When I first met Dean and Carrie years ago, it was clear that they were leaders. Dean had already broken barriers in the private sector and foreign policy through his unwavering determination and incredible talent, forging a remarkable career in law and international diplomacy and developing a reputation for insight and perseverance. Carrie had built an impressive legacy in social action through her own personal magnetism and go‐getting style; after trying to raise $6,000 to help six organizations, Carrie ended up being given not one million but two million dollars—and turned that success into The Global Good Fund, which helps social entrepreneurs all over the world.
Carrie and Dean are living examples that leadership isn't just about being at the top of your game, but rather about bringing others up to amplify their impact. After all, there's no doubt that the authors of this book possess the qualities to be personally successful. They are grounded, with the kind of authenticity and integrity that keeps them focused on their values. They are gifted, with natural skills that help them succeed in the service of others. They are constantly growing, with an unending desire to learn, improve, and expand their impact. They show from their incredible stories that you don't need to begin with power and money and influence to leave a positive mark on the world, and that true leadership isn't only about who we are, but what we do.
What makes Carrie and Dean so special is they don't just advocate for leadership; they live it. It emanates from them, transforming the people around them. It expands to connect with others, creating a larger force for good in the world. Through their work, Carrie and Dean are committed to making change at scale by sharing their own understanding and expertise and helping others realize their potential as changemakers, trailblazers, and citizen statespeople.
That's why this isn't just a book about leadership—it's a book about how to become a citizen statesperson. Through examples and exercises and discussion, Dean and Carrie take you on a journey that will help you ignite your spark of leadership, build your network and your expertise, and leverage your skills and resources to change the world. In the pages that follow, Carrie and Dean show not only how they were able to make their extraordinary impact, but how you can make yours. They encourage you to maximize your potential. They inspire you to find better ways to serve your community, your country, and your world. And they teach you how to take the concrete steps necessary to turn ideas into action.
I hope that you find this book as exciting as I do. I know you will be as grateful for Dean and Carrie's example and wisdom as I am. And I am certain that, with this book in hand, you will continue to do everything in your power to make a difference—by doing something that makes a difference, with people who make a difference, at a time that makes a difference.
You're in good hands—and I can't wait to see what you do next.
John C. Maxwell
Acknowledgments
THIS BOOK WAS Dean's idea. He jokingly suggested that we write this book together and I seriously answered that any excuse to have routine exposure to Dean's perspective and humor was reason enough for me. Dean, most people describe the process of writing a book as a great challenge and at times painstaking; you made this project fun.
Thank you to the Eisenhower Foundation for gifting me the experience of a lifetime as an Eisenhower Fellow, and for introducing me to Dean and many other citizen statespeople.
To The Global Good Fund Fellows, you made me want to write this book because it is an honor to showcase your meaningful work. Your drive to impact the world inspires me.
To The Global Good Fund team, board, and community, thank you for your support. You consistently encourage me to share my story in the context of making the world a better place.
To John Wiley & Sons, publishers, thank you for giving us a chance.
To my family, biological and chosen, you know who you are. I love you.
To aspiring citizen statespeople, you know who you are. I believe in you.
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Carrie ‐ You are a leader among leaders who never fails to bring out the best in all of us. Thank you for standing steadfastly alongside me on this project. Our work has just begun.
My unwavering gratitude to the teachers and mentors who lift us high upon their wings.
To the citizen statespeople: may you always find the courage within to step forward alone; but rest assured that we are always behind you.
1 Why Being a Citizen Statesperson Matters
Key Takeaways
A citizen statesperson is a superpowered individual committed to improving the community and the world through values and activism.
Three dynamics drive the need and opportunity for citizen statespeople at this moment: 1) loss of confidence in traditional institutions of power and influence, 2) technology that contributes to the capability of the superpowered individual, and 3) a new generation of impact‐minded individuals committed to driving change in meaningful and multifaceted ways.
Becoming a citizen statesperson starts at a local level, solving problems for local people. From there, citizen statespeople can make a global impact.
ABBEY WEMIMO WAS born in Nigeria and grew up in the slums of Lagos. He lost his father when he was two years old, and was raised by his mother and two sisters. Even as a child, he understood that his circumstances meant that he wouldn't be able to access everything he needed in life, and that his experience would prove challenging and at times disappointing. He was also a smart and motivated child, and his mother believed fundamentally in the importance of a good education. Excluded from the traditional financial system, Abbey's mother turned to rotational savings to pay for food and his school fees, and sent her son to one of the finest high schools in Nigeria. He took international exams to qualify for universities abroad, and at 17 years old, he was offered a once‐unimaginable opportunity: an education in the United States.
He and his mother emigrated together to Minnesota, but when they arrived, they struggled to survive. They tried to borrow money for Abbey's college tuition from one of the largest banks in Minneapolis, but the bank turned them away because they lacked a credit score or a financial history. Ultimately, in order to send Abbey to college, his mother was forced to pawn her wedding ring and borrow a few thousand dollars from a predatory lender at an interest rate of over 400 percent.
The experience had a profound impact on Abbey. He turned down an opportunity to play professional soccer, and instead focused on gaining an education in business and finding jobs in the financial sector, determined to learn about the system that had nearly destroyed his family and so many others across the United States. Along the way, he looked for opportunities to connect with leaders and innovators who were working to improve communities around the world.
Eventually, that work brought him to Samir Goel.
Samir's parents traveled from New Delhi, India, in search of a better life through the American Dream, but when they arrived in America, they quickly faced a colder and more challenging reality than they had anticipated. On their first day in the United States, Samir's father was robbed by a mugger, who took what little money he had brought with him. The place they had intended to stay was no longer able to shelter them. With no money, no credit score, and nowhere to live, Samir's parents struggled to survive—a beginning that forced them to “work miracles,” as Samir puts it, to give him the future that they imagined.
Samir took their experience to heart and worked hard to secure a good education and a career that could sustain him and his family. Samir simultaneously looked for ways to serve communities that had been left out and left behind. He gained experience in start‐ups and social impact ventures, and connected with other young people who were determined to make a contribution to the world around