Open the Turnstiles for Inclusive Collaboration

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In times of crisis, opening the gates for inclusive collaboration and accepting all available help can lead to extraordinary responses. By fostering a culture of unity and inclusivity, diverse public servants came together to successfully rescue people, provide essential services, and improve living conditions after a natural disaster. This exemplifies the power of collective action and the effectiveness of an all-of-government approach in achieving significant outcomes during critical moments.

When Rajiv Shah was in his late 20s and didn’t know what to do with his life, he got a job at a fledgling nonprofit, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Before he knew it, he was a driving force behind a global vaccination program that immunized 900 million children and saved 16 million lives.

At 36, he became the administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), managing a $20 billion budget, overseeing a staff of 10,000, and leading the U.S. response to global humanitarian crises.

Today, as president of the Rockefeller Foundation, he’s finding innovative solutions to mitigate climate change and end energy poverty.

What connects these experiences? At every step, Raj maintained a big bet mentality. What is a big bet? “A concerted effort to fundamentally solve a single, pressing problem in your community or our world. Big bets require setting profound, seemingly unachievable goals and believing they are achievable.” In this episode, he shares his methodology for creating large-scale change and making the world a better place.

Host: Rufus Griscom

Guest: Rajiv Shah

Book: Big Bets: How Large-Scale Change Really Happens