Sandy Cardin's 5 Tips on How to Make the Most of Your Time at the ROI Summit

  • Sandy Cardin

June 9, 2013

Schusterman Philanthropic Network's President, Sandy Cardin, shares 5 tips on how to make the most of your time at the ROI Summit:

  1. Draw upon the wisdom of people who think differently than you do, as mentioned in Fast Company's blog. The diversity of perspectives in this room is what makes this experience work. Find clarifiers who ask pointed questions, connectors who lead you to other people, challengers who help you act boldly and wise elders or sages from whose experience you can learn. This exercise is often called creating your own personal board of directors.
  2. Trust the process. The Summit has been carefully crafted to be a mix of structured and unstructured, expert-driven and peer-led. Over eight years, our team has worked hard to create an experience that breaks down barriers between people and fosters deep and lasting connections. Show your commitment to this process by being fully present.
  3. Be strategic at meal and break times. They are a great opportunity to both meet new people and to go into greater detail with those you have already met. They are also a good time to learn from and share with people who attended different master classes and peer-led skills sessions. Plan ahead for how you will use this time wisely.
  4. Let the twin principles of YOLO (you only live once) and FOMO (fear of missing out) guide you. Participate in this experience in a way that scares you. Maybe that means leading conversation or, to the contrary, being a participant in one. Take advantage of everything the Summit has to offer, from classes to open spaces, motivational speakers to networking opportunities. But also find time to sleep. I have seen people operate on too little sleep here and let’s just say it isn’t pretty.
  5. Remember what we are ultimately here to do: build a strong, vibrant future for the Jewish people and for Israel. Our personal agendas are important insomuch as they serve this larger goal. If we do this right, we will develop a common language through which communities across the world, led by all of you, will be able to learn from each other’s experiences and contribute to each other’s successes.