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Do Good Well: Your Guide to Leadership, Action, and Social Innovation
97% of Millennials say it's important for them to engage in work that has a positive impact on the world. Their drive to make an impact has transformed everything from the way teenagers use their spare time, to the classes college students take, to the careers that young adults pursue. However, many Millennials (and people) struggle with the application and implementation of their idealistic intentions; they want to "do good" and solve the problems they see everyday on the news and in their communities, but they are not sure how to get started, or how to strengthen and sustain their efforts once they've taken flight. That's why internationally recognized and award-winning young leaders Nina Vasan and Jennifer Przybylo wrote Do Good Your Guide to Leadership, Action, and Social Innovation. Do Good Well is a groundbreaking leadership guide that provides a comprehensive and concrete roadmap to making a positive and lasting impact.Written with a fresh voice and a dash of humor, Do Good Well offers students and young adults a practical and hands-on way to establish their unique brand of leadership. Beginning with the knowledge that all impactful change starts from within, the book helps them first figure out who they are and how to best harness their talents and creativity to do good. Next, it provides a 12-part framework for developing solutions that can break through any barriers to change. This process is simplified into three core Do What Works, Work Together, and Make It Last. The final portion of the book gives readers the tools and step-by-step instructions they'll need to execute their ideas and maximize their impact.Do Good Well captures the entrepreneurial and creative spirit of our time by drawing upon the experiences of today's most talented young leaders. Incredibly versatile, the book delivers a winning combination of interdisciplinary research, case studies, personal anecdotes, practical advice, worksheets, and reflection questions. As a result, it is an ideal partner both as an individual read and in the group setting (managing businesses, nonprofits, or clubs; facilitating student affairs programs; teaching courses on entrepreneurship or service learning; running leadership workshops and trainings, etc.) It is the comprehensive must-read for anyone motivated to effect meaningful, sustainable change."In our own experiences trying to do a bit of good, we did a few things right, and more than a few things wrong. We looked but could not find a clear roadmap for creating social change, so we employed a trial and error approach. And we weren't alone - our friends, classmates, and even the groups we most admired were also frustrated by the lack of a how-to guide to action. One of the biggest lessons we've learned is that real value comes not from a great idea, but from great execution of that idea. We realized that we had an opportunity to improve the way that people do good, to create an actual process built on evidence and experience. That's why we wrote this book, to fuel, guide, and maximize the impact readers make." Author Nina Vasan said.
579 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2013
12 people are currently reading
1177 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 4, 2013
#WhereHaveYouBeenAllMyLife
I love this guide! Nina Vasan and Jennifer Przybylo have done an amazing job of making informative material a lot of fun to read. You can tell these girls have done their homework because they have a lot of references to published literature and interesting studies in business, leadership, management, psychology, and sociology. To that they've added stories of social enterprises, nonprofits, and student organizations of all sizes from the famous to home-grown. These make the book good, however a number of other books offer similar information. What really makes Do Good Well stand out is:
(1) IT'S EMPOWERING. When other books talk about "taking action" they either only discuss simple tasks like "call your Senator's office" or "donate $20", or tell the story of people who did great work but don't explain how you as the reader can do meaningful work. Do Good Well is the ultimate how-to handbook, a practitioner's DIY (or DIT, "do-it-together" as the authors would say).
(2) IT'S "REAL". It's obvious the authors are leaders and social innovators themselves because Do Good Well has lessons galore from their personal experiences, giving it a flavor of authenticity. Also I like that they don't paint themselves as perfect leaders, but are honest and comfortable explaining where they made mistakes and how to prevent you from doing the same.
(3) IT'S FUN. Do Good Well is jam packed with page-long exercises and opportunities to discuss the material with larger groups like a friend, the team you're working on, your class, etc. Also the authors break down big topics into digestible bites, so the material is much more engaging. Bonus: cute drawings. Not all of them help to better understand the content, but they make the experience of using the book much more fun.
(4) IT'S FUNNY. This is the best part: they're unexpectedly funny at times. I don't think I've ever seen subjects like leadership and social innovation, which are serious topics, presented with wit and humor. It isn't everywhere in the book, but when you see it you'll enjoy a few chuckles.
Do Good Well is a keeper!
I love this guide! Nina Vasan and Jennifer Przybylo have done an amazing job of making informative material a lot of fun to read. You can tell these girls have done their homework because they have a lot of references to published literature and interesting studies in business, leadership, management, psychology, and sociology. To that they've added stories of social enterprises, nonprofits, and student organizations of all sizes from the famous to home-grown. These make the book good, however a number of other books offer similar information. What really makes Do Good Well stand out is:
(1) IT'S EMPOWERING. When other books talk about "taking action" they either only discuss simple tasks like "call your Senator's office" or "donate $20", or tell the story of people who did great work but don't explain how you as the reader can do meaningful work. Do Good Well is the ultimate how-to handbook, a practitioner's DIY (or DIT, "do-it-together" as the authors would say).
(2) IT'S "REAL". It's obvious the authors are leaders and social innovators themselves because Do Good Well has lessons galore from their personal experiences, giving it a flavor of authenticity. Also I like that they don't paint themselves as perfect leaders, but are honest and comfortable explaining where they made mistakes and how to prevent you from doing the same.
(3) IT'S FUN. Do Good Well is jam packed with page-long exercises and opportunities to discuss the material with larger groups like a friend, the team you're working on, your class, etc. Also the authors break down big topics into digestible bites, so the material is much more engaging. Bonus: cute drawings. Not all of them help to better understand the content, but they make the experience of using the book much more fun.
(4) IT'S FUNNY. This is the best part: they're unexpectedly funny at times. I don't think I've ever seen subjects like leadership and social innovation, which are serious topics, presented with wit and humor. It isn't everywhere in the book, but when you see it you'll enjoy a few chuckles.
Do Good Well is a keeper!
April 2, 2013
How to Change the World For Dummies (and Smarties)
Comprehensive is right! Do Good Well is a bible for leadership and social entrepreneurship. The chapters turn you into a leader by walking you through each step you'll take in planning and executing your work. This is strengthened by personal stories to illustrate important struggles that other young leaders faced in their own experience and how they dealt with hurdles. There are a number of side bars, warnings, and tips with practical information and important notes. My favorite thing about reading this book is all the worksheets, examples, activities, and illustrations. They make Do Good Well fun to read and made me stop and think a lot, take notes, brainstorm ideas, mark sections I know to come back to in a few weeks to months when executing a project I'm planning, etc. These elements distinguish Do Good Well from a lot of other social change books and I wish the book had even more of these.
Comprehensive is right! Do Good Well is a bible for leadership and social entrepreneurship. The chapters turn you into a leader by walking you through each step you'll take in planning and executing your work. This is strengthened by personal stories to illustrate important struggles that other young leaders faced in their own experience and how they dealt with hurdles. There are a number of side bars, warnings, and tips with practical information and important notes. My favorite thing about reading this book is all the worksheets, examples, activities, and illustrations. They make Do Good Well fun to read and made me stop and think a lot, take notes, brainstorm ideas, mark sections I know to come back to in a few weeks to months when executing a project I'm planning, etc. These elements distinguish Do Good Well from a lot of other social change books and I wish the book had even more of these.
April 2, 2013
Every school and organization that encourages leadership, citizenship, or community service should get Do Good Well for their students
I have been a teacher for over 30 years. Throughout my career, I have seen a number of programs that strive to help students become better leaders and better citizens. These programs will all rejoice when they see what Do Good Well has to offer. Quite simply, it is the single most comprehensive, most practical guide to student leadership that I have ever come across. Nina Vasan and Jennifer Przybylo created a gem of a resource. Bravo, ladies!
I have been a teacher for over 30 years. Throughout my career, I have seen a number of programs that strive to help students become better leaders and better citizens. These programs will all rejoice when they see what Do Good Well has to offer. Quite simply, it is the single most comprehensive, most practical guide to student leadership that I have ever come across. Nina Vasan and Jennifer Przybylo created a gem of a resource. Bravo, ladies!
January 22, 2016
One of the most interesting and inspiring books I've seen on how to drive a social change/innovation. The book is pretty big and thorough, but it's very nicely organized and you can read just the chapters that are most interesting to you. It's type of the book that you want to keep on your shelve and come back to rereading it.
March 28, 2013
Do Good Well is an excellent guide. It is a thorough and easy to read textbook for social entrepreneurship, innovation, and community service. I highly recommend it for any person or organization wanting to improve the social impact they make on the world.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews