Believe in People: Bottom-Up Solutions for a Top-Down World
Believe in People: Bottom-Up Solutions for a Top-Down World book cover

Believe in People: Bottom-Up Solutions for a Top-Down World

Hardcover – November 17, 2020

by
Price
$19.93
Format
Hardcover
Pages
320
Publisher
St. Martin's Press
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-1250200969
Dimensions
6.43 x 1.04 x 9.52 inches
Weight
1.5 pounds

Description

“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 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.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.

Features & Highlights

  • 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.

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
60%
(257)
★★★★
25%
(107)
★★★
15%
(64)
★★
7%
(30)
★
-7%
(-29)

Most Helpful Reviews

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A Refreshing View: Unity and Practical Advice Instead of Division and Hollow Slogans

This 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.
42 people found this helpful
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Won't be buying

So he says he made a mistake by being partisan yet he continues to financially support candidates who are partisan. I would want to know where the profits are donated before I spend a dime on this book. When he puts his money where his mouth is I will believe this sudden conversion.
28 people found this helpful
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Inspiring

Inspiring and timely read about the role that we all play in solving the greatest problems of our time, grounded in a deep belief in all people.
25 people found this helpful
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Not worth reading

There is little to no value in this book.

Not to a person who wants to succeed in business: the personal and professional "advice" are wistful reminisces of a fictional time when people weren't afraid to work hard for someone else for no reward. The foreword describes in passionate philanthropic detail a tear-jerking story of hardworking families struggling to survive. Via relentless outreach to local teachers, workers, and businesses, Koch's employees in the community were able to raise enough money, with dollar-to-dollar matching from one of his generous money-laundering efforts, to get them through another winter. :') The book is peppered with wise asides and similar anecdotes describing the rewards of begging hard enough for long enough. THAT is true integrity. That is where real strength shines.

Not to a businessperson who wants to succeed in business: No tactic, mentality, or project described in the book are necessarily more inspired or complex than any precocious adolescent excursions between the murder of small animals and harassment of female schoolmates.

Not to a historian: the biographic portions allude to the tones of his childhood and the birthday parties thrown for his wife, described by an old man far removed from such events. I suspect that this portion was written by leaving a text-to-speech app running on the nightstand of Koch's room of a convalescent facility; asking him to tell of his childhood while looking out the window, or perhaps at a photo album; then taking the opportunity to attend to business in the neighboring city.

Not to a person who enjoys literature: The experience of reading this book is comparable to eating it. Every last page is a dry affair, and about halfway through one realizes the nutritional value may not be worth the endeavor. The medium itself does not lend itself well to the content: the neurological activity required to transcribe text into meaning exceeds a grasp of the events necessary to appreciate the entrepreneurial veneer. I, in the creative director's shoes, would have chosen either a holiday film or a Sixty Minutes segment to be featured on Fox News at 5:30am.

I must report that, unfortunately, by any metric available to me as a reader, this books is definitely not worth the time or money.
22 people found this helpful
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Kochsplaining

Thanks to pathbreaking investigative reporting by Jane Mayer (Dark Money, 2016) and historical researches by Prof. Nancy MacLean (Democracy in Chains, 2018), we know of Koch’s almost half-century of assiduous work in creating the “Kochtopus,” the right-wing political juggernaut, which has sought to move American politics decisively to the Right.
Koch was the beneficiary of a world-class education at MIT in engineering, but he was an autodidact in economics and history, where he read deeply in crackpot, right-wing ideological works, like those of Robert LeFevre. These formed the basis for his deeply-held belief in a kind of quasi-anarchic libertarianism, that there should be as little government as possible, essentially only a police force and a military. In this society, there would be no public schools, no public provision for sewers or clean water, or for the other infrastructure considered essential for modern life. One can see this kind of society today in any Third World country.
In order to promote this eccentric ideology, Koch has lavished vast amounts of his wealth, while gaining the added resources of like-minded billionaires. Beginning with the Reagan Administration, Koch and other billionaires have worked successfully to reduce their taxes and the government regulations that restricted their business activities. As a consequence, Koch and his fellow billionaires have prospered beyond their wildest dreams. During these years also, Koch’s privately-owned firm, Koch Industries, became the largest single producer of toxic waste in America, almost one billion pounds in 2012, according to Jane Mayer’s above-mentioned, brilliant investigative work.
Now, after a lifetime of seeking to impose by top-down means his “Big Idea,” of crackpot, radical libertarianism on America, he is horrified at the result. Koch is clueless to the fact that the success of his lobbying and political propaganda has magnified America’s problems.
In a breathtaking reversal, Koch states that we should not seek a “Big Idea” for America’s salvation, but rather to find it among the little people in bottom-up solutions. Moreover, Koch now claims that he was promoting bottom-up solutions for his entire life, which is a breathtaking falsehood.
In sum, this is a fundamentally dishonest book, in which Charles Koch has tried to re-write history in an effort to repair his tattered reputation.
Koch’s strength as a student was in engineering, and in his career, it has been in business. However, Koch states in this book repeatedly that he considers his greatest strength to be in abstract thought. Koch displays a shocking lack of self-knowledge. In this realm of ideas, Koch has been an ideologue, not a thinker. His ideology of radical libertarianism is as impractical as other ideologies, but Koch has never grasped this fact, in spite of massive, countervailing evidence. He is not only clueless, but he is also clueless that he is clueless.
20 people found this helpful
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After financing the destruction of the US fabric he has the gall to be sorry?

The Kochs' are the center of the destructive divisive force that has brought about the near end to democracy in the country.
After he has planted the seeds and fertilized them, threatening to fire employees who did not vote his way how can he offer anything worthwhile?
The Kochs are a study in what is wrong with the US
19 people found this helpful
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Some Good Stuff-Some Not So Good Stuff

The author presents a lot of good ideas but the ideas lack depth and a real connection to taking personal action. While I respect the views put forth in the book, I find it hard to juxtapose these views with the behavior of Koch Industries or the divisive, scorched-earth politics that the Koch political network helped create.
13 people found this helpful
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Must Read!

I just got the book in the mail today and I am already almost finished!

Cannot recommend this book enough!
11 people found this helpful
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Must Read!

I just got the book in the mail today and I am already almost finished!

Cannot recommend this book enough!
11 people found this helpful
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Interesting

It's a real shame Charles Koch didn't have his "enlightenment" before he & his brothers decided to change the country to suit their needs of no regulation & not paying taxes.
Please read "Dark Money" by Jane Mayer.
Their is a direct line from the Koch's to the fires out west & record breaking hurricanes on the east coast, to suffering & lose & misinformation to our country not being #1 anymore, all over the desire not to pay taxes.
Mr. Koch that is the story you need to tell, the truth. Before it's too late.
9 people found this helpful

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