There are around 155,000,000 people currently going to work every day in the US alone. What if a big chunk of those people started incorporating one simple question into their career decisions:
What kind of difference do I want to make?
Let's take a reasonably conservative portion, say, 10%. Imagine the ripple effect from 15,000,000 people all asking that question and - more importantly - acting on it! And doing that day-after-day and year-after-year.
That whole idea is a big piece of what lights me up about my work. I'm fond of saying, "I want to change the world - I just don't want to do all the work." It's my tongue-in-cheek way of talking about a part of my work that both energizes and inspires me: being a catalyst for others' positive change efforts. [More of my thoughts on the personal benefits of making a difference here.]
That's why I'm psyched about Tim Sanders' new book, Saving the World at Work. In it, Sanders makes a case for a new paradigm that is unfolding in the business world, one he calls the Responsibility Revolution. He writes:
The Responsibility Revolution has arrived. It demands that companies make a difference to society - not just indirectly, but directly, through their products, through their manufacturing methods and operational systems, through their environmental efforts and community outreach.
In short, people are starting to demand that companies be a force for good, not just a mechanism for creating financial profit.
Consumers, employees, and investors are changing business. They expect the companies with which they do business to join them in taking responsibility for the planet on which we all live, and for giving back to the larger world.
That paradigm shift is opening the door for people to seriously ask the question "what difference do I want to make" and act on it. Sanders describes the focus of the book:
The premise of Saving the World at Work is simple. I want to recruit you, and train you, for the Responsibility Revolution. I want to help you feel good about your company and grow more good within it. I want to help you feel more fulfilled by your job, by helping your company to see the value of giving back to the larger world.
Heady stuff!
Sanders describes what he calls saver soldiers, "a highly motivated individual who leverages work as a platform to help save the world."
After exploring the trends and forces at work in the Responsibility Revolution, Sanders outlines The Six Laws of the Saver Soldier, which he distilled from conversations with many dozens of people successfully using work as a platform for positive change.
The book originally came out just as the financial world imploded last fall. Needless to say, with people up to their eyeballs in fear, it didn't get the attention it deserved. So Sanders decided to embark on a "relaunch campaign."
Want to help spread the word? Read more about it here.
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Time for a career change? Launch it with...
The Occupational Adventure Guide:
A Travel Guide to the Career of Your Dreams
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by Curt Rosengren, Passion Catalyst





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