Michele L. Sullivan: Asking for help is a strength, not a weakness
ميشيل ل. سوليفان: طلب المساعدة قوة وليس ضعفًا
Michele L. Sullivan is known for her sustainable and collaborative approach to philanthropic investing. Full bio
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that we remember so vividly.
نتذكرها بكل وضوح.
was when I was entering kindergarten.
كان عند دخولي روضة الأطفال.
and by golly, it was my time.
ويالفرحتي! قد حان وقتي.
كدت أن أبلل نفسي.
with a warm welcome,
ترحب بي ترحيبًا حارًا،
little cubbyholes, don't we --
until class starts."
and plopped down like I owned the place,
with blue shorts.
I didn't think he was talking to me.
لم أظن أنه كان يتحدث إليّ.
Let's just play. We're happy.
دعنا نلعب فقط. نحن سعداء.
and about a minute later,
in a white shirt and a pink skirt,
قميصًا أبيض وتنورة وردية
why do you look so different?"
Again, let's just play."
مرة أخرى، دعونا نلعب فحسب."
all around the circle I was in,
في المجموعة التي كنت بها،
and they were all looking at me.
وظلوا يحدقون بي.
it would be "OMG" or "WTF."
قد تكون "يا إلهي" أو"ما هذا الهراء."
that I went in with that morning
أجول بها ذاك الصباح
before I went home,
outside of the circle.
like nobody could see me.
حتى لا يراني أي أحد.
another child's curiosity,
that the real world was not built
both literally or figuratively.
بوجه حرفي أو مجازي.
as you can probably tell,
كما ربما تعرفون،
through our lifetime.
with a mental illness,
with their gender identity,
من أجل هويتهم الجنسية،
or what I go through.
أو الذي أمر به.
walk in someone else's shoes,
على وضع أنفسكم مكان الآخرين،
a new way of giving of ourselves.
لتقدير أنفسنا.
what it's like to be you
ما يعنيه أن أكون مكانك
what it's like to be me.
or chase your dreams,
أو مطاردة أحلامك،
in each other's shoes,
of giving of ourselves.
different than most people,
مختلفة عن غالبية الناس،
I was on equal footing with,
كنت فيها على قدم المساواة معهم،
I excelled in the classroom.
كنت متفوقة في الدراسة.
I discovered as I grew older
اكتشفت بينما أكبُر
to do a physical job.
القيام بالمهمة الحركية.
وحصلت على الدرجة الجامعية،
of everyone for employment,
الجميع بخطوة من أجل الوظيفة،
an advanced university degree,
What am I going to wear?
who I've known all my life
the building you're going in has steps."
المبنى الذي ستذهبين إليه به سلالم"
about how am I going to get there?
كيفية صعودي لذاك السلم؟
and got in and had a great interview.
أغراض وقمت بمقابلة مذهلة.
for the day and that's OK.
لأصل إليهم وهذا لا بأس به.
challenge that day was the interview,
ذاك اليوم هو المقابلة الشخصية،
without getting run over.
in certain situations:
I travel quite a bit.
for all of us these days.
run through security, get to the gate.
نقاط التفتيش وتصلون إلى البوابة.
Did I get my upgrade?
أم بجوار النافذة؟ هل حصلت على ترقيتي؟
I don't run through anything.
the personal patdown.
that my parents said I was born with,
أخبرني والداي أني ولدت بها،
"By the way, my scooter weighs this much,
"بالمناسبة، تزن دراجتي كذا،
to the door of the plane."
the city where I'm traveling to
بالمدينة التي سأسافر إليها
in case mine gets broken on the way.
في حال تعطلت دراجتي في الطريق.
it's a little bit different.
الأمر مختلف بعض الشيء.
to put my bag up, and they graciously do.
أن ترفع لي حقيبتي وتفعل ذلك بلطف.
get up and walk on the plane,
it knocked and I answered.
دقت الطبيعة ورددت عليها.
مع مضيفة الرحلة،
I can't reach the lock."
لا أستطيع أن أصل لقفل الباب."
and the door flies open.
وانفتح الباب.
that he was sitting right across from me,
في الناحية المقابلة لي مباشرةً،
as much as I am?"
not talking about it publicly, I am.
لكني أفعل الآن.
our families, sports, work,
عائلاتنا، الرياضة، العمل،
someone put your bag up.
من رفع حقيبتك.
with that embarrassment,
in certain ways.
تتحرك باستخدام كرسي.
I start to talk to the agent.
وبدأت الحديث مع الحارس.
about their culture and so forth,
جسر للعبور نحو الطائرة.
getting up the steps."
while we waited for the flight,
أثناء انتظار الطائرة،
for both of us that day.
and wished me well,
to remember that experience more
سيتذكر هذا الكلام
and there was a bit of hesitation.
وكان هناك قليل من التردد.
my friends, my colleagues
that we all have a support system.
of other people's support systems.
in our own successes,
في نجاحاتنا الخاصة،
in other people's successes,
في نجاحات الآخرين.
every single day.
that we help each other,
placing people in silos
ليس فيما تراه.
that you cannot see.
those experiences together
I mentioned earlier in my stories.
هو وضعكم أنتم.
أنفسكم مكان حجمي الصغير--
courage and understanding,
on only what you can see.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Michele L. Sullivan - Social innovatorMichele L. Sullivan is known for her sustainable and collaborative approach to philanthropic investing.
Why you should listen
Michele L. Sullivan has held various globally influential leadership positions at Caterpillar during her 29-year career. She currently is Caterpillar's Director of Corporate Social Innovation and President of the Caterpillar Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Caterpillar Inc.
Throughout Sullivan's career, she has dramatically grown the reach, influence and impact of each role. Her time with the Caterpillar Foundation is no different. She has taken the Caterpillar Foundation from a transactional Foundation into a global and strategic Foundation. She has moved the Foundation from Corporate Social Responsibility into Corporate Social Innovation. This strategy places the human need first, not as an afterthought of profit. Sullivan is well known for her global expertise and sustainable and collaborative approach to philanthropic investing.
Sullivan strongly believes monumental and sustainable change in our largest global challenges can only happen through partnerships and collaboration between public, private and non-profit entities. This strategy resulted in the Caterpillar Foundation's transformation into one of the most influential corporate foundations and, ultimately, the launch of the Foundation's collaborative impact platform, Together.Stronger.
Determination and resilience have been present throughout Sullivan;s life. She endured many years of orthopedic surgeries and other challenges. She provided leadership starting in the Little Prairie Chapter of Little People of America as a teenager. She was named by Inside Philanthropy as one of the 50 most powerful women in philanthropy and she served as a US delegate to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. She is a member of the ONE board of directors and chairs the Greater Peoria Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Advisory Board. She earned her MBA from Bradley University, and she is the first woman to be President of the Caterpillar Foundation.
Michele L. Sullivan | Speaker | TED.com