John Hope Bryant

Leadership Quote of the Day

"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. 
Talent will not; nothing in the world is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. 
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is a proverb. 
Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. 
Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."

~ Calvin Coolidge

From Gallup.Com: Economic Confidence in U.S. Hits New High

At -16, the Gallup U.S. Economic Confidence Index broke through a barrier last week, surpassing -17 for the first time in the four-plus years of Gallup Daily tracking. Last week's gains came entirely from the outlook component.

Read more at GALLUP.com.

 

From Gallup.Com: Americans, Including Catholics, Say Birth Control Is Morally OK`

Eighty-two percent of U.S. Catholics -- and 89% of all Americans -- say birth control is morally acceptable, making it the most acceptable of 18 behaviors Gallup asked about in its May Values and Beliefs survey.

Read more at GALLUP.com.

 

From Gallup.Com: Most Egyptians Expect a Fair, Honest Election

As Egyptians prepare to cast ballots in their presidential election, most have confidence in the electoral process and plan to participate. Most also believe the military will hand over power to a civilian government post-election.

Read more at GALLUP.com.

 

Special from OECD: Business in-a-box: a global skills solution

 

by John Hope Bryant 
Founder, Chairman and CEO of Operation HOPE and Bryant Group Companies, Chairman, Subcommittee on the Underserved and Community Empowerment for the U.S. President's Advisory Council on Financial Capability, bestselling Inc. Magazine/CEO READ business author for LOVE LEADERSHIP: The New Way to Lead in a Fear-Based World (Jossey-Bass)

OECD has just launched their OECD Skills Strategy, which I fully support. I call it the global-common-sense-plan-for-educational-relevancy.TheOECD Skills Strategy seeks to powerfully re-connect the power of education with youth aspirations globally, maybe for the first time in a generation.  Quoting my friend Jim Clifton, Chairman and CEO of Gallup, in his breakthrough book The Coming Jobs War, "this is the playoff game for the rest of our lives."

Globa Banking Factoid

There are 500,000 bank branches in the world today.

There are 5 billion cell phones in the world today.

Cell phones, or mobile banking, are the new bank branches.

 

 

The Next Banking Boom: The 2.5 Billion Unbanked Worldwide

Of the 5 billion adults in the world, staggeringly, only half have a bank account.

This is one of the huge findings from a global poll by the World Bank and Gallup, funded by the Gates Foundation. The report, by World Bank economists Asli Demirguc-Kunt and Leora Klapper, is brilliant.

This big finding means that 2.5 billion people are “unbanked,” therefore not participating in modern economic life. Advanced countries can feed them, clothe them, rush them medicine, school them -- but those people will never experience sustainable human development until they’re integrated into the global channels of buying and selling. Simply put, they need access to money and credit, and they need to have a bank account.

Read the complete and compelling story below.

The Next Banking Boom: The 2.5 Billion Unbanked Worldwide.

From Gallup.Com: One-Third of U.S. Small-Business Owners Feel Debt Burden

Thirty-six percent of U.S. small-business owners are uncomfortable with their company's debt, according to the April Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index poll. One in five past borrowers cannot get all the credit they need.

Read more at GALLUP.com.

From Gallup.Com: Americans' Optimism About Their Financial Future Recovers

Americans' expectations for their personal financial situations have recovered from the low point of four years ago, with 63% now saying they expect to be better off a year from now, up from 52% in late May/early June 2008.

Read more at GALLUP.com.

 

United Against Malaria and Operation HOPE Launch Bracelet “Business-in-a-Box”

On World Malaria Day, April 25th, the United Against Malaria (UAM) campaign and Operation HOPE (HOPE) announce the launch of the HOPE bracelet “Business-in-a-Box” (HBIAB) program. The initiative will empower young American entrepreneurs while also supporting malaria prevention and treatment efforts — the disease that kills a child in Africa every 60 seconds.

Read the complete story on the HOPE Blog here.