Summary
Very few people have been able to abandon their corporate careers and engage themselves with social works however John Wood a former Director of Business Development did this feat. He left His well-paying job as a Director with Microsoft and founded Room to Read: a non-profit organization that mainly deals with literacy and gender equality in education operating mostly in Africa and Asia. The book Leaving Microsoft to Change the World was written by Wood talks about Wood’s journey through a Himalayan village where he came across a school that had over 450 students but very poor learning facilities with less than 20 books for the whole school(John, 2006, p5). This led him to start a mission of searching for books from friends, families and well-wishers in order to supply to these schools that were in need.
John was able to come up with the non-profit organization that is Room to Read and through this organization he has been able to establish over 12500 libraries, contributed over 10 million books and erected well over 1500 schools. With these few noble courses this organization has positively touched the hearts of well over 6 million children worldwide. Through this book we find out that John has been able to travel on a path that very few people have travelled before. It is his passion to ensure students from all over the world get a good environment to have their studies that have made him able to help in the eradication of poverty by contributing to education and facilities that have made it better for students worldwide to learn in better conditions.
Analysis
Room to Read is an organization that has earned respect world over due to their noble works of philanthropy. A Room to Read their main mission is to help as many children as possible to acquire Education since it is their belief that World change can only be achieved by educating children first. Their main vision is ensuring quality education to all children to aid them to reach their full potential and help in the development of their communities and the world as whole and also ensuring gender equity in education (John, 2006, p 5). It is through passion that John Wood had to make a change in to children’s lives that he was able to come up with this organization. He appeals to friends, family and well-wishers to join in on his mission and help achieve the dream of providing education to the millions who lack it (John, 2006, p37).
He believed that for the organization to succeed then they had to properly sell their vision, business model and programs to potential donors out there (p 87). He believed that most donors probably had been helped in their own life with education and thus their willingness to give back to the society. To be able to convince enough donors, John offered to show them a direct linking of the funds they contribute and what the fund would do to a needy child in Nepal (p 94) since he knew that most people do not like the idea of giving out funds to charity since they got no idea how the funds will be spent. Woods was a dedicated leader always involved in what his organization is doing and engaged in sourcing for funds as well as the projects his company was involved in. John was a good leader and through his book he tells us how he encouraged his employees to challenge his ideas (p 145). He clearly communicates his passion in this book by explaining why he quit his career job to engage in charity work.
Application
The world we live in today has several challenges facing us. Some people live under very deplorable conditions that even getting a meal is a problem. Areas mainly in Africa has a very high percentage of people experiencing hunger daily. Most countries in Africa experience hunger and related problems and this has led to very poor developments. It is important that well-wishers and charity organizations come up and aid in the contributions to help such people. This can only be achieved through the same way as John wood has been able to improve education in many countries. If people can come together and contribute food, clothing, and shelter to the needy then the world would be a better place to live in.
Reflection
This book is very educative and inspiring to the readers. It encourages us to get involved with activities that can create an impact in to someone’s life however small it might be. By reading John Wood’s story and the success he has achieved through this organization, one gets inspired to try a similar feat or even join in and continue with the work that he has been doing for over a decade now. It is a kind of book that business colleagues can discuss together, couples and even friends can also discuss this book. The book demonstrates that if we could follow our passions then we can go a long way in to making our dreams reality. The book is a must read especially for those who are on a mission to leave a positive mark in the lives of other people.
Works Cited
Wood, John. Leaving Microsoft to Change the World: An Entrepreneur's Odyssey to Educate the World's Children. New York: Collins, 2006. Print.
