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

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.

Author: Charles Koch, Brian Hooks
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Published: 11/17/2020
Pages: 320
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.50lbs
Size: 9.40h x 6.10w x 1.20d
ISBN: 9781250200969

About the Author

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.