From the Publisher
Bill Strickland has spend the past thirty years transforming the
lives of thousands of people through Manchester Bidwell, the jobs
training center and community arts program he founded in
Pittsburgh. Working with corporations, community leaders, and
schools, he and his staff strive to give disadvantaged kids and
adults the opportunities and tools they need to envision and build
a better, brighter future.
In Make the Impossible Possible, Bill Strickland shows how
each of us, by adopting the attitudes and beliefs he has lived by
every day, can reach our fullest potential and achieve the
impossible in our lives and careers--and perhaps change the world a
little in the process. Through lessons from Strickland''s own life
experiences and those of countless others who have overcome
challenging circumstances and turned their lives around, Make
the Impossible Possible teaches us how to build on our
passions and strengths, dream bigger and set the bar higher,
achieve meaningful success, and inspire the lives of others.
From the Jacket
Acclaim for Make the Impossible Possible
"Passionate. Inspirational. Hopeful. Optimistic. Powerful.
Compelling. And most important- it works . . . Here is the cure to
what ails this country. Take it home. Read it. Then live it." -Alan
M. Webber, founding editor, Fast Company magazine
"Are you yearning to pursue what others say is an unrealistic or
impractical dream? This is the book for you. By telling his
remarkable story, Bill Strickland shows us that an impossible
notion is just an idea nobody had the guts to try. With great
flair and amazing range-you'll read about jazz, pottery, airplanes,
even orchids!-he reveals how each of us can change our part of the
world. Like the man who wrote it, this book is inspired and
inspiring." -Daniel H. Pink, New York Times bestselling
author of A Whole New Mind
"Bill Strickland is a genius, because he sees the inherent genius
in everyone. Bill's ability to inspire hope is powerful, universal,
and world changing. Make the Impossible Possible will show
you how you can achieve even your wildest dreams. Bravo!" -Jeff
Skoll, first president of eBay, founder and chairman, Skoll
Foundation
"We often hear the word inspire, likely allowing it to pass and not
sink in our psyche.
However we often will never forget things that inspire us. A visit
to see Bill Strickland's concept in Pittsburgh was one of those
events for me. Now you can read about how he was driven to build
it." -Jim Hackett, President and CEO, Steelcase, Inc.
"Bill Strickland could sell anything . . . Read this book and
you'll understand why he is such an inspiration to practicing and
aspiring entrepreneurs." -James Heskett, Harvard Business
School
PRAISE FOR BILL STRICKLAND AND MANCHESTER BIDWELL
"One of the most innovative social enterprise thinkers I have ever
met. The 'Strickland' thought process is that of a highly trained
jazz musician, coupled with a keen business sense . . . He is
definitely one of my major heroes." -Quincy Jones
"The Manchester Craftsmen's Guild is a testament to the power of
the arts to transform children's lives. Its students learn much
more than how to shape clay, take pictures, and appreciate jazz.
They leave the Guild knowing that they have the potential and tools
to become successful and productive citizens." -Hillary Rodham
Clinton
About the Author
BILL STRICKLAND is CEO of Manchester Bidwell, a jobs training
center and community arts program. At Manchester Craftsmen Guild,
he offers programs in ceramics, photography, and painting to
hundreds of kids a year, ninety percent of whom get high school
diplomas and enroll in college. And at the Bidwell Training Center,
adults receive training in professional careers such as the
culinary arts, pharmacology, and horticultural technology, through
partnerships with major corporations in the area. The center
includes a 350-seat jazz auditorium, a 40,000-square-foot
greenhouse covering half a city block, a state-of-the-art chemistry
lab, a full-scale ceramics department, and a culinary institute. As
a result of his work, Strickland has received a MacArthur
Fellowship "genius" grant, has lectured at Harvard Graduate School
of Education, has served on the board of the National Endowment for
the Arts, and he and Manchester Bidwell have been the subject of
three Harvard Business School case studies. He lives in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania.
Trade Paperback
240 Pages, 5.14 x 7.98 x 0.61 in
October 20, 2009
Crown Publishing Group
English
0385520557
9780385520553