Leaving Microsoft to Change the World

" I feel lucky enough to know who I am, what I want to focus on, and the yardsticks by which I will measure myself". If you cannot say that about yourself you need to read this book. Leaving Microsoft to Change the World sets a standard for books written by the new philanthropists. They are aggressive and driven people who have been successful and made money faster than any generation before them. Some of this new money generation continue to use money as the only yardstick for success. Bill Gates and others, as John Wood notes are, as the Dalai Lama says, "lucky enough to have had a good life and recognize it as a gift and look out for others who might need help".

Not many business books have scenes which move the reader. My favorite was the one pictured on the cover; the Yak delivery of the first books to the first library greeted by the crowd of children. Equally interesting are some of the Bill and Balmer stories of Microsoft. Scheduling and scripting Gates trip to the minute including laundry delivery only to be confounded by the whims of Bill would be enough to drive most from business.

Lessons from Microsoft and business are sorely needed in many non-profits. Established foundations and charitable organizations often evolve into bureaucracies which while they continue to deliver good works are distracted by internal politics. Two of Wood's five guidelines for organizations, an intense focus on results and driven by data, might even be seen as inappropriate in some charities. How many charities, or for that matter organizations, can retain the passion once the charismatic founder departs.

For the middle aged boomer ego this book could be a dangerous read. Wood carried his success at one of the best businesses in America to the charitable world. Few can claim to have reached even the peaks that he saw in business. And those who have been successful in the commercial world are left feeling shallow in the shadow of his deeds.

"Do not try to be anything but what you are and try to be that perfectly.

Suggested books:
How to Practise: The Way to a Meaningful Life
Unfinished Presidency