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
WEIRDNESS: How to Make it Your Superpower
BOYS & SEX: Coming of Age in America
FRIENDSHIP: The Science and Power of Life’s Deepest Bond
THINKING AHEAD: How to Make Life’s Big Decisions
LISTENING: What You’re Missing and Why it Matters
SUCCESSFUL AGING: How to Live a Full, Long Life
Rethinking Big Ideas: Adam Grant on Finding Balance
Rethinking Big Ideas: Priya Parker on Gathering Apart
Rethinking Big Ideas: The Path to a More Generous World
Rethinking Big Ideas: Daniel Pink on the Future of Work
Rethinking Big Ideas: On Finding Joy in Simple Pleasures
Rethinking Big Ideas: Steven Johnson on Scientific Breakthroughs
Rethinking Big Ideas: Susan Cain on Solitude
STILLNESS: How to Find Peace in a Frantic World
FREE MONEY: Why Andrew Yang Thinks a Giveaway Can Save the Economy
HABITS: How to Let Go of The Old and Bring in the New
GATHERING: How to Make Our Time Together Meaningful
FUTURE: Can We Build a More Generous World
SUCCESS: The Dirty Secret of Getting Ahead
TRUST: Malcolm Gladwell on How We Talk To Strangers
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