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Zusammenfassung von Leaving Microsoft to Change the World

Name: Leaving Microsoft to Change the World
Rating: 4 (118 reviews)
Author: John Wood

John Wood

An Entrepreneur's Odyssey to Educate the World's Children

4 (118 Bewertungen)

18 Min.

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Leaving Microsoft to Change the World - a memoir by John Wood, former Microsoft executive turned philanthropist. Wood shares his story of founding Room to Read, a non-profit organization providing education for children in developing countries. A tale of social entrepreneurship worth exploring.

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What’s in it for me? Find out how to go from corporate to nonprofit.

Most people go on vacation and come back with a clear mind and rejuvenated spirits. But John Wood, a former Microsoft executive, came back from Nepal completely changed: his worldview had been challenged and he now had a strong desire to change his career completely.

In Leaving Microsoft to Change the World, Wood details how, after poverty-stricken Nepal made him realize how many uneducated children needed help, he felt compelled to leave his corporate job and dedicate his whole life to opening schools and libraries in poor and rural communities around the world.

These blinks reveal how Wood’s nonprofit charity organization Room to Read got started, and how he managed to make it continually expand and grow.

You’ll also discover

why books in Nepal have to be locked up;
how a dedicated 17-year-old made Wood expand his charity to Vietnam; and
how educating women will always benefit the greater community.

John Wood's life changed during a trip to Nepal, where he realized the value and necessity of literacy and children's education.

Meet John Wood: a top executive who worked for Microsoft between 1991 and 1998. Wood enjoyed great success at Microsoft, until an eye-opening vacation in Nepal forced him to scrutinize the value of something he'd always taken for granted: education.

Wood was on a hike in rural Nepal when he decided to take a tour of the local schools – and his life changed forever. The condition of the schools absolutely shocked him.

Wood met with an education resource guide named Pasupathi. Pasupathi told Wood that the literacy rate in Nepal was only 30% and that he dreamed of improving the country's education system.

Pasupathi then took John on a tour of a local school. The room marked “School Library” was empty. When Wood asked where the books were, he was shown a locked cabinet. The books were so precious they had to be kept under lock and key.

The few books they did have weren't really fit for schoolchildren, either. One of them was an Italian edition of a book by Umberto Eco.

So Wood asked if the teachers would be interested in English books, and when they said yes, he promised to send two to three hundred books along.

Wood remembered his promise. When he got back to Kathmandu he emailed several of his contacts, informing them of the school's poor conditions. He asked for books and monetary donations, promising to use 100 percent of the donations to buy more children's books. He also asked people to forward the email to their own contacts.

The results exceeded his expectations. Wood quickly gathered about 3,000 books to send back to Nepal.

Wood quit his job and left his old life behind so he could devote himself to improving children's education.

Wood felt a deep satisfaction when he sent the books to Nepal – a greater satisfaction than he'd ever felt working at Microsoft. He knew his actions had had a profound impact, so he eventually decided to leave his company and fully devote himself to education.

After a second trip to Nepal, Wood decided to pursue a nonprofit career in funding schools and libraries. There was certainly a lot of work to do, as there were so many Nepalese schools in bad condition. Wood knew there were plenty of people who wanted to work for Microsoft, but few people who had the resources to help schools in Nepal.

Wood worked hard crafting his pitch because nonprofits can't survive without investment and donations.

What determines whether nonprofits and charities are successful or not? Well, money, of course!

Nonprofits need people who can aggressively secure investments. They need team members who won't take “no” for an answer.

Vietnam became the next country for Room to Read's expansion, thanks to two chance events.

Wood first became interested in Vietnam back when he worked for Microsoft, after meeting a 17-year-old named Vu on a business trip.

Vu worked the night shift at the hotel where Wood was staying and wanted to practice his English. He also had a book with him: Learning Microsoft Excel.

At Microsoft, Wood learned lessons indispensable to Room to Read.

When Wood left his life as a successful businessman, he didn't leave everything from Microsoft behind. In fact, the skills he learned at Microsoft proved immensely valuable in his new life.

Wood learned four important lessons from Microsoft that helped him with Room to Read.

Wood had to create a strong and sustainable local network before he could expand Room to Read to new territories.

How can you expand an organization into new parts of the world without losing sight of its original purpose and character? That was the challenge Wood faced as Room to Read grew. And even if you're filthy rich, it doesn't help to just throw money at such a problem.

Wood realized he had to create a local network of donors and other key players before he could expand his organization. So he held fundraisers to bring in new people, like volunteers and employees. The fundraisers also helped introduce the organization to new donors and investors.

Wood understood that illiteracy was an even greater problem for women, so he founded Room to Grow, a scholarship program for girls.

Did you know that two-thirds of the world's illiterates are women? That's why Wood made it a priority to create a new program specifically for them.

Room to Grow is a scholarship program solely for girls.

The 2005 tsunami tragedy taught Wood that entrepreneurs should think big.

Near the fifth anniversary of Room to Read, Wood took a week-long holiday. Though he'd planned to relax, he got a disturbing phone call while he was away: a devastating tsunami had just hit Asia. So Wood got back to work trying to figure out ways to rebuild schools and libraries in the affected areas.

Wood knew he could turn the 2005 tsunami tragedy into an opportunity to rebuild. Fortunately, he was able to secure an interview on CNN mere days after it occurred, which afforded Room to Read the opportunity to help in the tsunami's immediate aftermath.

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Worum geht es in Leaving Microsoft to Change the World?

Leaving Microsoft to Change the World (2006) is the story of John Wood, a former top-level Microsoft employee who left his career to found Room to Read, a non-profit charity organization. Room to Read aims to help stamp out global illiteracy by focusing on children's education and gender-equality.

Bestes Zitat aus Leaving Microsoft to Change the World

What struck me first was the UNs estimate that 850 million people in the world lacked basic literacy.

—John Wood

Wer Leaving Microsoft to Change the World lesen sollte

People interested in global education
Those who want to learn about nonprofit organizations
Philanthropists and charity workers

Über den Autor

John Wood is a philanthropist, entrepreneur, best-selling author and the founder of Room to Read and Room to Grow, nonprofits devoted to ending childhood illiteracy.

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