First up, we have to start with Background Conference Participant 1.

Of all of the nearly 13,000 words I’ve written for this newsletter this year, that one phrase has stirred the most response.

It’s been a delight to see my inbox, and whatever you call the place where Linkedin Messages go, filled with slightly blurred, but very supportive photos of so many of you. (If you need a quick BCP refresher, click here)

On the conference circuit, speakers come and go. But it is us, the BCPs of the world, who keep the whole events industry running. 

That got me thinking. At the bottom of this email, I’m launching our inaugural competition that will tie a bow around a big first year of this newsletter community and celebrate all the BCPs in the IP (impact professional) world.

Before that, I’ve got an impact-inspired summer reading list for you. 

Three legendary IPs have released (or re-released) books this month.
They are the perfect accompaniment to long afternoons at the beach, a glass of something in your hand, resting under the shade of one of several hundred Cool Cabanas. 

Or for our northern hemisphere readers, a small solace amid the long, dark hours of winter.

Either way, let’s jump in.

You’ve probably already heard about this book.

Phoebe, the founder of Missing Perspectives, has continued her incredible, Taylor Swift-like productivity streak, producing a book that not only gives a unique perspective on policy and power, but has united former Prime Ministers, John Howard and Julia Gillard, in their praise.

The Right Hand explores the experiences and reflections of the Chiefs-of-Staff (pluralising compound nouns brings me a special type of pedantic joy) of some of the world’s most notable modern leaders - from Nelson Mandela, to Jacinda Ardern.

The interviews are presented in free-flowing form, with reflections, scene-setting and insights from Phoebe interspersed throughout.

"Once you dig a little deeper, you find that the resilience of our democratic institutions doesn't come from ideals or politics - it comes from the people that both constitute and shape them... for me, no one embodies this idea more than the chief of staff - a role that's deliberately invisible, but incredibly influential"

And, if you’re in Sydney you can catch Phoebe chatting with Ben Hubbard, the former Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Julia Gillard on Saturday 29th November at the one and only, Gleebooks. Tickets here.

If you haven’t yet heard about this book, you will very soon… well obviously you’re about to read 100 words on it, but I mean, more generally…in the zeitgeist...what I’m saying is, get in on the ground floor!

I first met Aaron, the author of Far Horizons, when I joined the Board of ygap, an organisation he co-founded to back local entrepreneurs in emerging markets, like Kenya and Fiji.

You’d think, catalysing that organisation alone would be enough. But, there’s a lot more to Aaron’s story. 

Far Horizons is Aaron’s memoir. The story picks up with Aaron learning of the September 11 attacks on the final night of a naval training exercise; then being deployed to the Persian Gulf as a seventeen year old. We follow along as he grows cynical with the war he was fighting, and then trace his responses, through hedonism to idealism; as he and wife Kailtin book a one way flight to Kenya - determined to turn a net negative impact in war, into a net positive one.

For anyone who came of age in the agony and optimism of the early 2000s, Aaron’s story is marked by the same world events as yours, but the amplitude of the response is bigger - and it makes for a wild ride.

Aaron has called it ‘Eat, Pray, Love; but with guns’ - a description which is worth the price alone.

Mick is one of the co-founders of Global Citizen; and across his career has brought together some of the most unlikely coalitions for impact.

I’m talking “US rapper Post Malone on stage in Central Park with Dr Jane Goodall talking about conservation” kind of unlikely.

For more than a decade, Global Citizen has blended pop culture and policy to mobilise some truly world-shaping initiatives. This year alone, they’ve helped to mobilise more than $1bn in funding to protect the Amazon, supporting indigenous-led, nature-first solutions; and launched a $100m Global Education Fund alongside FIFA.

It’s easy to dismiss celebrity-driven campaigns as being shallow and short-lived. But Global Citizen has proved time and again that a deep knowledge of policy, government and the institutions that house them, coupled with the power of pop-culture, deployed at the right time, in the right way - in partnership with local communities and organisations - can be a formidable combination in shaping people-powered movements that work.

After decades leading social impact movements, Mick wrote From Ideas to Impact as a playbook for influencing and implementing change in a divided world - in fact, he breaks it down into 8 steps with examples from real world campaigns along the way. 

And, if you’re over in Western Australia, Mick will be back home for a few public talks before the end of the year - you can catch him at Curtin University.

Ok, fellow Background Conference Participants, now is your time to shine.

I’ve got a copy of each book profiled above; and I will send one of them to each of the three best BCP pictures I get sent between now and the end of the month (deadline 30th November at 4:59pm AEDT). 

Reply to this email and send in the best picture of you as a Background Conference Participant, and if you’re one of the lucky 3, you could have one of these great books above in your hands, just in time for you to read, and re-gift for Christmas!

Good luck!

Tim

PS: Got a colleague or a friend you want to make sure sees those emails? Forward them this one and tell them to sign up.

PPS: Got a suggestion or a question, hit reply and let me know.