Michele L. Sullivan: Asking for help is a strength, not a weakness
米歇尔 L. 苏利文: 寻求帮助是一种优势,不是弱点。
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.
具有里程碑意义的时刻。
刚进幼儿园的时候。
was when I was entering kindergarten.
我的天,那就是我的时代。
and by golly, it was my time.
with a warm welcome,
little cubbyholes, don't we --
until class starts."
and plopped down like I owned the place,
就像这是我的地盘一样,
with blue shorts.
I didn't think he was talking to me.
没觉得他在跟我说话。
Let's just play. We're happy.
and about a minute later,
过了大概一分钟,
穿了一件白色的T恤和粉色的裙子,
in a white shirt and a pink skirt,
why do you look so different?"
也不矮啊。接着玩吧。”
Again, let's just play."
all around the circle I was in,
我看了看我在的这个圈子,
不约而同地看着我。
and they were all looking at me.
“我的天”或者“他X的搞什么。”
it would be "OMG" or "WTF."
that I went in with that morning
before I went home,
outside of the circle.
这样好像就没有人能看到我。
like nobody could see me.
another child's curiosity,
that the real world was not built
并不适合我这种体型的人,
both literally or figuratively.
as you can probably tell,
你们可能也看得出来。
经历各种各样的挑战。
through our lifetime.
是不是在对抗着精神疾病,
with a mental illness,
with their gender identity,
或者我经历了什么。
or what I go through.
感受到另一个人的感受,
walk in someone else's shoes,
a new way of giving of ourselves.
采纳一种新的付出的方式。
成为你是什么感觉,
what it's like to be you
成为我是什么感觉。
what it's like to be me.
你的恐惧或者追逐你的梦想,
or chase your dreams,
in each other's shoes,
接受一种全新的付出方式。
of giving of ourselves.
不一样的事情,
different than most people,
I was on equal footing with,
I excelled in the classroom.
在慢慢长大的过程中我发现
I discovered as I grew older
to do a physical job.
我必须要显得比其他人更有优势,
of everyone for employment,
an advanced university degree,
What am I going to wear?
who I've known all my life
你要面试的楼有台阶。”
the building you're going in has steps."
about how am I going to get there?
我要怎么到那个地方?
and got in and had a great interview.
然后进去体验了一个很棒的面试。
经历了什么,但没有关系。
for the day and that's OK.
challenge that day was the interview,
最大的挑战是面试,
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.
跑过安检,再跑进登机口。
或者靠窗座位?他们帮我升舱了么?
Did I get my upgrade?
I don't run through anything.
the personal patdown.
我有扯废话的天赋,
that my parents said I was born with,
告诉他们,“我的小车大概这么重,
"By the way, my scooter weighs this much,
to the door of the plane."
the city where I'm traveling to
我得打给我的目的地城市,
in case mine gets broken on the way.
以防我的小车在半路坏掉。
it's a little bit different.
包放在上面的行李架,她们都很友好地帮了我。
to put my bag up, and they graciously do.
get up and walk on the plane,
it knocked and I answered.
开一下厕所门吗?我够不着锁。"
I can't reach the lock."
and the door flies open.
门突然“唰”的开了。
that he was sitting right across from me,
as much as I am?"
公开讲这件事,但我会。
not talking about it publicly, I am.
家庭,运动,工作,
our families, sports, work,
把你的包放上去了。
someone put your bag up.
with that embarrassment,
in certain ways.
(非洲坦桑尼亚东北部)
女人坐在一个小椅子上。
I start to talk to the agent.
谈话天赋,跟工作人员聊天。
about their culture and so forth,
从候机舱通往飞机的通道。
getting up the steps."
while we waited for the flight,
花了大概一小时的时间,
for both of us that day.
and wished me well,
to remember that experience more
会比我刚进来的时候多,
and there was a bit of hesitation.
我得到很多帮助。
my friends, my colleagues
that we all have a support system.
意愿是很重要的。
of other people's support systems.
都扮演着很重要的角色,
in our own successes,
in other people's successes,
every single day.
that we help each other,
placing people in silos
that you cannot see.
不去评价他人的人生,
those experiences together
I mentioned earlier in my stories.
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