our clients usually have a vague notion of change. They want to create something that adds value to society. I\u2019m convinced that to make a profound change, it has to start with the person in charge. So for some bigger companies, we involve everyone from the board of directors to the middle managers. We want to make them realize: \u201cI\u2019m proud not of what I\u2019m doing. How can I change?\u201d<\/p>\n

VF: It\u2019s about possibilities rather than problems<\/strong>. In our business world today, the companies that stand out are the ones thinking of possibilities. Our bread and butter is working directly with those companies that say let\u2019s dream and let\u2019s do it.<\/p>\n

AJ: Dreams invite you to make the unimaginable happen<\/strong>. We create meetings for companies called dream dinners. It\u2019s a simple concept: we invite people to share their dreams. We ask: \u201cWhat\u2019s your dream, and are you living that dream?\u201d They seem broad and vague but they force people to articulate their biggest drivers in life. It\u2019s a unique opportunity for people to connect with others and themselves on a deeper level.<\/p>\n

VF: One thing I\u2019ve been pushing is for people to take the courage to be bold<\/strong>. Take the risks and live a much more authentic life. Get rid of that separation between your passion and work. And when we listen to ourselves, that happens naturally. When people are living their dreams, it\u2019s a contagious energy.<\/p>\n

AJ: What I want to leave behind is to have helped people be true to themselves<\/strong>. If I can affect change with one remark that makes people think, that\u2019s a big gift. Going back to my essay, I hope people find their childhood essays that they’ve buried or forgotten and bring back their childish dreams. They aren\u2019t foolish. They are pure and authentic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Better Future started with a trip to Gambia. Founder Dave Jongeneelen visited the country\u2019s leaders, who valued his background in business development. At the end of his trip, Better Future was born. The company offers\u00a0strategy and leadership consultants\u00a0for corporations, microfinance institutions, and social entrepreneurs all over the world. He then brought on like-minded people who […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":889,"featured_media":33941,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43903,43911],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5724","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community-stories","category-member-spotlight"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDreams invite you to make the unimaginable happen \u2014 Better Future<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Better Future started with a trip to Gambia. 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