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Good Business: The Talk, Fight, Win Way to Change the World
An inspiring and practical look inside the mind of Bill Novelli, one of the founders of social marketing, Good Business challenges all of us to change the world for the better and is a blueprint for tackling today's critical issues. From his humble beginnings selling soap in a sales training program to his rapid rise in the fast-paced New York advertising scene, Bill Novelli was well on his way to becoming a leader in the hypercompetitive business world. But it wasn't long before he became disillusioned with the drive for profits at any cost. He knew that his marketing skills made those companies successful, but what good did that success do for the world? That question sent him on a career path that involved taking the marketing and communication tactics long used by big businesses and applying them to social change. He found that this strategy was not only good for the world but also good for business. In Good Business , Novelli begins with his early career success in Mad Men–era marketing, which left him feeling unfulfilled. He describes the process of changing career how he helped reposition the Peace Corps; built Porter Novelli, a global PR agency for social impact; fought the Tobacco Wars; and became CEO of AARP, the largest nonprofit in America. Drawing practical lessons and principles from play-by-play stories of his experiences in large and small organizations, Novelli deploys his characteristic wit to stress the importance of building and maintaining connections with people―and engaging them in the cause. Good Business , which is part behind-the-scenes look at crafting social and health policy, part inspirational guide, proves that you can do well (creating economic and financial success for yourself and your company or organization) by doing good (helping to solve the world's and society's major problems). Throughout the book, Novelli shows that you can make a positive social difference regardless of what business you are in or where you are in your career. Readers will come away with the message that anyone who wants to have a positive impact on the world can do it right now from where they are―or can be inspired by Novelli's story to make the leap to somewhere they can.
392 pages, Hardcover
Published February 2, 2021
23 people are currently reading
866 people want to read
About the author
Bill Novelli
10 books8 followersWilliam D. Novelli, Founder, Georgetown Business for Impact and Distinguished Professor of the Practice, McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University
As a professor in the MBA program at McDonough Georgetown, Bill teaches Principled Leadership for Business and Society and Managing the Enterprise. He developed and previously taught courses in Corporate Social Responsibility and Leadership and Management of Nonprofit Organizations.
He founded Georgetown Business for Impact at McDonough and oversees the program, which partners with companies, nonprofits, and government to create social, environmental, and economic impact.
Bill is also co-founder and co-chair of the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care, a national alliance focused on reforming advanced illness/end of life care in the U.S.
Previously, he was CEO of AARP, a membership organization of 40 million people 50 and older.
Prior to AARP, he was founder and president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, EVP of CARE, the international relief and development organization, and co-founder and president of Porter Novelli, a global public relations firm and now part of Omnicom.
Bill is the author of Fifty Plus: Give Meaning and Purpose to the Best Time of Your Life (with Boe Workman, St. Martin’s Press) and Managing the Older Worker: How to Prepare for the New Organizational Order (with Peter Cappelli, Harvard University Press). His new book, Good Business: The Talk, Fight, Win Way to Change the World (Johns Hopkins University Press) is due out in late 2020.
As a professor in the MBA program at McDonough Georgetown, Bill teaches Principled Leadership for Business and Society and Managing the Enterprise. He developed and previously taught courses in Corporate Social Responsibility and Leadership and Management of Nonprofit Organizations.
He founded Georgetown Business for Impact at McDonough and oversees the program, which partners with companies, nonprofits, and government to create social, environmental, and economic impact.
Bill is also co-founder and co-chair of the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care, a national alliance focused on reforming advanced illness/end of life care in the U.S.
Previously, he was CEO of AARP, a membership organization of 40 million people 50 and older.
Prior to AARP, he was founder and president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, EVP of CARE, the international relief and development organization, and co-founder and president of Porter Novelli, a global public relations firm and now part of Omnicom.
Bill is the author of Fifty Plus: Give Meaning and Purpose to the Best Time of Your Life (with Boe Workman, St. Martin’s Press) and Managing the Older Worker: How to Prepare for the New Organizational Order (with Peter Cappelli, Harvard University Press). His new book, Good Business: The Talk, Fight, Win Way to Change the World (Johns Hopkins University Press) is due out in late 2020.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 1, 2021
I know the author of this book so this review comes with personal bias.
As a former student of Bill Novelli’s and a professional in the social impact space, I really enjoyed this part-memoir, part-guidebook for how to “do well by doing good.” Bill is an absolute gem and his impact on the world (and his students) is tangible. I’m grateful he’s shared his story and his insights and think many folks (especially those in the for-profit/corporate world) could benefit from “Good Business.”
As a former student of Bill Novelli’s and a professional in the social impact space, I really enjoyed this part-memoir, part-guidebook for how to “do well by doing good.” Bill is an absolute gem and his impact on the world (and his students) is tangible. I’m grateful he’s shared his story and his insights and think many folks (especially those in the for-profit/corporate world) could benefit from “Good Business.”
October 28, 2021
Who knew that centrist activism is a thing? Meet Bill Novelli, a Renaissance Soul who did marketing for one of the largest CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods) companies in the world, ran a PR agency, led several nonprofits including Tobacco-Free Kids and AARP, served in the Peace Corps, teaches social responsibility at Georgetown University’s business school, and…(too much more to list here). Republicans call him a Democrat while Democrats call him a Republican.
I often joke that my left-wing friends call me a capitalist tool while my right-wing friends call me a communist dupe, so I can relate. But I identify as an unabashed progressive who happens to support ethical capitalism; Novelli identifies as a proud centrist—but one who’s willing to “talk, fight, win” and willing to “stress the system” by engaging in multiple points and strategies at once (p. 39).
Novelli is a great cross-pollinator and coalition builder. He amplifies voices from corporate, nonprofit, religion, government, grassroots, and academia. He finds value in each of these career paths, and in those who synthesize these different silos or jump among them.
He’s also a long-term, big-picture thinker. Early on, he became a convert to ethical business that does social/environmental good—after succumbing to pressure to do the wrong thing and realizing he’d made a huge mistake (pp. 34-35). Since then, he’s worked to transform business culture so no one is forced into those kinds of choices—continuing to use the story skills he learned as a marketer in his later work as lobbyist, nonprofit executive, and educator. He promotes the broad messages that:
* Social change is profitable (including measures aimed at the bottom of the economic pyramid)
* Competitors need to work together to solve big problems
* Nontraditional employees (such as elders or people with disabilities) can thrive and help their organizations thrive
* Early interventions can ripple out to make enormous changes (e.g., brain exercises for preschoolers can reduce prison populations decades later—p. 304).
Where I found the most value was the detailed case studies: the specifics of how, what worked, what didn’t, the immediate and long-term outcomes, and their impact: taking on big tobacco, pp. 61-128; fighting to get a Medicare prescription drug benefit, pp. 129-166; protecting Social Security, pp. 167-198. For instance, we discover Tobacco-Free Kids’ single-sentence mission statement, “We work to save lives by advocating for public policies that prevent kids from smoking, help smokers quit, and protect everyone from secondhand smoke”, its four public policy pillars, and even punchier vision statement: “A future free of the death and disease cause by tobacco” (pp. 108-109).
The book is peppered with great quotes like these:
“Society is increasingly looking for companies…to address pressing social and economic issues…Profits are in no way inconsistent with purpose…[they’re] inextricably linked.”—Larry Fink, CEO, Blackrock (p. 9)
“Why can’t we sell brotherhood like soap?” (quoted without attribution by Novelli, p. 39. I tracked it down to G.B. Wiebe, quoted in a footnote to Philanthropy in America by Dwight Burlingame)
“It is never easy for…warriors to transform themselves into peacemakers, to shift from the comfort of combatting a…demonized enemy to…acknowledging an enemy as simultaneously a bargaining partner.” (Mike Pertschuk, former head of the Federal Trade Commission, p. 119)
“Problems worthy of attack prove their worth by attacking back.” (Piet Hein, mathematician, paraphrased by Novelli, p. 269).
I often joke that my left-wing friends call me a capitalist tool while my right-wing friends call me a communist dupe, so I can relate. But I identify as an unabashed progressive who happens to support ethical capitalism; Novelli identifies as a proud centrist—but one who’s willing to “talk, fight, win” and willing to “stress the system” by engaging in multiple points and strategies at once (p. 39).
Novelli is a great cross-pollinator and coalition builder. He amplifies voices from corporate, nonprofit, religion, government, grassroots, and academia. He finds value in each of these career paths, and in those who synthesize these different silos or jump among them.
He’s also a long-term, big-picture thinker. Early on, he became a convert to ethical business that does social/environmental good—after succumbing to pressure to do the wrong thing and realizing he’d made a huge mistake (pp. 34-35). Since then, he’s worked to transform business culture so no one is forced into those kinds of choices—continuing to use the story skills he learned as a marketer in his later work as lobbyist, nonprofit executive, and educator. He promotes the broad messages that:
* Social change is profitable (including measures aimed at the bottom of the economic pyramid)
* Competitors need to work together to solve big problems
* Nontraditional employees (such as elders or people with disabilities) can thrive and help their organizations thrive
* Early interventions can ripple out to make enormous changes (e.g., brain exercises for preschoolers can reduce prison populations decades later—p. 304).
Where I found the most value was the detailed case studies: the specifics of how, what worked, what didn’t, the immediate and long-term outcomes, and their impact: taking on big tobacco, pp. 61-128; fighting to get a Medicare prescription drug benefit, pp. 129-166; protecting Social Security, pp. 167-198. For instance, we discover Tobacco-Free Kids’ single-sentence mission statement, “We work to save lives by advocating for public policies that prevent kids from smoking, help smokers quit, and protect everyone from secondhand smoke”, its four public policy pillars, and even punchier vision statement: “A future free of the death and disease cause by tobacco” (pp. 108-109).
The book is peppered with great quotes like these:
“Society is increasingly looking for companies…to address pressing social and economic issues…Profits are in no way inconsistent with purpose…[they’re] inextricably linked.”—Larry Fink, CEO, Blackrock (p. 9)
“Why can’t we sell brotherhood like soap?” (quoted without attribution by Novelli, p. 39. I tracked it down to G.B. Wiebe, quoted in a footnote to Philanthropy in America by Dwight Burlingame)
“It is never easy for…warriors to transform themselves into peacemakers, to shift from the comfort of combatting a…demonized enemy to…acknowledging an enemy as simultaneously a bargaining partner.” (Mike Pertschuk, former head of the Federal Trade Commission, p. 119)
“Problems worthy of attack prove their worth by attacking back.” (Piet Hein, mathematician, paraphrased by Novelli, p. 269).
January 7, 2021
An opportunity to see inside major events that have or will impact your life and learn how Novelli’s “Good Business” can make yours better.
Bill Novelli is a great speaker and it translates to this book. It’s the first of his that I’ve read, altho’ I’ve heard him speak when he was in charge at AARP. His style is gregarious, informative and focused a bit like the family pit bull at times but I’m sure since he spent so much time dealing with the members on Capital Hill, this is entirely necessary.
My expectations about the book were thankfully, incorrect. I assumed a bunch of memories about business meetings and self boasting for conquering the corporate ladders but that’s not this book. Oh, Novelli was plenty successful but the bulk of this tome recounts his experiences taking on the tobacco industry/White House on behalf of teens, getting RX medications into MEDICARE, SOCIAL SECURITY & the Bush Battle in his 2nd term, ADVANCED CARE for aging society - pre pandemic (end of life, family care givers, palliative care). These chapters take up the bulk of the book and are extremely interesting. He includes all his dealings with heads of corporations and elected officials. The political @&$&@ alone is worth the price of this book - as my sainted grandmother would say, “ when you can’t say anything nice...” I was caught right in the midst of that Medicare Mess during the Bush administration and had RX bills that would level a small country. That donut hole just about lost me my house, in the first few years. AARGH oh yeah, it’s AARP...
Anyway, back to the book, Novelli makes a concerted point of looking for opportunities to reach out, reach up, reach down and make a difference. While he doesn’t throw profits out the window, they aren’t the motivation any longer. Looking for what’s right and good and applying that to the many high visibility work situations he was involved in, is. He is a firm believer that by doing right, profits will come to any business model. It proved out in his business ventures and for many of his students/friends. Maybe Capital Hill needs to sign up...
All things considered, a biography of substance that’s well written and noteworthy 📚
Bill Novelli is a great speaker and it translates to this book. It’s the first of his that I’ve read, altho’ I’ve heard him speak when he was in charge at AARP. His style is gregarious, informative and focused a bit like the family pit bull at times but I’m sure since he spent so much time dealing with the members on Capital Hill, this is entirely necessary.
My expectations about the book were thankfully, incorrect. I assumed a bunch of memories about business meetings and self boasting for conquering the corporate ladders but that’s not this book. Oh, Novelli was plenty successful but the bulk of this tome recounts his experiences taking on the tobacco industry/White House on behalf of teens, getting RX medications into MEDICARE, SOCIAL SECURITY & the Bush Battle in his 2nd term, ADVANCED CARE for aging society - pre pandemic (end of life, family care givers, palliative care). These chapters take up the bulk of the book and are extremely interesting. He includes all his dealings with heads of corporations and elected officials. The political @&$&@ alone is worth the price of this book - as my sainted grandmother would say, “ when you can’t say anything nice...” I was caught right in the midst of that Medicare Mess during the Bush administration and had RX bills that would level a small country. That donut hole just about lost me my house, in the first few years. AARGH oh yeah, it’s AARP...
Anyway, back to the book, Novelli makes a concerted point of looking for opportunities to reach out, reach up, reach down and make a difference. While he doesn’t throw profits out the window, they aren’t the motivation any longer. Looking for what’s right and good and applying that to the many high visibility work situations he was involved in, is. He is a firm believer that by doing right, profits will come to any business model. It proved out in his business ventures and for many of his students/friends. Maybe Capital Hill needs to sign up...
All things considered, a biography of substance that’s well written and noteworthy 📚
January 27, 2021
A fascinating read by a pioneer and legend in the social impact space. Bill Novelli provides colorful anecdotes, lessons learned, and principles from his time leading a groundbreaking marketing firm as well as throughout his career building coalitions, practices, and tactics to foster social change. Novelli provides concrete examples of social impact success and also shares lessons learned and considerations for the future. A must read for anyone interested in using business for impact and business for good!
January 20, 2021
More of a business biography than a "how-to' business book, this interesting read will take you through the early years through the COVID crisis with one of the more effective and brilliant marketers of our time. Touching on challenges in tobacco, lobbying, politics, and other topical concerns, Bill Novelli brings ethical decision-making to the fore and discusses purpose and direction as key elements in this well-written book.
January 26, 2021
Novelli is one of the early creators of “social marketing” and this is his tale, part memoir, part how we can all do it, about making a difference in the world. From his early days selling soap at Unilever to founding one of the largest global public relations agencies to head of AARP, Novelli’s book is a blue print for any company that wants to make an impact in the world and keep a healthy bottom line. A must-read for anyone in business.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews