Michele L. Sullivan: Asking for help is a strength, not a weakness
Michele L. Sullivan: Pedir ajuda é sinal de força, não de fraqueza
Michele L. Sullivan is known for her sustainable and collaborative approach to philanthropic investing. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
that we remember so vividly.
das quais nos recordamos.
foi entrar na pré-escola.
was when I was entering kindergarten.
na escola, então era a minha vez.
and by golly, it was my time.
que quase molhei as calças.
with a warm welcome,
little cubbyholes, don't we --
crianças até que a aula comece".
until class starts."
and plopped down like I owned the place,
como se estivesse em casa.
with blue shorts.
branca e bermuda azul,
I didn't think he was talking to me.
não pensei que ele falava comigo.
Vamos brincar, estamos felizes.
Let's just play. We're happy.
and about a minute later,
de camisa branca e saia rosa,
in a white shirt and a pink skirt,
why do you look so different?"
vamos apenas brincar".
Again, let's just play."
all around the circle I was in,
e vi que estava cercada,
e estavam olhando para mim.
and they were all looking at me.
it would be "OMG" or "WTF."
that I went in with that morning
e as perguntas continuavam.
before I went home,
outside of the circle.
dos meus pais para não ser vista.
like nobody could see me.
das outras crianças
another child's curiosity,
that the real world was not built
de modo literal ou figurado.
both literally or figuratively.
as you can probably tell,
como vocês devem imaginar,
through our lifetime.
tem uma doença mental,
with a mental illness,
with their gender identity,
ou aquilo que enfrento.
or what I go through.
colocar-se no lugar de outra pessoa,
walk in someone else's shoes,
outra forma de nos solidarizarmos.
a new way of giving of ourselves.
what it's like to be you
what it's like to be me.
ou perseguir seus sonhos,
or chase your dreams,
in each other's shoes,
de nos solidarizarmos.
of giving of ourselves.
de um jeito diferente da maioria,
different than most people,
estava em pé de igualdade em outras,
I was on equal footing with,
I excelled in the classroom.
na sala de aula.
descobri enquanto crescia
I discovered as I grew older
realizar um trabalho físico.
to do a physical job.
à frente de todos para o trabalho
of everyone for employment,
an advanced university degree,
What am I going to wear?
who I've known all my life
aonde você vai tem escadas".
the building you're going in has steps."
preocupada em como chegaria lá.
about how am I going to get there?
and got in and had a great interview.
de carga e fiz uma ótima entrevista.
naquele dia, mas tudo bem.
for the day and that's OK.
challenge that day was the interview,
desafio naquele dia foi a entrevista,
without getting run over.
in certain situations:
I travel quite a bit.
para todos atualmente.
for all of us these days.
run through security, get to the gate.
pela segurança, vai até o portão.
"Me colocaram na primeira classe?"
Did I get my upgrade?
I don't run through anything.
the personal patdown.
meus pais é de nascimento,
that my parents said I was born with,
"Meu quadriciclo pesa esse tanto,
"By the way, my scooter weighs this much,
to the door of the plane."
the city where I'm traveling to
para a cidade aonde ia
um quadriciclo, caso o meu estragasse.
in case mine gets broken on the way.
it's a little bit different.
que guarde minha mala, e ela me atende.
to put my bag up, and they graciously do.
e caminhar lá dentro,
get up and walk on the plane,
it knocked and I answered.
I can't reach the lock."
Não alcanço a fechadura".
and the door flies open.
até que a porta se abre.
that he was sitting right across from me,
sentava perto de mim
as much as I am?"
sobre isso em público, mas eu sim.
not talking about it publicly, I am.
nossas famílias, esportes, trabalho,
our families, sports, work,
está no bagageiro.
someone put your bag up.
with that embarrassment,
e nossas diferentes perspectivas.
em alguns aspectos.
in certain ways.
I start to talk to the agent.
começo a falar com o agente.
sobre sua cultura e coisas do tipo,
about their culture and so forth,
uma ponte telescópica.
para subir os degraus".
getting up the steps."
while we waited for the flight,
juntos esperando pelo avião,
for both of us that day.
e desejou-me felicidades,
and wished me well,
se lembrará mais dessa experiência
to remember that experience more
and there was a bit of hesitation.
meus amigos, meus colegas
my friends, my colleagues
that we all have a support system.
tenhamos uma estrutura de apoio.
de apoio de outras pessoas.
of other people's support systems.
no nosso próprio sucesso,
in our own successes,
in other people's successes,
no sucesso das outras pessoas,
fazem por mim todos os dias.
every single day.
that we help each other,
isolando as pessoas
placing people in silos
que não podem ser vistas.
that you cannot see.
experiências juntos
those experiences together
mencionei anteriormente.
I mentioned earlier in my stories.
no meu pé tamanho um.
courage and understanding,
que você não pode ver.
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