It is easy to grow accustomed to conversations about social enterprise and entrepreneurship that centre around the money-mission balance, on the need to move away from a Victorian version of charity that relies on handouts, on social investment and SROI, and on the need to explore hybrid business models and different governance options that widen ownership.

All of those remain relevant and important. But entrepreneurship is also about characteristics and traits, about personal behaviours, attitudes and mindsets. About people, not theories.

I don't want to write politically about the situation in the Middle East: people will have their views on recent events already, as I have mine. But I do want to draw attention to Ken O'Keefe who is a student on the current London programme, who was on the Gaza flotilla. We are extremely glad here at SSE to learn he is safe and well in Istanbul, and on his way back to London soon. You can read more about his story here (and view some graphic photos of Ken).

And as well as drawing attention, perhaps also to prompt thoughts about some of those (social) entrepreneurial traits + qualities we look for and are periodically humbled by:

Independence, determination, prone to action, risk-taking, commitment, perseverance, goal-oriented, integrity.