Big Bets

How Large-Scale Change Really Happens

By: Rajiv Shah

Narrated by: Rajiv Shah

“Encouraging…Uplifting...Meeting apparently insurmountable goals requires thinking big…this will inspire.” —Publishers Weekly

“Raj Shah has written a practical guide to making the world a better place. He knows what he’s talking about, because he’s done it himself. Anyone who wants to make a change in the world, or their own lives, will benefit from this book.” —Bill Gates, Cochair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Rajiv J. Shah, president of the Rockefeller Foundation and former administrator of President Barack Obama’s United States Agency for International Development, shares a dynamic new model for creating large scale change, inspired by his own involvements with some of the largest humanitarian projects of our time.

Rajiv J. Shah is no stranger to pulling off the impossible, from helping vaccinate 900 million children at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to a high-pressure race against the clock to stop the spread of Ebola. His secret? A big bets philosophy—the idea that seeking to solve problems rather than make incremental improvements can attract the unlikely partners with the power and know-how to achieve transformational change. Part career sweeping memoir, part inspirational playbook, Big Bets offers a master class in decision-making, leadership, and changing the world one bet at a time.

Shah animates his strategic insights with vivid behind-the-scenes stories, memorable conversations with household names that helped shape his approach to creating change, and his own personal growth as an Indian-American from an immigrant family looking for a way to belong. He distills his battle-tested strategies for creating change, arguing that big bets have a surprising advantage over cautious ones: a bold vision can attract support, collaborations, and fresh ideas from key players who might otherwise be resistant. Throughout the book, Shah traces his unlikely path to the Rockefeller Foundation across a changing world and through some of the most ambitious, dramatic global efforts to create a better world.

thanks Rajiv ji

thanks Rajiv ji for sharing your big heart bigger vision with our world. Ekta saini from Seattle.

Inspirational!!

He certainly inspired me to do better and bet bigger in all my philanthropic endeavors

Must Read!!

Great book. Found it extremely inspiring to look beyond the usual in-box solution approach to a broader, more audacious big bet mind-view.

Definitely a recommended read to any one looking to push themselves out of their comfort zone to a world of possibilities seemingly out of reach yet not out of grasp for any one willing enough to dare to think differently and aspiring to be the change they want to see in the world.

Beautiful. Brilliant. And Bold. Love it!!

Beautifully written. Brilliantly insightful. Boldly laying out a process to do your own big bets and improve our status quo. Love it!!

Betting on you!

Everyone can make a difference to ensure our planet and the next generations succeed. Big Bets is an inspirational roadmap to engage in the good work.