Did you know that 80% of jobs are found through word-of-mouth, and 75% are not even advertised? For many individuals, relationships and networks have played a key role in opening up opportunities for them. This has been the case for Room member Don Gips. When he began his career over 30 years ago, never would he have predicted that his career journey would be shaped by a series of random events that changed his life forever.
We took the time to speak with him to learn more about his inspiring journey and the mind-blowing impact of social capital in his life. Having worked in both the public and private sectors, Don spent time serving as Chief Domestic Policy Advisor to Vice President Al Gore and later as the Director of Presidential Personnel in the Obama Whitehouse and American Ambassador to South Africa. His work in the private sector includes leading Albright Stonebridge Group’s Africa practice before finally moving to Skoll Foundation as their CEO in 2019. His story is just a snippet of the power of social capital in transforming lives. Read on to discover more about his journey.
Tell us more about your journey.
I’ve been really blessed in my career to start from a position of privilege firstly. I had lots of opportunities that many others don’t, and I had a lot of freedom to sort of pursue my interests. My interests were always focused on working with great people and solving interesting problems.
I also strongly believe that having all of those experiences made me understand how people think in all those different environments. Understanding their motivations, and where people are heading to, gives you the insight to be able to craft solutions that can be durable across society. That was my game plan, but I ended up going where people led me at different points in my career.
How did you begin working for Obama and the Skoll Foundation?
A flight conversation with an ambitious Senator
During my last job in Washington as Al Gore’s Chief Domestic Policy Adviser, my family and I moved to Colorado, where we spent ten years. One day, a friend called and recommended that I listen to Barack Obama giving his speech at the Democratic Convention. I was blown away and incredibly inspired and wrote to all my friends asking about Obama. One friend wrote back and eventually connected me to him.
I wrote Obama an email asking if he could come to Colorado and help Ken Salazar, who was running for Senate at the time. He immediately wrote back joking about how his visit to Colorado would help his campaign for Chicago senator. We met when he came, and after meeting, we flew back together to Chicago. At the end of the flight, he said, “I’m impressed by what you’re doing. If I can ever help, here’s my card.” We exchanged cards and he called me the next day, asking for my help in hiring Senate staff. This started my journey with him and later led to me becoming the Head of Presidential Personnel and an Ambassador of the US to South Africa.
Dinner with someone my wife just met
With Skoll, it began when President Obama went back to South Africa for Mandela’s 100th birthday. Having been an ambassador there, my wife and I helped craft his trip. We suggested they go to ALA and use that to train the Obama Fellows. During the trip, Obama brought potential donors to show them the work they were doing with the fellows.
At the end of the trip, my wife met and introduced me to Lindsey Spindle, who was a very thoughtful and profound thought-provoking person. Over dinner, she kept challenging me about my life story and what I wanted to do next. I told her, “I’d like to have a job like yours.” She was president of the Skoll Group, which oversees the Foundation, and she asked if I would be interested in an opening at Skoll Foundation. Six months later, I was the CEO. So, most of my big career steps have been somebody calling me or me meeting someone and engaging in interesting conversations. I have had no plan other than being open to new opportunities.
What is your key to building powerful relationships and strong networks?
I get the most satisfaction from helping people find their home and their network. There is no greater gift than helping somebody find the right connection. I do this through this incredible network I’ve been blessed with. It’s like matchmaking, and it multiplies itself. I’ve spent a lot of time in my career doing this. To do it, it has to be genuine. You have to invest time and effort, and you can only do it for people you have a perspective on to be able to understand them and what they need.
Working at the Skoll Foundation, how have you seen social capital help scholars and entrepreneurs around the world?
At Skoll Foundation, we recently made a grant to Africa CDC, which through its leader John Nkengasong, is trying to take coordinated action with governments and the private sector to deal with Covid-19. Together, we’re also working with Richard Branson and Strive Masiyiwa to get more supplies across African countries. At the core belief of what we do is the message that you cannot make change alone. This story is a great example of bringing all of us together. All of this was the result of Jeff Skoll investing in 20 years of social capital to build these relationships. So through social capital, we can come together to create real change for the positive.
What would your challenge be to leaders to ensure that many of these opportunities are accessible to many more?
I think for all of us, it’s about reaching outside of our comfort zones. With social capital, it’s always easier to connect with people who we think or look like. This world and its structures are not equal, and you can’t solve that overnight. But each of us can reach out and lean into that discomfort because it enriches you in the end. Having that broader network of relationships and friends helps.
One of the rich networks that have blessed my family is the African Leadership Network. We’ve met incredible folks who did not come from backgrounds like mine or encountered what I have been through. But we have been able to make that connection, and as a result, my wife is now working with Village Health Works to build a school in Burundi.
These networks can be so rewarding. There’s no silver bullet; it’s about making that extra effort, pushing yourself to think beyond your norms, and being very aware of the privilege you have. There is this Hawaiian word ‘Kuleana’ which has two meanings. It means privilege and responsibility. “With great privilege comes great responsibility.” As I think about my role at Skoll and in the world, I like to remind myself of this.
What are you still learning about your journey and yourself?
One thing I am learning is how hard change is. Growing up in Chicago, I supported the Cubs, a baseball team that had never won the World Series for 100 years. Despite being the underdog, I believed that with the right circumstances, they would overcome all odds and win.
But what I am coming to realize is that some of the structures of society have barriers so high that taking them down is more complicated than I imagined. Just witnessing President Obama’s journey and how all the work we tried to do is getting undermined, makes me realize how hard change can be. Even with this pandemic, you notice how the impact is so disproportionate. While I am comfortable, others around are worried, and potentially 200 million people are facing starvation, according to the WFP.
So, we have to do better. It’s about how we create more collective action to try and drive some of the change to create a better society. I’m blessed to be in a job where I think about this all the time.
Don Gips is the CEO of the Skoll Foundation, he leads the organization’s work investing in, connecting, and celebrating social entrepreneurs to create lasting social change around the world.
