THE PROMISE OF A PENCIL | KAIROS GLOBAL | FEBRUARY 2021

Author: Noel Benno Joseph

Intro: Noel Benno Joseph reviews the book, Pencils of Promise by Adam Braun.

When was the last time you felt determined to change the world but had not an iota of clue where to start? Quite often we are lost in thought, amazed at myriad of ways people make meaningful impact in the world around them. Scientists, artists, entrepreneurs – we have them all around us. Despite countless stories of impact, we come back to the perennial question of where does one start. Where does inspiration lie? What does it take? Adam Braun, in his autobiographical account Pencils of Promise offers a glimpse into how a chance encounter of his, lead to setting up of a non-profit organisation that breaks ground for new schools every four days.

Born with many advantages and given an Ivy League education, Adam left a lucrative job at a Wall Street firm to apply his skills and learnings to make a change in the lives of the underprivileged. In this fascinating autobiography he shares his journey from growing up in a wealthy New York suburb to heading a ‘for-purpose’ organisation focused on building schools, training teachers and awarding scholarship in the worlds most destitute communities. In what comes across as an honest retelling of the journey, Adam outlines his successes and failures that threw light on his ambitions, set his course straight and kept him motivated to go forth on his mission. Don’t mistake this book to give you a glimpse of how non-profit organisations function, or how to secure funding for your big idea – because it clearly doesn’t. Take it as the story of a real person (with a good number of odds to his favour) juggling with impact, uncertainty, purpose, networks and effort. Add to the mix some really interesting takeaways, some of which are predictable – the whole book makes up for an interesting read on inspiration, ideas and actions coming together.   

Despite having not the most captivating way of narration, the value of the book Pencils of Promise lies in the fact that little snippets catch your imagination and wonder every now and then. The entire account throws great emphasis on the value that people, and our community bring into our lives. If not for exceptional network that Adam built through emails and genuine curiosity in others work, the story of PoP would have been very different today. Reading through his account, one cannot overlook the impact of individuals like Dori, Rick, and his peers at Bain (Adam’s previous organisation). Though the book often runs the risk of much beaten path of self-help books, it does a commendable job of convincing the reader how inspired actions amplified through inspired individuals is the way to go about making meaningful impact in one’s community and across the world. 

Being sensitive to one’s intuitions and a relentless commitment to ones cause or purpose would be my key takeaways from Adams story. The narratives occasionally take you through paths that might be a little unrelatable, but the key messaging remains intact – with a focus on people, possibilities and a ton of gratitude. 

If you tend to write off millennials as entitled and self-absorbed, this readable lesson about good will and dedication could change your mind. 

A former William J. Clinton Fellow and TEDx speaker, Noel Benno is a Technology Strategy Consultant and enjoys cooking fish and meat while not busy with charts and excel sheets.