LONDON, February 6, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --
"An extraordinary, warts-and-all account designed to jump leaders into 21st century realities." John Elkington, Executive Chairman, Volans Ventures; Co-founder of Environmental Data Services (ENDS) and SustainAbility
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(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130206/594060-b )
Invisible Giants is a book about leadership, choices in life and the potential in everyone to make a difference. Author Lindsay Levin, who founded the social enterprise Leaders' Quest in 2001, tells the stories of some of the people she has met through her work, and their impact on the world.
Levin takes readers on a journey from Canary Wharf to the streets of Mumbai, and from a high-security prison in Johannesburg to Chengdu, where thousands of new tower blocks are transforming the city. We meet individuals who are overcoming obstacles, and often their own frailties, to change the lives of those around them.
The invisible giants of Levin's story are grassroots leaders who, despite a lack of education and resources, are re-energising their communities, and business executives who strive to integrate purpose alongside profit, in the face of institutional resistance. They are female activists in slums campaigning to end the exclusion of girls from school, and environmentalists tackling the effects of industrialisation on the world's ecosystem. They are also ordinary Israelis and Palestinians committed to peaceful coexistence who are delivering a courageous and sometimes unpopular message to their own people.
"In my experience, people have infinite potential to grow and to create. I have written this book to try and share some of this optimism," says Levin.
After 15 years as a successful entrepreneur, Levin founded the social enterprise Leaders' Quest in 2001, to bring together people from all disciplines and sectors who want to use their unique influence to create positive change in the world. Her work has brought her into contact with an extraordinary range of leaders from across the world - some highly visible, and some not.
"Our work at Leaders' Quest is about bringing people together - from CEOs to grassroots activists - to learn from the unfamiliar and recognise the capacity they have to improve the world around them. The lives of these invisible giants have struck a chord with me. Not because they are inherently more virtuous than high profile leaders, but because their stories are rarely told and because they have a vital role to play in creating a brighter future."
"The book is also the story of my own quest to ask: "what really matters?" and to find out where the answers can take me."
Invisible Giants is published by Vala and will be available to buy online, at high street bookshops, or directly from the publishers at http://www.valapublishers.coop/invisiblegiants, from March 2013. It costs £16.99, and all the author's royalties go to the Leaders' Quest Foundation, a registered charity.
A launch event will be held on Tuesday 5th March at London's Paramount, on the 31st floor of Centre Point, 101-103 New Oxford Street (right next to Tottenham Court Road tube station), from 6.30pm until 8.30pm. It will be a stimulating gathering of corporate and community leaders, including some of the invisible giants who feature in the book. Lindsay will be speaking about the book and her work and taking part in a short Q&A.
The event is free but places are strictly limited. To reserve a place, please contact Richard.roberts@leadersquest.org.
What readers are saying
"Generous, deeply personal and beautifully written." Tom Glocer, former CEO, Thomson Reuters
"An important and enjoyable read for business leaders who want to better understand the complex relationships between people, culture, attitudes and opportunities that shape our world. Invisible Giants challenges us to think differently about business and the role of leaders. Reading it is, in itself, an inspiring journey, with wonderful stories of exceptional people beating the odds to accomplish extraordinary things." Bob Bechek, Worldwide Managing Director, Bain & Company
"It's not about privileged do-gooders who clamour for media attention, but "karmayogis": people who bring about change in quiet and purposeful ways. Truly inspiring, with powerful lessons for everyone." Anu Aga, Chairperson, Teach For India; Director, Thermax Limited
About the author
After 15 years as a successful entrepreneur, Lindsay Levin founded Leaders' Quest in 2001, to connect leaders from all disciplines and sectors, and explore solutions to global issues.
A strong NGO advocate, her work ranges from searching for new initiatives that address poverty and environmental sustainability, to helping businesses redefine values and shift culture.
From 2008 to 2012 she was Chair of the International Steering Committee of OneVoice, a conflict resolution movement working to strengthen civil society in Israel and Palestine, and she regularly facilitates workshops and dialogues in the region.
About Leaders' Quest
Leaders' Quest works with people from all walks of life - from CEOs of multinational companies, to grassroots organisers - who use their unique influence to create positive change in the world. It designs experiential learning journeys which enable them to ask tough questions about business, society and their own leadership, and look for answers together. It runs programmes in Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe and the Middle East.
Find out more at: http://www.leadersquest.org
About the publisher
The Vala Publishing Co-operative is an adventure in community supported publishing. They publish high quality books that explore and celebrate the human spirit with brave and authentic ways of thinking and being.
Vala is co-owned and democratically managed by its members.
Find out more at: http://www.valapublishers.coop
Media contact
For more information, to order a review copy of Invisible Giants, or to schedule an interview with Lindsay Levin, please contact either Richard.roberts@leadersquest.org or melanie.george@leadersquest.org, or call +44(0)208-948-5208.
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