Blog

These incredible stories will make you believe that change is possible — and it starts with you!

Changing the world for the better is one of the greatest accomplishments an organization can achieve. If you're looking for a way to motivate your team to shoot for the moon, we recommend reading the stories of those who have successfully inspired change in their lifetime. Learn from the failures and successes of those who truly know what it takes to change the world, and get inspired by their powerful narratives!

Inspiring books about changing the world:

1. Greenpeace Captain: My Adventures in Protecting the Future of Our Planet by Peter Willcox and Ronald Weiss

For over 30 years, Peter Willcox has been a captain for Greenpeace and while he would never call himself a hero, he is recognized on every ocean and continent for devoting his entire life to saving the planet. Read about his growth from a young man sailing with Pete Seegar into a daring iconic environmentalist who has braved the unimaginable and triumphed.

2. The Promise of a Pencil: How an Ordinary Person Can Create Extraordinary Change by Adam Braun

The Promise of a Pencil follows Adam Braun's journey to find his calling. From sprinting down the path to a successful Wall Street career, to backpacking across dozens of countries, to founding Pencils of Promise — an organization he started with just $25 that has since built more than 250 schools around the world — his story demonstrates how anyone can turn their biggest ambitions into reality.

3. A Path Appears: Transforming Lives, Creating Opportunity by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn

Telling the stories of those on the frontlines of social progress, Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn reveal the inspirational stories of how real people have changed the world and how one person can make a difference. A Path Appears explores exactly how altruism affects us and the world at large and offers practical advice on how we can give to better the communities around us.

4. People Over Profit: Break the System, Live with Purpose, Be More Successful by Dale Patridge

The American marketplace has been changing for the better. Established corporations have begun to reevaluate the impact their business has on the world, both socially and environmentally, and today's entrepreneurs are launching socially focused business models. Dale Patridge believes that putting people first creates success and reveals the seven core beliefs that have enabled him to build Sevenly, a multimillion-dollar company that is revolutionizing the marketplace.

5. Abundance: The Future is Better Than You Think by Peter H. Diamandis and Steven Kotler

Artificial intelligence, digital manufacturing, synthetic biology, and other exponentially growing technologies are enabling us to make greater gains in the next two decades than we have in the past 200 years. Abundance breaks down human needs by category — water, food, energy, healthcare, education, and freedom — and show how innovators and industry captains are making tremendous strides in each area.

Share these inspiring stories with your entire company!

Read and discuss one of these books with your company to get people excited about what your organization is doing to change the world. If you don’t have a book club already, we definitely recommend starting one! Hosting a book club for your organization is the best and most simple way to share incredible books with your entire team.

But that’s not the only benefit of having a company book club! Download our free Company Book Club white paper to learn about the benefits of running a book club for your business. (Spoiler Alert: Starting a program is actually easier than you might think!)

This post was written by Elizabeth Lee, the marketing associate at BookPal. She is currently reading The Organized Mind by Daniel J. Levitin and Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell.