Q & A with SVP Partner Arlene Levy

What are you currently working on, and how do you personally decide which projects to work on?

I’m currently the Lead Partner for SVP Investee Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust – a role that found me, rather than vice versa. I’m intrigued with this difference between making things happen (a Microsoft favorite) vs. listening for the flow and stepping into it. The former involves more directing & doing; the latter more listening & waiting for the receptive moment and direction. Both are important. I use more of the latter to let me know when & how to get involved. It’s somehow easier and more satisfying that way.

What has been your most interesting experience thus far at SVP?

My Lead Partner role – by far. I’m astounded by the way it’s calling on everything I know and am, and by how much I’m learning & growing in the process. Lead Partners have an opportunity to make an enormous difference. I had no idea how big that opportunity might be, and even less of an idea about how much I would receive in return.

What is one obstacle you face in your current job/project, and how do you plan to work around it?

My own expectations. It’s a constant challenge, how to let go of expectations. Expectations put a cage around possibility & prevent you from seeing what’s available in the present. Expectations “kill” things like creativity, relationships, potential -- faster than the blink of an eye. So the answer is: practice letting go; practice being present. I’ll be working on this one till the day I die!

What is one book/blog post/article you would recommend to those interested in social betterment?

The Spirit Level, by Wilkinson & Pickett, two British epidemiologists who researched the relationship between income levels and quality of life. Surprisingly, they found that the GAP between rich and poor -- rather than absolute levels of wealth or poverty – creates problems; and that nations with the largest GAP between rich & poor experience the lowest quality of life. The US used to have the smallest GAP – we were the most economically equal of all wealthy western countries. But in the late 70’s and 80’s, that changed and we now have among the largest GAPs. ONLY the top 1% benefit from a large GAP between rich & poor. Even the top 10% would be better off with a smaller GAP. So why are moving in the exact opposite direction? And what can we do to change this trend?

Name someone you would love to have as a mentor. Why?

Thich Nhat Hahn – prolific author, Nobel Peace prize nominee, spiritual leader, and Buddhist monk. He can walk into a room full of hundreds of people and literally, measurably change the energy in the room. His power and wisdom come from his ability to look inside and see, with compassion, the truth. Not what he would LIKE to be true, but what is actually true; and not seen in judgment, but seen with compassion, from the heart. That kind of wisdom creates the space an amazing array of positives – peace, connection, meaningful conversations, right action.

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