About the Book
DreamMakers: Innovating for the Greater Good profiles stories of businesses, cross-sector initiatives and movements and whole communities that are collaborating to create a flourishing world. They all share attitudes and beliefs that transcend: who they are, where they live, or their individual circumstances.
The book provides a new definition of success, shares the stories of a number of businesses and communities and examines how the people that lead these successful organizations have made a significant difference. Stories come from people based in very different types of industries and sectors, such as Waka Waka, a company that is helping to address 'energy poverty' for millions of families across the globe, Menlo Innovations, a socially innovative technology company which embeds 'Joy' as a business proposition, and the hugely successful cross-sector global movement, B Corporation.These people share how they are innovating for the greater good and making their personal hopes and dreams come true. They share their results and what they have learned. Their compelling stories are instructive as well as inspirational. They share the defining moments in their lives that shaped the insights, perspectives and the decisions that lead them on their journey. They go into detail about the actions they are taking to help transform their organizations, communities to enable them to innovate for the greater good. They show us that by taking personal responsibility to change our lives, businesses and our communities, we contribute to changing our world.
Table of Contents:
Table of Contents Part One: Business an Agent of World Benefit
WakaWaka: Share the Sun ,The Wind Tree, A Writer, a Poet and a Wind Tree
Menlo Innovations: Joy, Inc. Fairmount Santrol: Boldly Different
Herman Miller: My Journey Through Camelot
Part Two: Blurring the Lines:
EAT: Food for Thought to Save the WorldRid-All: “Green in the Ghetto”
Western Reserve Land Conservancy: From Vacancy to VitalityJunior Enterprisers Worldwide Movement
Part Three: We the People: A Brand New Story
About the Author :
Michele Hunt is a Transformation Catalyst and Strategic Advisor on leadership and organizational development and strategic communications. She helps leaders transform their cultures into vision-led, values-based, high-performance organizations. Michele is also a keynote speaker at conferences and meetings. Michele was appointed by President Clinton as Director of the Federal Quality Institute, a bi-partisan initiative Reinventing Government: Creating a Government that Works Better & Cost Less led by Vice President Gore. She previously served on the executive leadership team of Herman Miller, a Fortune 500 company, as Corporate Vice President For People, under the leadership of Max De Pree. She served nine years with the Michigan Department of Corrections as the state s first female Deputy Warden of Programs for Rehabilitation in a male prison. She serves on the advisory boards of the Fowler Center for Business as an Agent of World Benefit at the Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University, and the David L Cooperrider Center for Appreciative Inquiry at the Stiller School of Management, Champlain College, Images and Voices of Hope, (IVOH), and the Detroit Windsor Dance Academy.
Review :
'It is the great irony of our day that, in a world where more and more people know that the future will look very different from the past, the most visible stories of the present seem more and more driven by desperate, fear-driven efforts to return to the past. In a time when it is easy to set aside hope as naïve, Michele Hunt reminds us that all change starts with protecting that small spark of possibility and then takes us on a tour of amazing fire protectors around the world.'
Peter Senge, MIT and Academy for System Change
'This extraordinary narrative of doing well by doing good, brought to life through intimate stories and the author's incisive commentary, reminds us of the possibility that we each have to create a desired future – one in which people thrive, businesses prosper, and the planet flourishes. Through this book you will meet the people next door who are changing the world for the better, many of them in the face of great adversity. Michele Hunt writes with the insight and pragmatism gained from a life well lived.'
Chris Laszlo, Char and Chuck Fowler Professor of Business as an Agent of World Benefit, Department of Organizational Behavior, The Fowler Center, Case Western Reserve University
'DreamMakers not only inspires you to realize the greater good that only you can do, but shows how to get it done. The powerful individuals, stories, and insights Michele Hunt shares will change your life for the better so that you can do the same for others.'
Simon Mainwaring, CEO, We First, and author of New York Times bestseller We First
'Another amazing book by an amazing author, which is a must-read for all that are concerned about the future, and the future of our society and the future of our children.'
Simon L. Dolan, Professor, ESADE Future of Work Chair and President of the Board of Trustees – Global Future of Work Foundation
'This book is about hope. It invites us all to look inside our hearts and discover our unique spirit of DreamMaking, and put that force to work to help create a flourishing world.'
Frances Hesselbein, President and CEO of The Frances Hesselbein Leadership Institute and Editor-in-Chief of the Leader to Leader Journal
'For anyone who’s felt the call to work in a way that’s less about the balance sheet and more about balance in the world, Michele Hunt offers a much-needed infusion of optimism and inspiration. This collection of wisdom from those who are redefining corporate sustainability and social good will kindle the human spirit in the work we do.'
Lyell Clarke, President and CEO, Clarke
'How Michele Hunt can find so many wonderful innovations for the common good, I don't know. Her book about the people who are changing things for the better will uplift your spirit.'
Max De Pree, Former Chairman and CEO of Herman Miller, Inc. and author of Leadership is an Art
