Jim Bildner: Turning hope into action
Jim Bildner, CEO of Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation and author of his new book A Matter of Hope
Jim Bildner, CEO of Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, has spent his career investing in people who believe they can make the world better. His new book, A Matter of Hope, is filled with their stories.
Jim writes candidly about what it means to find hope when life feels hopeless. The result is a deeply personal reminder that hope isn’t passive. It is something we choose, cultivate, and turn into action.
DRK Foundation is a valued funding partner of the Morgridge Family Foundation, and we were grateful for the opportunity to talk with Jim about his book, his leadership journey, and why he believes hope matters now more than ever.
What inspired you to write this book, and why did now feel like the right time to share these ideas?
We are living in an incredibly complicated world with seemingly endless challenges, and yet, at DRK Foundation, we see our portfolio organizations take on these challenges and make a difference in the lives of millions of people every day. They are providing access to critical health care, educational opportunities, safe food and water, employment, and so much more to communities where this access didn’t exist.
And as I have talked to thousands of people these past six months, I sensed a growing feeling that in times like these, change is too hard. So it just seemed like the right time to show folks that hope and belief in a better future is in all our hands, and that everyone —and I mean everyone—can harness that hope and turn it into action.
Throughout your career, you've bet on people long before their potential was obvious to others. What have those experiences taught you about recognizing leadership and potential—in others and in ourselves?
When I look at the nearly 280 people and organizations we have backed, they all share a common characteristic that is core to who they are. It’s in their heart, in their soul, and propels them forward. That characteristic is a fundamental belief that they have the power to change lives for the better. They are also some of the most selfless individuals on the planet. Not looking for glory, but instead finding purpose in their lives.
Looking back, what's one leadership lesson you learned the hard way that has fundamentally changed how you lead today?
Such a great question. When I grew up, leadership was taught as something transactional, and leaders were taught to never show weakness. As a consequence, these leaders often lacked authenticity, and the teams they led rarely connected with them. Today, leadership is all about vulnerability, empathy, and being comfortable not knowing the answers to every question, but relying instead on the belief that you and your team share the same mission and that everyone on the team has each other’s “back”. It’s an incredibly powerful shift in behavior and makes all the difference in the world.
Hope and optimism can sometimes feel like lofty ideals, yet you've built your career around solving incredibly difficult problems. What gives you hope today, and how do you cultivate it?
Hope is a verb. It’s something you do, not something you just say. And to be clear, turning hope into action is hard work and takes time, lots of it. But like a drop of water, the ripples from that work grow exponentially, creating greater and greater bands of change. And I see it first-hand every day, in the faces of the leaders we work with and the people they serve.
So for me, hope is everywhere. You just have to see it and act. And by so doing, not only will you change someone else’s life, you change your life as well in a way you never thought possible.
If someone picked up your book at exactly the right moment in their career, what do you hope they'll have the courage to do differently after reading it?
Decide to act to make a difference in the lives of others. There is simply no limit to what you can accomplish. And now is the time.
More information about A Matter of Hope can be found here.
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