| McKinsey Classics | April 2022 |
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| Scott Harrison was a successful nightclub and fashion promoter in New York, but he felt spiritually bankrupt. Leaving his business behind, he decided to serve as a photojournalist on a floating hospital that provided free medical care in poor countries. On the ship he documented the struggles of people with debilitating conditions, such as enormous tumors, cleft lips and palates, and flesh eaten by bacteria from waterborne diseases, and the work of the people who treated them. |
| After eight months he returned to the city, but not to his former life. Harrison had learned that the absence of clean drinking water causes many medical problems, so he created a nonprofit to finance water projects in poor countries. This organization—charity: water—relies on fundraising, and Harrison’s story plays an important role in it: by using media interviews and YouTube videos to explain why he started the group, he made people “fall in love with him and his cause.” |
| Such stories help build organizations and lead them through times of change. To learn the four principles that make these narratives effective, read our 2011 classic “The power of storytelling: What nonprofits can teach the private sector about social media.”
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| — Roger Draper, editor, New York |
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| Will the world economy realize the opportunities to raise productivity? That depends on the ingenuity of managers and engineers and on the willingness of policy makers to make reforms. Read “A productivity perspective on the future of growth.”
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