In this interview I sat down with Dizis Milkis from the Latvian major daily newspaper Diena, to speak about the global economic crisis and what I call the economic reset, the role of Love Leadership in this environment, and the global work of Operation HOPE.

I was in Latvia at the invitation of Latvian President Zatlers to speak at the Presidential Global Leaders Speakers Series at the University of Latvia.

John Hope Bryant is the founder, chairman and CEO of Operation HOPE, vice chairman of the U.S. President's Advisory Council on Financial Literacy as well as chairman of the Council Committee on the Under-Served,  financial literacy advisor to the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council, a Young Global Leaders for the World Economic Forum, and author of LOVE LEADERSHIP; A New Way to Lead in a Fear-Based World (Jossey-Bass), which debuted in August, 2009, on the CEO Reads Top 10 Best Seller List, and was published in November, 2009 in digital audio book format on Audible.com,  iTunes and other audio book retailers .    

Operation HOPE is featured in a great new book "The Road from Ruin: how to revive capitalism and put America back on top" by my friend Matthew Bishop of the Economist, and Michael Green, in which they call for a new movement to financial literacy as part of their plan to rescue the American economy.

They support my idea to that everyone needs to "learn the language of money" to succeed. I highly recommend their book.

You can find out more about it at www.theroadfromruin.com and on their facebook fansite http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/The-Road-from-Ruin/194765022911, and Matthew is on twitter @mattbish. 

Onward and with HOPE,

John Hope Bryant is the founder, chairman and CEO of Operation HOPE, vice chairman of the U.S. President's Advisory Council on Financial Literacy as well as chairman of the Council Committee on the Under-Served,  financial literacy advisor to the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council, a Young Global Leaders for the World Economic Forum, and author of LOVE LEADERSHIP; A New Way to Lead in a Fear-Based World (Jossey-Bass), which debuted in August, 2009, on the CEO Reads Top 10 Best Seller List, and was published in November, 2009 in digital audio book format on Audible.com,  iTunes and other audio book retailers .    

People born on February 6th are generally speaking, a group of special spirits with one thing in common -- we think big, love large, and want to change the world.  I was honored to be included on a Celebrity Listingof some 75 individuals and leaders born on this day.  They include President Ronald Reagan (who use to send me personal notes on our birthday when he was President), Babe Ruth, Bob Marley, Tom Brokaw, Natalie Cole and a host of others. 

For a complete compilation of the 75 Celebrities Born on February 6th List, you can do that here.

Thank you, to each and every one of you who have sent me your birthday wishes.  Deeply ttouched, and it is appreciated.

With HOPE,

John Hope Bryant

John Bryant accepted the President’s invitation to visit Latvia and give a guest lecture when they met at the recently concluded World Economic Forum in Davos. This year Mr. Bryant, a regular participant, spoke at the closing session. In August 2009, Mr. Bryant published the book Love Leadership: The New Way to Lead in a Fear-Based World that became a bestseller around the world.

John Bryant was an active advisor to the past two U.S. presidents. He is the founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Operation HOPE, America's first non-profit social investment banking organization. The organization operates in the USA and in South Africa. Operation HOPE has helped more than one million individuals and has raised over a half billion dollars in private sector for the underprivileged.

More detailed information about John Bryant is available at the homepage www.operationhope.org.

It will be the second speech in the lecture series organised by President Zatlers and the University of Latvia – “Lectures by World Leaders.” The first guest lecturer was the founder and executive director of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Professor Klaus Schwab. He visited Riga in September 2009.


Translated by students of the professional study programme Translator of the University of Latvia.

This photo, taken by my personal hero and mentor, civil rights icon and HOPE Global Spokesman Ambassador Andrew Young during our time filming RWANDA RISING in Rwanda, has always been one of my favorite. It is a favorite in part because I was using some of my talent, and light, to bring out the immense talents, and to shine a light upon the brilliance of so many of God's children who seem to not have a voice in this world. Individuals who either have lost their way, or for whatever reason never found it to begin with.

I have been given so much, and I feel a deep, deep responsibility to share my gifts with others.  And so, while I appreciate being listed on a Celebrity Birthday List for February 6th People, I am even more jazzed that, in the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I will be spending my birthday as a "day on" and not a day off.

Later today I will be starting a journey to Latvia, where I will be speaking Monday, February 8th, 2010, as a guest of President Valdis Zatlers, as the second guest speaker as part of his Presidential Speakers Series at the University of Latvia, on the global economic reset, Love Leadership in a fear-based world, and post crisis, financial literacy as a new global civil rights issue, and the first global silver rights tool. Read more about my upcoming trip here.  From there I will join HRH Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, and Professor Pekka Himanen of Finland, both YGLs, and co-founders with me in Global Dignity, as we conduct a Dignity Session for 1500 young leaders at a "young Davos" conference in London, England.

One person can make a difference -- even on their birthday.  You are that one person.

With HOPE,

John Hope Bryant is the founder, chairman and CEO of Operation HOPE, vice chairman of the U.S. President's Advisory Council on Financial Literacy as well as chairman of the Council Committee on the Under-Served,  financial literacy advisor to the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council, a Young Global Leaders for the World Economic Forum, and author of LOVE LEADERSHIP; A New Way to Lead in a Fear-Based World (Jossey-Bass), which debuted in August, 2009, on the CEO Reads Top 10 Best Seller List, and was published in November, 2009 in digital audio book format on Audible.com,  iTunes and other audio book retailers .

Sometimes you come across someone and you say, this person is just too "normal" to be CEO of a major American corporation.  Such a person is my friend and fellow YGL John Osborn, CEO of advertising giant BBDO, New York. 

John, pictured here to my left from yesterday, when I spoke to his team, along with John Osborn, in "A Conversation of Love Leadership," embodies the basic standards for a Love Leader in the 21st century.  Just one example -- when the BBDO Diversity Council was reconstituted in the midst of some internal head-winds, John's support was unconditional.  When the Council did not even have budget for coffee and croissants for their inaugural meeting, John simply reached in his pocket and pulled out $40 and said "problem solved for today, and I will make sure there is not a budget problem tomorrow."  This was a small, personal gesture that meant a great deal to his team.  Believe me, the word of John doing this shot like a release of trade secrets through the corridors of BBDO.  At the end of the day, the employees and team leaders within the company knew that John Osborn was with them, and not just directing them.

I was honored to speak before BBDO on yesterday for Love Leadership, and to sign copies of my new book, LOVE LEADERSHIP: The New Way to Lead in a Fear-Based World, for each person.

Onward wit HOPE

John Hope Bryant is the founder, chairman and CEO of Operation HOPE, vice chairman of the U.S. President's Advisory Council on Financial Literacy as well as chairman of the Council Committee on the Under-Served,  financial literacy advisor to the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council, a Young Global Leaders for the World Economic Forum, and author of LOVE LEADERSHIP; A New Way to Lead in a Fear-Based World (Jossey-Bass), which debuted in August, 2009, on the CEO Reads Top 10 Best Seller List, and was published in November, 2009 in digital audio book format on Audible.com,  iTunes and other audio book retailers .    

"It is better to step over mess than in it. Always, always take the high ground."

John Hope Bryant

I was honored to speak today to 200 leaders within the bank today on Love Leadership, financial literacy as the next civil rights issue, and what comes next. I also made sure I signed each and every book for each attendee before I left.

An inspired group of individuals.

With HOPE

Thanks to my friend and mentee, tripple threat actor, singer, model Tyrese Gibson (and soon, leader too), I am now LIVE with my own new "Say Now" Network.  Call, subscribe, listen to my latest "Say Now" message, published by me personally and just for you, every few days, and even leave me a voice message if you like!

Okay, let's go....

This inspiring 3 minute video was produced by my friend and fellow YGL Peter Bisanz, and was featured as part of a larger project, backed by the Bill & Penny George Foundation, which later aired nationally on PBS.  If you want to get a charge for your day, or inspire someone else to "move" in their lives, watch and share this short video.  One of my favorites.

In this video short I am honored to share the screen with the likes of Archbishop-Emeritus Desmond Tutu, author Deepak Chopra (one of my favorites) and others. Enjoy, and pass it on.

With HOPE,

John Hope Bryant is the founder, chairman and CEO of Operation HOPE, vice chairman of the U.S. President's Advisory Council on Financial Literacy as well as chairman of the Council Committee on the Under-Served,  financial literacy advisor to the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council, a Young Global Leaders for the World Economic Forum, and author of LOVE LEADERSHIP; A New Way to Lead in a Fear-Based World (Jossey-Bass), which debuted in August, 2009, on the CEO Reads Top 10 Best Seller List, and was published in November, 2009 in digital audio book format on Audible.com,  iTunes and other audio book retailers .    

"Always leave even your adversary with their dignity.  If you don't they will spend the rest of their life working to make you miserable."

Rev. Dr. Cecil "Chip" Murray. Life mentor to John Hope Bryant

"John, why do you work so hard? Answer -- I am simply going to continue to out run the guy names failure. Fear and failure are lazy bastards."

John Hope Bryant, founder of Operation HOPE, author of Love Leadership

No, I am not saying that Davos is a "con." Truth in fact, participating in the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos is one of my top impact experiences of the year (the 2010 annual meeting was my 5th consecutive Davos experience as a Young Global Leader). Furthermore, I genuinely believe that Forum founder and chairman Klaus Schwab is a visionary that has pursued the power of his own ideas with a character and consistency not dissimilar to other thought leaders that had added to our larger society and our world, and referred to later in this piece. That said, this Davos experience did get me thinking about how we all got ourselves into this grand global mess, we now call a global economic crisis.

I am indeed suggesting though that to a degree we all participated in a shared con of sorts, and we need to "get our storyline" back. Let me explain.

What would you say if I told you that the very core, the very basis of this entire global economic mess, was a crisis of virtues and values?

After being here in Davos for one of the busiest weeks of my life, I was reminded of a great quote from my political hero, partner through his foundation in good works and friend President Bill Clinton, also featured in my new book Love Leadership: The New Way to Lead in a Fear-Based World. Former President Clinton, here this week in Davos and gracious enough to spend time and to speak with members of the Forum of Young Global Leaders in attendance, once said, "It is hard to get someone to agree with the truth, when the lie is financing their lifestyle."

Read the complete article on the Huffington Post here, and leave your comments too.

Financial literacy education helps individuals raise scores by 130 points on
average as more people take action to learn the “language of money”

Los Angeles, CA – January 29, 2010 – Empowerment nonprofit, Operation HOPE (HOPE), an organization focused on financial literacy through its "silver rights" campaign, announced today that it surpassed program goals for 2009 - exceeding portfolio expectations - by increasing client enrollment by more than 20% and helping clients raise their credit scores by 130 points on average.

The figures in HOPE's study of credit management customers in 2009 reflect a sampling of approximately 10% of HOPE's consumer credit counseling activity that shows an average increase of 130 points in their credit score. This is up 62 points from HOPE's 2005-2008 study that reflected an average increase of 68 points. Low-income consumers who participated in the programs were taught skills that helped them transition from an average initial enrollment score of 587 to the average score of 717 at graduation. Improved credit scores greatly impacted the participants' ability to qualify for more favorable interest rates on mortgages, student loans, and other forms of credit-based lending, and for better jobs, as more employers look to credit reports for information, before hiring candidates.

HOPE delivers services through its core financial literacy portfolios: Banking on Our Future, HOPE Coalition America, and HOPE Banking Center Network. These programs are tailored to empower the individual to become stake holders in the community and create a sense of self-sufficiency. Instruction is given for credit management, first-time homebuyers, youth empowerment and financial literacy, small business empowerment, Mortgage HOPE Crisis Hotline, emergency financial preparedness and online financial literacy. Additional areas where HOPE saw growth by portfolio include:

Banking on Our Future (BOOF)

• Educated 90,285 youth
• Launched BankingonOurFuture.Org
• Launched the FIVE MILLION KIDS (5MK) Initiative
• Launched BOOF College Edition at Spelman College

HOPE Coalition America (HCA)

• HCA helped over 50,000 clients
• Received over 47,000 calls for Mortgage HOPE Crisis Hotline
• Created over 14,772 files for mortgage foreclosure prevention assistance

HOPE Banking Center Network (HBCN)

• Increased client enrollment by more than 20%
• Served over 102,000 clients
• Educated 9,500 adults on financial literacy
• Successfully modified 445 loans for a total of $105 million
• Generated $201,665,629 in loan approvals
• Improved client credit scores on average 130 points

In addition to domestic results, HOPE's key initiatives reported results for 2009, which include progress for HOPE Corps, HOPE Global Dignity, and HOPE Global Initiatives work in South Africa:

HOPE Corps

• Reached 10,000 HOPE Corps volunteer members
• Participated in Global Dignity Day - supported by 20 Young Global Leaders
• Training over 10,000 youth in 32 countries

HOPE Global Initiatives

• Trained 5,437 Youth and Adults in 2009 in South Africa
• Reached 534 HOPE Corps Volunteers in South Africa
• Trained 32 schools and NGOs in seven South Africa Provinces
• Expanded rural model through partnership with the Peace Corps in South Africa

Also, HOPE Advisors, the consulting arm of Operation HOPE will continue to capitalize on the knowledge and insight that HOPE Advisors has accumulated, providing the financial services industry with unique marketing and business development strategies that employ best practices and strive to do well by doing good. HOPE Advisors plans to be very active in 2010.

"Our achievements in 2009 demonstrate our ability to provide practical tools to build financial success in these financially-challenging times. In the 17 years since we made ‘silver rights' a national priority, Operation HOPE has helped more than 1.2 million individuals move up the economic ladder and has raised over a half billion dollars in historic grant funding and community investment for the underserved," said John Hope Bryant, founder, chairman and CEO of Operation HOPE.

Bryant, who served as Vice Chair of the President's Council on Financial Literacy, is the author of best-seller LOVE LEADERSHIP and works to promotes financial literacy as the next civil rights issue. Since HOPE's inception, several bills focusing on financial literacy have been initiated by Congress. Bill HR1325, by Congresswoman Shelia Jackson-Lee which directly cites the work of both the Council and Operation HOPE and House Resolution 65 by Congresswoman Diane E. Watson strive to bring financial literacy into the lives of more Americans and to make it a legislative priority.

Established after the worst urban riot in U.S. history, HOPE continues its mission to be the leader converting check cashing customers into banking customers, renters into homeowners and dreamers into viable business owners, HOPE assists the underserved increase their net worth while working towards Operation HOPE's "silver rights" mission to eradicate poverty and promote prosperity.

For a complete list of HOPE Partners log onto www.operationhope.org.

###

About Operation HOPE, Inc.
Operation HOPE is America's leading nonprofit social investment banking and financial literacy empowerment organization. With more than 400 private sector partners, 1500 nonprofit organizations and schools, and 100 government partners in 69 major U.S. cities as well as South Africa, HOPE has raised more than $500 million in its pursuit of educating, assisting and inspiring the next generation of global stakeholders. Through international initiatives and its three principal programs, Banking on Our Future (teaching school children about money), HOPE Coalition America (Mortgage HOPE Crisis Hotline, 1-888-388-HOPE, financial emergency preparedness and disaster relief), and Walk-In HOPE Centers (loans, bill pay, computer literacy, understanding banking principles), Operation HOPE has delivered services to more than one million low-wealth individuals and assumed the responsibility of piloting the Silver Rights Movement towards making free enterprise and capitalism relevant to all underserved communities. To learn more about HOPE, visit www.operationhope.org. or read our blog at www.operationhope.org/blog.

Featured in this video include the President of Latvia, John Hope Bryant of Operation HOPE, and hosted by Nik Gowing of BBC.

One of the priceless memories of sharing a dinner last year with World Economic Forum founder and chairman Klaus Schwab, was meeting one Paulo Coelho, the great author, aand love leader too.  We had heard of each other, but when we met we seemed to "click" immediately, and became instant friends.

This week I had the chance to spend some quality time with Paulo the 2010 annual Davos meeting of the World Economic Forum where we both spoke on our respective books and other things.  I had the opportunity over this time to learn from him, be inspired by him, and to be rallied by his infectious commitment to humanity, and a world better.  That is why he was at Davos. Not pushing or promoting one of his amazing books, which would be fine too, but in a commitment to make our work better.  Bravo Paulo Coelho.

In addition to telling me he had read and "loved" Love Leadership (high praise coming from him), Paulo also told me a little known story about him that inspired me, and I thought it would inspire you too.  Here it goes.

When Paulo first published "The Alchemist" it did not do well at all.  In its first year it sold less than 900 copies.  You heard that right.  In fact, the publisher believed so little in it, or Paulo,that he begged Paulo to leave the publishing house.  Paulo left gladly, as he had a vision for himself and his book.  Paulo found another publisher who republished the book in its second year (who to this day supposedly cannot recall why in fact he actually signed Paulo to re-publish this same book that did not do well on the first run -- but then again, who can turn down Paulo). As the story goes, "The Alchemist" and his other books have now sold more than 1120 million copies worldwide, and have been translated into many languages around the world.

Paulo is today a great success story, but like any real success, it did not come easy or quick. The message from Paulo, through me, to you -- never, ever, ever give up on your dreams.  That is why they are YOUR dreams.

If you want to have some inspired fun, follow Paulo (@paulocoelho) and me (@johnhopebryant) on Twitter.

Onward and with HOPE

John Hope Bryant is the founder, chairman and CEO of Operation HOPE, vice chairman of the U.S. President's Advisory Council on Financial Literacy as well as chairman of the Council Committee on the Under-Served,  financial literacy advisor to the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council, a Young Global Leaders for the World Economic Forum, and author of LOVE LEADERSHIP; A New Way to Lead in a Fear-Based World (Jossey-Bass), which debuted in August, 2009, on the CEO Reads Top 10 Best Seller List, and was published in November, 2009 in digital audio book format on Audible.com,  iTunes and other audio book retailers . Love Leadership has remained on the Top 25 Bestseller List for CEO Read for five consecutive months.

"We want Global Dignity to be global idea share ware. We want everyone to own it."

HRH Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, cofounder of Global Dignity with YGLs Professor Pekka Himanen and John Hope Bryant

 Fellow Global Digniy co-founders HRH Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and John Hope Bryant of Operation HOPE commend our friend, brother, fellow YGL and co-founder Professor Pekka Himanen on giving moving closing remarks at the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum, Davos, 2010, featuring the youth of tomorrow -- the Global ChangeMakers.

 
Love Leadership: The New Way to Lead in a Fear-Based World cited this month in the Chicago Tribune, major papes in Kentucky and other cities around the country as one of the "Top 25 Books Corporate America is reading."  Books part of bestseller list for 800-CEO Reads.

Honored to stand with my dear friends and fellow YGLs including Jens Skibsted, Hon. Silvana Koch-Mehrin, Vice President of the European Union, HRH Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and co-founder with me and YGL Professor Pekka Himanen (not pictured), David Aikman, director of the Forum of Young Global Leaders, myself and our friend (not a YGL) Robert Greenhill of the Forum.

David Aikman and his team should feel extremely proud of the incredible job they have done with the YGL meeting on Davos this week.

One person can make a different. Be that one person.

With HOPE John Hope Bryant

"We are in a statistical recovery but a human recession."

Hon. Larry Summers, The White House, speaking at World Economic Forum, Davos

"If there is an end to this story, can we please start here?"

John Hope Bryant

Interview with John Hope Bryant, Part 2

MySpace Journal | MySpace Video

John Hope Bryant is the founder, chairman and CEO of Operation HOPE, vice chairman of the U.S. President's Advisory Council on Financial Literacy as well as chairman of the Council Committee on the Under-Served,  financial literacy advisor to the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council, a Young Global Leaders for the World Economic Forum, and author of LOVE LEADERSHIP; A New Way to Lead in a Fear-Based World (Jossey-Bass), which debuted in August, 2009, on the CEO Reads Top 10 Best Seller List. Love Leadership was published in November, 2009 in digital audio book format on Audible.com,  iTunes and other audio book retailers .