Review
“We regrettably live in a system of haves and have-nots, and I know nobody working harder than John Hope Bryant to deliver success and resources to those who feel left out. Our Creator intended each of us to share in the Earth’s bounty, and none of us should be without the means to achieve prosperity and wellness. This book explains how to claim your place at the table. “
—Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu
“John Bryant gives us a new understanding of the world in which we live. Normally we approach the world through votes and politics, when ultimate power has always been with the money, and having been ambassador, mayor, congressman, and civil rights leader, I must confess I am still struggling to make sense of the present global economy. Atlanta’s success was clearly that we ignored Washington and went to Wall Street. Washington has $20 trillion, the US government has $20 trillion and $18 trillion in debt. Wall Street has available in excess of $60–70 trillion. Atlanta made the shift to globalization, and our city has grown from about 1.7 million in 1982 to over 6 million presently, and the only explanation that I have is we were willing to reach beyond government debt and politics and engage with the money centers of the planet. The truth of it is, the press and the Congress and the Senate and even the FBI are thinking nationally, but the major decisions of the world are a part of the global economy. Dr. King’s efforts to redeem the soul of America from the triple evils of racism, war, and poverty was right on target, but his vision was stalled by a single bullet. They may have killed a dreamer, but John Bryant continues to pursue the dream that all God’s children are endowed with inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The Memo gives suggestions on how we might help ourselves and each other through earning, investing, and managing money.”
—Ambassador Andrew Young, Chairman, Andrew J. Young Foundation, and Global Spokesman, Operation HOPE
“John captures how our world, with its amazing technological advances, has no space for those who procrastinate. To reimagine what is possible, people need more than just access to financial tools and services. The sense of urgency and ownership he describes can help us to put those tools to work to benefit ourselves and ensure that we won’t have the Internet of Everything without the Inclusion of Everyone.”
—Ajay Banga, President and CEO, MasterCard
“The Memo is what so many in America need to truly realize their full potential. My life is testimony to just about everything that John has placed in the bindings of this book. I grew up on the rough side of Chicago but found my Identity Project standing next to the playing side of a piano in Seattle. Just that one thing changed the trajectory of my life. And relationship capital—well, next to having talent, of course—this has proven to be everything in my life. I am now a global citizen, with business and partners around the world. I ‘got the memo.’ I have known John Hope Bryant for a long time and can say he has been fighting tirelessly to bridge the gap between the haves and the have-nots. You should read this book. It made my soul smile.”
—Quincy Jones, entertainment icon and CEO, Quincy Jones Productions
“John Hope Bryant makes a clear and compelling case for taking control of your future by managing your ‘inner capital.’ With The Memo, he shows how to tap into your wisdom, creativity, and intuition to lead a successful, thriving life.”
—Arianna Huffington, cofounder and former Editor-in-Chief, The Huffington Post
“At a time in our history when it becomes crystal clear that finding untapped hope, discovering untapped opportunity, and believing in people is a core strength in any society—or a company like Delta for that matter—John Hope Bryant shares The Memo. John and I both value ‘relationship capital’—it’s how we met. The Memo is a sort of ‘StrengthsFinder’ for the reader (to quote our friends at Gallup).”
—Ed Bastian, CEO, Delta Air Lines
“John Hope Bryant brings both insight and inspiration to the quest for financial independence. His experience and vision combine to help people help one another and themselves, building a more inclusive economy and a brighter world.”
—Bill Rogers, Chairman and CEO, SunTrust Banks, Inc.
"Amid the overabundance of financial advice today, The Memo stands apart with its straightforward, five-step guide to leveraging one’s inner strengths toward sustainable economic independence. John Hope Bryant has dedicated his life to educating the poor in financial responsibility, and his simple solutions for navigating a complex landscape are an absolute must-read."
—Andrea Jung, CEO, Grameen America, and former Chairman and CEO, Avon Products
“Our future is indentured so long as so many of our students and families are in debt. John Hope Bryant is leading the charge to help each of us free ourselves from this burden. We all will be better off if we get The Memo!”
—Benjamin Jealous, Partner, Kapor Capital, and former President and CEO, NAACP
“The Memo is a clear and compelling course in self-reliance and self-sufficiency . . . prescribing a new world order where opportunities are ubiquitous and may be accessed without the burden of economic encumbrance.”
—Lisa Borders, President, Women’s National Basketball Association
“John Hope Bryant offers a simple message for personal success and a better world: respect and believe in yourself, build something that inspires you and helps others, live within your means, keep your promises, and invest in a home for your family. These are eternal truths, rooted in religion, moral philosophy, and practical experience. In a complex, challenging, and confusing world, we all need clarity, honesty, and insight. There’s a great deal of all three in this fine book. Let’s get on with it!”
—Seán Cleary, Executive Vice Chair, FutureWorld Foundation
“Aim not at receiving a fish, as you will have fish for a day. Aim not at learning how to fish, for you will have fish for a lifetime. Aim at owning the pond, and you will have fish for generations. Understand that the small business is the heart of America, and the megabusiness grows out of the heart connecting with the mind. The Memo exalts wisdom and education—from the Latin educo, drawn out, not spaced out—drawn out of the darkness of ignorance, misunderstanding, self-devaluation. Drawn out of poverty.”
—Rev. Cecil L. "Chip" Murray, retired Pastor, First AME Church, Los Angeles
Professor, Center for Religion and Civic Culture, USC
Cofounder, Cecil Murray Center for Community Engagement, USC
“With The Memo, John Hope Bryant blends his real-world experience and practical guidance to create a life model for taking economic control. It is a plan for taking control to achieve financial stability for the individual. It is a plan for building the financial stability of the neighborhood and community. The Memo is a means for us to begin leveling the economic playing field and creating a much broader sense of ownership in our shared economic future.”
—Bryan Jordan, Chairman, President, and CEO, First Horizon National Corporation
“Bryant’s rules for economic liberation are applicable to all who recognize that inner capital is the currency for success. He brilliantly tackles the root cause of the invisible class and shines a light on the path to a life well spent through one’s mindset, spirit, and action.”
—Susan Somersille Johnson, Corporate Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, SunTrust Banks, Inc.
“Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr. presented for America a vision that is still uncompleted. This book presents a simultaneously inspiring and hands-on memo on what is needed on the way there. John Hope Bryant is what our time acutely needs: dignity in action!”
—Dr. Pekka Himanen, philosopher and cofounder of Global Dignity
“John brings the type of generational leadership America needs during a time when the financial illiteracy epidemic has reached epic proportions. Through his vision and approachable guide to economic well-being outlined in The Memo, I believe a path to prosperity and happiness is well within a person’s reach. This book should be required reading and could not have arrived at a more necessary time.”
—Zak Pym Williams, actor
“I don’t know anybody who can deliver ‘the memo’ better than John Hope Bryant. He has something to say to every one of us who falls short in our self-esteem and confidence as financial beings. Read this book and reclaim your power to live to your full potential.”
—Peter Ueberroth, Managing Director,The Contrarian Group, Former Major League Baseball Commissioner.
“By sharing the key concepts and experiences that have contributed to his success, John Hope Bryant provides a formula for upgrading your personal software and understanding how to leverage yourself in today’s society.”
—Steve Case, Chairman and CEO, Revolution, and cofounder of AOL
“Too many of us in America have lost our way. We are overwhelmed with the extreme poverty in our lives and hearts and the seeming impossibility of attaining the success we see in papers, movies, or the swell streets far away next door. John Bryant gives you hope. He builds your body and soul so you can reach for your own star, to be the success of your dreams, one step at a time. He helps you climb to the best you can be, and that’s a splendid place to end up. All you’ve got to do is read, listen, act. Every one of us can do it. You can do it!”
—Peter Georgescu, Chairman Emeritus, Young & Rubicam
“It’s not easy being young these days. People tell you that your formal education probably hasn’t given you the right skills for the job market, that you need to reskill every two years, and that you can’t expect someone to give you a job—you need to create one. No wonder youth are feeling the pressure. John Hope Bryant has always been a beacon of light for the economically disaffected. His latest manifesto is a powerful road map for any young person who is seeking answers to the existential questions that Gen X inadvertently burdened them with. If ever there was a one-stop shop for 21st-century life and career advice, this is it. “
—Clare Woodcraft-Scott, CEO, Emirates Foundation
“There is only one truth: it is the power that lies in all of us. If we have the right ‘glasses’ to see this power, we can use it to build the financial destiny we want. This book gives us the necessary vision and real-life practical tools to climb our financial mountain and enjoy the beautiful sunny summit that we deserve. İt is authentic, moving, and refreshing, both for our mind and our soul.
—Özlem Denizmen, entrepreneur, Young Global Leader, author, and spearhead of the financial literacy movement in Turkey
“This book delivers the missing ingredient in the financial lives of too many people today: hope. Without pity or bromides, John lays out for all human beings their economic power and potential. Whoever you are and whatever your bank account, you have something to learn from this amazing book.”
—Chris Gardner, owner and CEO, Christopher Gardner International Holdings
“The Memo will have you take a hard look at your inner self. John is giving his readers raw examples of his personal life in hopes of empowering them to invest in themselves, to be responsible, and to make the world a better place for all of us.”
—Rev. Dr. C. T. Vivian, founder of C. T. Vivian Leadership Institute
“This is one of the most inspiring books I have read in thirty years. After showing ‘how the poor can save capitalism’ through his commitment to financial literacy and entrepreneurship, John Hope Bryant is contributing practical personal development solutions to lift people and communities out of poverty and into mainstream America. John’s call for people to aspire to build something, whether a small business or a large corporation, instead of merely looking for a job, has the power to transform America and the rest of the world at a time when technological breakthroughs, while creating new jobs and wealth, are making millions more jobs obsolete. His book should be mandatory reading in high schools.”
—Karim Hajji, CEO, Casablanca Stock Exchange
“John Hope Bryant has once again written an essential book. He distills the many accomplishments in his own life—and a few failures as well—into a simple and practical road map for achieving personal and professional fulfillment. At a time when so many Americans feel trapped—by money, by the system, by their commitments—Bryant reminds us that breaking the cycle starts with each one of us acknowledging our own incredible humanity. Best of all, his message transcends today’s fractured political landscape, with common-sense actions that anyone can get behind. The Memo is nothing less than a field manual for success in the 21st century.”
—Paul Smyke, Head of North America and Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum, LLC
“The Memo is a fresh and inspirational take on how to think about money, success, and personal fulfillment. John Hope Bryant offers important advice that will shift the mindset around achieving financial security.”
—Ellen Alemany, Chairwoman and CEO, CIT Group
“This book sets one’s mind to be focused on life principles rather than just life outcomes, to be focused on developing one’s heart and mind. This book will ensure that wealth is developed not only in financial capital but also through the mental capacity that makes it timeless. The life principles that one develops through this book are invaluable as these are the principles that get us to focus on our lives as a whole and the components that make it up. In this book, one learns that prosperity is not only financial but spiritual and physical.”
—Phuti Mahanyele, Executive Chairperson, Sigma Capital
“At a time when so many believe that the American Dream is dead, The Memo offers hope in the form of a prescription for prosperity. John Hope Bryant takes five fundamental principles of financial and social well-being and stitches them together to form a road map that will deliver financial freedom for individuals, families, and communities. Unpacking John’s basic rules should be dinner table conversation across America to inspire all generations to embrace their potential to realize financial and social freedom.”
—Frank Martell, President and CEO, CoreLogic, Inc.
“There are two books every black person in America must own and read: the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Chaos or Community and John Hope Bryant’s The Memo. The future survival of black America depends on it. Period."
—Roland S. Martin, Host/Managing Editor, NewsOne Now, TV One, and Senior Analyst, Tom Joyner Morning Show
About the Author
John Hope Bryant is the founder, chairman, and CEO of Operation HOPE, Inc.; CEO of Bryant Group Ventures and The Promise Home Company; and cofounder of Global Dignity. He has been recognized by the last five US presidents and served as an advisor for the last three. Bryant is the recipient of hundreds of awards and citations for his work, including American Banker’s 2016 "Innovator of the Year,” Inc.’s “The World’s 10 Top CEOs” (honorable mention), and Time’s “50 for the Future.” He is the author of two bestselling books: How the Poor Can Save Capitalism and Love Leadership.
Jim Clifton is the chairman and CEO of Gallup and the author of The Coming Jobs War.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
History has shown that when societies fall apart, they fray first from the bottom, and then the top falls inward.
So it is an article of common sense to me that we all need to work hard to strengthen the so-called bottom of our society. Particularly because this is the group that has always made up the true strivers of society.
The bottom is where society’s builders come from every hundred years or so. We must once again become a Nation of Builders.
We must continue to work to revitalize hope and a sense of opportunity for the people at the bottom—the people for whom the system is not currently working—to create a path- way forward.
Expanding opportunity, providing a level playing field where the rules are published and there exists fair play for all, and ultimately providing the tools and essential services for the true empowerment of the person—these are the aims of Operation HOPE.
Providing dignity for all. Building an economy for all. These and more are the building blocks of hope.
We live today in strained and trying times, from racial tensions and poverty in the United States, to immigrant tensions and poverty in Europe, to military tensions and poverty in the Middle East, to abusive tensions and poverty in Latin America, to authoritarian tensions and poverty throughout large parts of Asia and the African continent. And then you have a toxic mix of these things in many truly troubled parts of the world. But consistent among all the regions of the world is the challenge of poverty.
The poverty I speak of is different than the poverty you were taught about in school or you hear about in the news. The pov- erty you were taught about is what I call “sustenance poverty,” a numerical understanding of at what level the available food, shelter, and health care is simply not enough. Beyond solving for the critically important human dignity areas of hunger, shelter, and other basic life necessities, the sort of poverty I speak of here is the most devastating to the human spirit.
This poverty, which I first outlined in the HOPE Doctrine on Poverty in How the Poor Can Save Capitalism, is first and foremost one of lost confidence and devastated esteem (the first 50 percent).
Bad role models and a negative, repressive environment fol- low (the next 25 percent).
The final 25 percent consists of a lack of aspiration, which is a code word for hope, and no clear path to mainstream opportunity.
The most dangerous person in the world is a person with no hope.
A poverty of the soul and spirit perverts the good direction of a person, leading to a whole host of bad things, including depression and lost hope. This type of poverty is dangerous to the very fabric of a sustainable global society. It is the one thing that works against our own well-being in the world the most.
I formed Operation HOPE to combat poverty in all its guises and forms.
The HOPE Doctrine on Wealth
This book is my view of the world—its problems and its pos- sibilities—through an economic lens. As I unpack the book, I will refer to the commonly used word capital in a different way. The word capital comes from the Latin root word capita or “knowledge in the head.” In other words, capital at its core has nothing to do with money. And, by the way, neither does true, sustainable wealth.
If I give a homeless man a million dollars, he will be broke in six months. If I observe a rich man with no “knowledge in the head,” I will find him broke within a generation or less. As an early English proverb states, “A fool and his money are soon parted.”
And so, in this book, I present a new HOPE Doctrine on Wealth, outlined below and discussed at length later in the book.
True wealth has little to do with money. My own wealth, as an example, came from my embrace of the free-enterprise system, my opportunity mind-set, my critically important relationship capital, my entrepreneurial hustle, and finally my unwavering belief in myself—my spiritual capital. I unpack all of this in the book.
You will find that the wealthy in the world possess confi- dence and self-esteem (the first 50 percent of true wealth).
Either through their natural family or people they’ve met along the way, they all also have good role models and an enabling environment (the next 25 percent).
Finally, they have high aspirations (hope), and they all gen- erally see opportunity everywhere (the last 25 percent).
Together, these make up a formula for a new and achievable
HOPE Doctrine on Wealth.
But how do people get there?
What are the building blocks and the steps forward when almost none of these enabling factors are present in your life?
What is the magic sauce that the wealthy and successful have that the struggling classes somehow missed out on?
Certainly, it is not because one group is better than the other. Because they are not. I have seen brilliant men and women who are homeless, and I have seen idiots and fools with money.
The missing sauce is the Memo.
What Is the Memo and Who Didn’t Get It?
A super majority of people here in the United States and around the world have one thing in common: They never got what I call “the Memo.” They were never told how this world actually works.
How do you prosper? How do you excel? At a more defen- sive and basic level, how do you protect yourself from societal injustices and a lack of fair play in the twenty-first century?
These are questions I address directly in this book (it’s less of a “how-to” and more of a “how-to-think”).
While I’ve placed the full version of the Memo at the beginning of the book, everything you really need to know can be summed up in just a couple of sentences:
Your power comes from economic independence, which
is also what protects you against social injustice, economic manipulation, and profiling on all levels. Nobody is going to give you that power. You must gain it for yourself. Don’t
waste time on anger; instead, use your inner capital to level the playing field.
This super majority of people who never got the Memo make up what I call the Invisible Class. They come in all shapes, colors, and sizes.
The Invisible Class includes American urban youth with too much time on their hands. Even when they have a real pas- sion for success and a desire for economic freedom, they don’t have enough education to differentiate themselves in a market economy. Worst of all, they don’t possess enough real opportu- nity in their lives to divert their attention from the dangerous and life-altering call of the streets.
It includes rural adults in small towns with a high school education, good hands, and a hearty work ethic that fifty years ago would have earned them a “family wage” with blue-collar skills. But these “assets” provide not much of any real aspira- tional value today.
They are residents of the poor and disconnected suburbs in cities throughout Europe. I am talking about people in the areas right outside of Paris and London who have rioted in recent years against the changes they see happening to their way of living.
I am talking about large swaths of people under the age of twenty-five in the Middle East and North Africa region— increasingly, the majority of the populations in countries such as Saudi Arabia and Morocco. Young, educated, Internet- connected, jobless, and frustrated.
The Invisible Class is the immigrants flooding into coun- tries from civil war–ravaged lands the world over.
The Invisible Class includes gang members and gang orga- nizers. They are the illegal, unethical entrepreneurs that the world knows to be drug dealers. Dumb (in terms of their busi- ness plans and chosen toxic professions), but far from stupid.
Some members of the Invisible Class join ISIS because they don’t fit in anywhere else and resent what feels like the unfair- ness of the world.
The Invisible Class also includes the struggling American middle class, people making an average of $50,000 a year and still having “too much month at the end of their money.”
The Invisible Class is people who are outside of the economic system of success, and they don’t really know why, so understandably they get frustrated by it. They are angry with it. They don’t know how to get ahead in the midst of the growing global competition for jobs and opportunity.
In the United States, for example, these are people who are not truly “seen” by the economy, by politicians, by public policy makers, by big business interests, or even largely by academics and the media. Worst of all, increasingly, they don’t even see themselves. They don’t see their own potential. They—like the aspirational nation they live in—have lost what I call their “storyline.” They have lost connection with that special sauce in America that made this nation successful in the first place. They have totally disconnected from the fact that most of the wealth in this nation and in almost every other developed country in the world (with the exception of wealth through government contracting or crime) came from poor people.
The Invisible Class is people who are experiencing a twenty-first-century crisis of confidence and personal faith, which is impacting their self-esteem.
People in this group are giving in to fear and giving up hope that they can realize their dreams. They don’t even think that their children will do better than they have. Truth be told, they are pretty confident that their children will do worse.
People in the Invisible Class don’t feel seen, and, this I know for sure, everyone wants to be seen. Everyone wants to know that they count. They want to know that they mat- ter and that what they believe, do, and think is important.
This group equals more than 150 million people in the United States of America, and more than five billion of the world’s seven billion population around the world.
These are people—black, white, brown, red, or yellow—who never got the Memo.
The people in this group have a lot in common (despite racial differences), but they have been pitted against each other.
“Someone (other than me) has to be the one to blame for the mess called my life,” goes the narrative, which plays on deep fears of a class environment and standards of living in constant decline.
This narrative is offensive to the soul, as it gets each subgroup further and further from the essential truths about their respective lives, truths needed for a reawaken- ing of their potential.
Who Is This Book For?
In writing this book, my demographic changed. It expanded.
I wrote this book because it sticks in my brain that the wealthiest eighty-five individuals have more wealth than 3.5 billion people on the planet, and this is simply not sustainable. It is immoral. It is not good—even for the wealthy that belong to the club of eighty-five.
Even more troubling to me, in the United States, the wealthi- est 1 percent captured 95 percent of the post–financial crisis growth since 2009, while the bottom 90 percent became poorer.
This book is for the bottom 90 percent.
It is not just for people with low credit scores in rundown neighborhoods. It is for everyone who is struggling. I am speaking to black and white, rich and poor, Republican and Democrat, anyone who is seeing their life seep away—and wants their dream back.
This book is for you no matter where you are. You may have gotten one or two of the five rules of economic independence, but you still don’t feel economically independent. You may have a 725 credit score, but you’re sitting at your computer all day and your relationships are dwindling, and you’re unable to get ahead. You may be sitting there thinking, “If I’m doing all the right things and still struggling, then the system has to be rigged.”
No, actually, there’s just some important stuff nobody told you. Nobody gave you the Memo.
I wrote this book for you.
