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Believe in People: Bottom-Up Solutions for a Top-Down World Hardcover – November 17, 2020
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A surprising take on how you can help tackle the really big problems in society–from one of America’s most successful entrepreneurs.
People are looking for a better way. Towering barriers are holding millions of people back, and the institutions that should help everyone rise are not doing the job. Crumbling communities. One-size fits all education. Businesses that rig the economy. Public policy that stifles opportunity and emboldens the extremes. As a result, this country is quickly heading toward a two-tiered society.
Today’s challenges call for nothing short of a paradigm shift – away from a top-down approach that sees people as problems to be managed, toward bottom-up solutions that empower everyone to realize their potential and foster a more inclusive society.
Such a shift starts by asking: What would it mean to truly believe in people?
Businessman and philanthropist Charles Koch has devoted his life to answering that question. Learn what he’s discovered during his 60-year career to help you apply the principles of empowerment in your life, in your business, and in society.
By learning from the social movements and applying the principles that have enabled social progress throughout history, Koch has achieved more than he dreamed possible – building one of the world’s most successful companies and founding Stand Together, one of America’s most innovative philanthropic communities. Stand Together CEO Brian Hooks and Koch show how the only way to solve the really big problems – from poverty and addiction to harmful business practices and destructive public policy – is for each and every one of us to find and take action in our unique role as part of the solution.
Full of compelling examples of what works – including several first-person accounts from individuals whose lives have been transformed – Koch and Hooks’ refreshing approach promotes partnership instead of partisanship and speaks to people from different perspectives and all walks of life. They show that no injustice is too tough to overcome if you share a deep belief in people, are willing to unite with anyone to do right, and work to empower others from the bottom up.
- Print length320 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherSt. Martin's Press
- Publication dateNovember 17, 2020
- Dimensions6.43 x 1.04 x 9.52 inches
- ISBN-101250200962
- ISBN-13978-1250200969
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“Forget everything you thought you knew about Charles Koch and read this book. Charles and Brian offer a clear path to success for anyone who wants to make a difference. An unrelenting picture of optimism that's a roadmap for solving our country's biggest problems.”
―Marc Andreessen, Co-Founder and General Partner, Andreessen Horowitz
“Believe in People is a wise, thoughtful, and optimistic book. At its heart, it is a book about listening―to the quiet voice inside each of us that whispers truths about finding our highest calling and discovering our best selves. A timely and important read.”
―David Isay, Founder, StoryCorps
“Charles Koch's vision for a better America and his call to action for a new bottom-up movement make Believe in People a compelling and provocative read.”
―Michael Lomax, President and CEO, UNCF
“Believe in People is Charles Koch's most personal book, most substantive book, and best book―all wrapped up into one. Heartily recommended.”
―Tyler Cowen, Holbert L. Harris Chair in Economics and Chairman, Mercatus Center at George Mason University
“Believe in People is a historical roadmap of inspiring people to inspire others. We all need a hero to follow and a game plan for success, awareness, and change. This is the DNA of who Charles Koch is! Lifting others when you rise.”
―Nancy Lieberman, Basketball Hall of Famer, Nancy Lieberman Charities Founder
“In many ways, Believe in People is one of the best arguments for the value of workplace diversity. Charles Koch and Brian Hooks make the case for the greater power of social change driven by a diversity of every kind of perspective. What makes it different from other, similar approaches, is that this one is based, ultimately, on letting go. It is based on creating systems that allow for ingenuity to flourish and support the risktaking that leads to substantive change.”
―Alberto Ibargüen, President & CEO, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
“Charles Koch’s dismay about the crippling consequences of partisanship and the nostrums of politicians, businesspeople, and philanthropists is matched by his abiding faith in the way individuals can change our country for the better. Believe in People brims with the humility and humanity of a lifetime spent leading and learning.”
―Michael Moritz, Partner, Sequoia Capital
“Believe in People is more than a snappy title to an extraordinary book; it’s a challenge to anyone who has ever tried to improve their own life, the lives of their loved ones, the lives of strangers, or the lives of all those with whom we share the planet. This is not, however, a self-help book or a collection of bromides and platitudes―this is a deeply personal account of one man’s remarkable determination to live the best life he can, by remaining true to the values his parents instilled into his very hard head, at a very young age. Believe in People is a survival guide for the social entrepreneur in all of us―a manifesto for do-goodery―written by one of the greatest philanthropists to ever live, at a time in history like no other. I recommend you read it, and then, as time allows, live it.”
―Mike Rowe, Executive Producer, Host, and CEO of the mikeroweWORKS Foundation
“The best news in this book is summed up in Charles Koch’s own words: ‘My North Star is a society in which every person can realize their potential.’”
―Vernon Smith, Nobel Prize-Winning Economist and George L. Argyros Endowed Chair in Finance and Economics, Chapman University
“Charles Koch is truly one of our great Americans, a man determined to make the world a better place. He is my friend. I know him as a searcher, a kind man, not content to sit back and enjoy the fruits of his personal journey. Instead, he felt it essential to encourage others to find their individual passions and what it is they love and do well. Encouragement like this can change the paradigm of people’s lives, therefore empowering them to recognize the same in the next person. We all have something to offer, and the message such as in this book can be the spark that changes lives. We all want to know how Charles Koch did it. The answer lies within these pages.”
―Suzanne Somers, Actor, Entrepreneur, Entertainer, and New York Times Bestselling Author
“Believe in People offers a unique look at how the fundamental features of entrepreneurship, and inspiring and investing in individuals who are passionate about solving problems creatively, are essential to overcoming long-standing economic and social challenges in the U.S. (and abroad). Charles Koch shares stories from his own life as we all as those of other people and organizations that took risks, empowered from the bottom up, forged partnerships with unlikely partners, and used sound business practices to tackle entrenched problems. Charles offers a roadmap for how we each can harness the power of entrepreneurship and individual contribution to build more resilient communities and find real solutions to many of the problems we confront in America today. In the process, Charles shares lessons from which we all can learn and a means to achieve solutions-focused engagement with each other going forward.”
―Tony Welters, Executive Chairman, BlackIvy Group and Chairman Emeritus, New York University School of Law
"If you don't believe in people, what do you believe in? This is a provocative book for the moment. Highly recommended."
―Ryan Holiday, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of The Obstacle is The Way and The Daily Stoic
"Believe in People is a book for anyone looking to make a difference by becoming the best version of themselves. Paying it Forward is the best self-gratification one can get while creating real change for humanity!"
―Cortez Bryant, Co-CEO of Blueprint Group and COO of Young Money Entertainment
"Believe in People is a celebration of the inherent dignity of every person – and a roadmap to move society closer to that ideal. In these difficult and unpredictable times, Charles and Brian not only see an expansive and inclusive future, but illuminate the path to get there."
―Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO, Anti-Defamation League
About the Author
BRIAN HOOKS is chairman and CEO of Stand Together, a philanthropic community that works with more than 700 business leaders and philanthropists to empower people to realize their unique potential and help every person rise. He is also president of the Charles Koch Foundation and previously served as executive director and COO of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. A graduate of the University of Michigan, he lives in Alexandria, Virginia, with his wife, Christine, and their daughter.
Product details
- Publisher : St. Martin's Press (November 17, 2020)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 320 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1250200962
- ISBN-13 : 978-1250200969
- Item Weight : 1.48 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.43 x 1.04 x 9.52 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #430,571 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #138 in Philanthropy & Charity (Books)
- #249 in Government Social Policy
- #5,237 in Leadership & Motivation
- Customer Reviews:
About the authors
Brian Hooks is chairman and CEO of Stand Together, a philanthropic community comprised of more than 700 business leaders and philanthropists and thousands of social entrepreneurs working together to help break barriers that prevent people from realizing their potential. The Stand Together community supports more than 300 universities, tens of thousands of K-12 teachers, more than 180 organizations addressing persistent poverty, and millions of grassroots activists in all 50 states. Brian is also president of the Charles Koch Foundation and Charles Koch Institute. Previously, Brian served as executive director and COO of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, where he led strategy and operations for a growing research, education, and public policy center. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Brian lives near Washington, DC with his wife and daughter.
Charles Koch is chairman and CEO of Koch Industries, one of the largest privately held American companies. An influential philanthropist for more than 50 years, he supports education, a community of organizations addressing persistent poverty, and public policy research focused on developing effective solutions to social problems. He has founded numerous non-profit organizations, including Stand Together. He holds two masters degrees in nuclear and chemical engineering from MIT and lives in Wichita, Kansas with his wife Liz.
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Customers find the book thought-provoking and inspiring, with one mentioning it as a guide to changing the world one person at a time. The book receives positive feedback for its readability, and customers appreciate its characterization, with one noting how Charles Koch draws on history.
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Customers find the book inspiring and thought-provoking, with one customer describing it as a guide to changing the world one person at a time.
"...is to say that it’s not just a book – it’s A MOVEMENT – a movement to BELIEVE IN PEOPLE and empower them to use their talents and abilities to..." Read more
"...Koch and Hooks offer a compelling case for why empowering others, instead of attempting to control them, offers a better way to tackle the biggest..." Read more
"...Most of all, there was far more heart than I anticipated, a real love for people writ large and each person’s unique potential...." Read more
"...of a man gifted with material goods, an excellent education, and creative genius. I cannot pass judgment on a the 85 year old man with..." Read more
Customers find the book readable.
"A book everyone needs to read. The real solution to our nation’s problems is not found in Washington but in the cumulative power of all of us." Read more
"Very interesting read. A new perspective on Charles Koch and his views, especially given the times we're in...." Read more
"Great reading and inspiring too" Read more
"More than an AWESOME BOOK - it's an AWESOME movement!!! #believeinpeople..." Read more
Customers appreciate the characterization in the book, with one review noting how Charles Koch draws on history.
"...I liked how Charles draws on history and his own life experience too...." Read more
"Very interesting read. A new perspective on Charles Koch and his views, especially given the times we're in...." Read more
"A solution-oriented book! Charles Koch is amazing!..." Read more
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RUN! to get this book if you want to change the world!
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2020Honestly, the only way I can explain the books AWESOMENESS is to say that it’s not just a book – it’s A MOVEMENT – a movement to BELIEVE IN PEOPLE and empower them to use their talents and abilities to achieve self-reliance so they can then go and help others learn how to excel. It’s a movement with a ripple effect that is ever expanding and never ending, and as more and more people unite together in this movement to believe in people the ripples are amplified beyond measure and countless lives are impacted for the better. It’s a movement I fully believe in and wholeheartedly support!
Charles Koch and Brian Hooks do an absolutely amazing job in this book of sharing how Charles, through his experience as Chairman and CEO of one of the largest privately held companies in America along with his years and years of philanthropic giving, came to understand that we will never be able to solve societies problems with a top-down approach - we can only solve them by believing in people and empowering people to use their own talents and abilities to achieve self-reliance so they can then help others learn to do the same. They share some great stories in this book of social entrepreneurs who are helping to solve some of societies more serious problems with their unique bottom-up approaches to overcoming addiction, ending the cycle of poverty, and so on. Their examples will inspire you in ways you can't yet imagine and by the time you finish the book you will be so excited to unite with others in the movement to #believeinpeople - COUNT ME IN!!!
- Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2020This is an inspiring how-to book for doers. It’s for social entrepreneurs—the author’s term for change makers out there trying to find new ways to improve the world—written by one of the most effective and least understood philanthropists of our times.
And unlike the author’s previous books—which are great, but drier and focused on just the facts—Koch and Hooks weave in stories and narrative that keep you turning pages. This includes stories from Koch’s life, but also the lives of many of the social entrepreneurs featured in the book. Written in first-person vignettes by them, their fascinating stories—such as from an early gay-rights activist, a former gang leader, a community organizer in recovery—bring a lot of heart and emotion to the book.
Many of us are deeply concerned about the state of affairs in America today: division, a rigged economy, politics that seems broken and a general sense that things are going in the wrong direction. And in an urge to help, many turn to traditional camps in search for an answer—partisan politics, or strains of nationalism and socialism—only to be plagued by a nagging sense that these views aren’t delivering the change they’ve long promised.
This book offers not only practical guidance for how you can make things better, but presents a refreshingly new paradigm for action. Koch and Hooks offer a compelling case for why empowering others, instead of attempting to control them, offers a better way to tackle the biggest issues of our times.
When we believe in others, we enable them to contribute more. But to believe in others, we must also believe in ourselves. I love how this book shows the symbiotic nature of how using our gifts towards having an impact on the causes we most care about, we not only help OTHERS but WE can find fulfillment along the way, too.
Strongly recommend for anyone out there trying to help others, searching for better and better ways to magnify your impact, and searching for more meaning in these dark times.
- Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2020Prepare to be surprised. I expected philosophy — there were far more personal stories. I expected politics — there was far more on community. Most of all, there was far more heart than I anticipated, a real love for people writ large and each person’s unique potential.
Is this a different Charles Koch than the one in the media? In one sense, no: The vision of society is the same as I anticipated, and it’s heavy on the individual’s role and responsibility. But in a more important sense, this is a different Charles Koch indeed: The one who was always there but who, for whatever reason, struggled to express himself or, more likely, was misrepresented by politicians and pundits who didn’t understand him or actively opposed him.
I’m glad I picked up his book. I hope many others do the same.
- Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2021Interesting look into the development of a man gifted with material goods, an excellent education, and creative genius.
I cannot pass judgment on a the 85 year old man with experiences much different than I.
Seems that having a whole lot of money and education cannot prevent one from making mistakes, going down rabbit holes that do not produce the results ( hopefully) intended.
Another human being...I would like to have a conversation with him.
- Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2021Charles Koch created one of the most successful companies ever by listening to the people who were actually doing the work. If one grants dignity to all people, the results can be amazing. Route 495 the ring road around Wash. DC has become like Alice's looking glass. Once one is inside, one has left the real world and is in never never land. Red or Blue the game is to win over each other instead of listening to the little people and actually representing them. If Congress would read this book, perhaps they would go back to their day job and focus on the country's issues instead of wasting their time and the little people's treasure on useless power battles.
- Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2020As a Philanthropist, Believe in People confirmed much of what I know, and surprised me with I didn't. The reflections of Charles Koch and Brian Hooks smartly assess the need for the private, public, and social sectors to work together and build an inclusive society through a bottom-up approach. This wasn't just a book; it was a call to action. With stories that are both personal and tactical, Believe in People left me with a renewed perspective and energy for ensuring every American has the opportunity to reach their full potential.
Top reviews from other countries
- UkReviewed in India on March 16, 2021
5.0 out of 5 stars I would suggest everyone to read this book
Great reading 👍
New solutions in a new world, which is based on standard human values/qualities. Changing the mental model is the start of transformation