Do you know the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto? Probably not, but you may know or at least experience his principle, the Pareto Principle—better known as the 80-20 Rule. 

The Pareto principle states that approximately 80 percent of effects happen because of 20 percent of the causes. Malcolm Gladwell speaks about the Pareto Principle, referring to it as "The Law of the Few" in his book, The Tipping Point.  

In the book, Gladwell states that 80 percent of the work of any movement will be conducted by 20 percent of the participants. He spends a significant portion of the book examining this 20 percent and states: "The success of any kind of social epidemic is heavily dependent on the involvement of people with a particular and rare set of social gifts." 

Now, if you are active in the corporate citizenship space and engage with Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship, then you are probably in this 20 percent. How do I know this? Because I've had the privilege of meeting hundreds of you at courses, customized trainings, and networking events across the country in the first 6 months I have been working here. Members are exploring social impact investment, allocating millions of dollars to attract and retain women in the technology sector, and designing zero carbon products and processes. 

The member community is having a significant impact on ESG issues and there is little doubt that a small but growing group of corporate citizenship professionals are having a disproportionately positive impact.  

Our courses, online community, and conference bring all types of leaders together for some powerful insights, great peer-to-peer learning, and—as you can imagine—useful networking. I look forward to seeing you at a future Center community event.