Bruce Piasecki’s life as a writer and change management agent has inspired many diverse kinds of people, from creatives to attorneys, engineers, and youthful researchers. He has enjoyed book tours of Australia, Ireland, Scotland, and England, among other places, since his book Doing More with Less: A New Way of Winning became a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestseller in 2012 and 2013.

In 2024, with Messi and Jane Fonda, Worth Magazine awarded him the TOP WORTHY 100 award for his social impact work. The selected picture of the author is hereby reprinted.

This year, in early 2026, PBS is developing a 90-minute feature on that book in an update. You can see the PBS teaser and various CEOs’ comments on the book at www.brucepiasecki.com.

aThis short piece, supplementing his Wikipedia page, explores how Piasecki is not a one-book master, but through an open dialogue, he enjoys working and expanding his sense of the world. He now thinks it is very critical that we avoid isolationism and explore why he chose to become a global American. In the process, he has become a reliable source on globalization, innovation, change management, and the works of Ben Franklin. He continues twice a year, running a www.achievingresults25.com workshop series.

After receiving his PhD from Cornell University, Bruce started the American Hazard Control Group (AHC Group) in 1981. He then spent more than 40 years helping big companies like Merck, BP, Toyota, and Enbridge with issues like sustainability, climate change, and innovation. He calls this mixing of technical, managerial, and social skills “the benefits of social response capitalism, where products with purpose and leadership focus converge, such as Toyota’s hybrid powertrain.”

From Poverty to Purpose: The Remarkable Journey

Bruce Piasecki’s journey exemplifies the power of converging personal resilience, teamwork, and dedication to making a difference in both business and society. His story, shared in his memoir Doing More with One Life (re-released in 2024) follows his rise from poverty to becoming a respected voice in both business and society.

From a young age, Bruce faced significant challenges that shaped his character and purpose. This is what he writes about the early death of his father:

“I learned very little in facing my father’s death except that writing gave me a chance to defy an early death. While you may question the universality of Sigmund Freud’s fear of the father, our ordinary lives of business competition make Freud’s musing seem like a distracting fancy, even an indulgence—yet the desire to kill your predecessors and competitors to find your voice is felt and repeated in many families. I read about the same set of impulses each week in Worth magazine, the Financial Times of London, and in the popular press.

We are a competitive species, for sure”

He continues in his Memoir, DOING MORE WITH ONE LIFE:

“A personal obligation to lifelong writing, however, comes with obliterating force. I saw that most days in my nine years of training at Cornell University, in what should have been a placid place near Lake Cayuga. Great and good writers strive to erase or surpass their mentors, what Harold Bloom of Yale aptly calls “the Anxiety of Influence.”

I knew I could not surpass my dissertation teacher, the late and great M.H. Abrams, or his friend the great poet Archie Ammons, my wife’s advisor. But I felt the need to try.” The arrogance of youth is explored in the memoir, as it unfolds into the long amplitude of middle age, and then into the wit and wisdom of old age. Bruce believes PBS is doing their TV show both because of the life reflected in this Memoir and the impact of his book Doing More with Less.

It was the force of his father’s early death that left a deep mark on him and became a key reason for his determination to overcome hardship and focus on meaningful work. The pain of this event taught him to value the lives of other people so he then wrote Doing More with Teams to capture how to create positive change in both business and society. This sense of mission has guided his career, his selection of key researchers and executive staff, and in sharing what he found works.

At the heart of Bruce Piasecki’s leadership is a simple but powerful belief: true success comes from balancing persistence, charm, and storytelling.

He encourages leaders to be like Benjamin Franklin’s team players who inform, persuade, and inspire through thoughtful communication and steady determination. Piasecki has shared these ideas in podcasts and conversations with Mia Funk and several dozen others, showing how such timeless qualities help build stronger, more united teams that can face challenges as complex as climate change and energy innovation together.

His leadership style is not just about ideas; it’s about turning good values into decisions that create lasting impact. Thus, he wants to remain informative, persuasive, and delightful in writing and deed.

Mentorship in Action

Throughout his career, Bruce Piasecki has made mentorship, mutual aims and learning, and collaboration the heart of his leadership. His passion for guiding and inspiring others shines through in both his writing and the way he structured his firm. He now shares new books substantively for free on webpages such as www.wealthandclimatecompetitiveness.net. These serve as shareable tools to mentor the next generation of leaders.

Beyond books, Bruce turned mentorship into practice through a unique model at his company. For forty years, he ran weekly 90-minute sessions that brought together the firm’s top five earners with its top five most promising interns. The interns, selected from top colleges for their research skills, worked alongside experienced lawyers, engineers, and economists. This pairing of fresh ideas with deep expertise created a dynamic environment that sparked innovation and strengthened resilience within the team. Under his guidance, this approach paid off in major projects, such as Merck’s climate taxes and programs, Walgreens’ integration into Walgreens Boots Alliance, and Toyota’s launch of its hybrid powertrain Prius. These successes showed how a culture of learning, collaboration, and mentorship can drive meaningful, lasting results.

The Daily Joy of Writing, Storytelling, and Shaping Ideas That Inspire Change and Leave a Lasting Impact

As Bruce Piasecki looks toward the future, what excites him most is the continued opportunity to blend personal narrative with social history. For nearly 45 years, he has begun each morning with what he describes as his “mining ritual” – a quiet, creative practice where he takes up the “axe of imagination” and works diligently at the craft of writing. This daily dedication has not only brought him fulfillment but has also enriched his contributions to the fields of business strategy and social thought. His commitment to this ritual reflects his belief that the right phrasing and storytelling can leave a lasting imprint, helping others see the “gold dust” of insight and clarity in their work and lives. Whether advising a major corporation or mentoring a young professional, Bruce’s blend of purpose and daily persistence inspires.

Go to www.bookbaby.com to see ten of Bruce’s many books, or visit www.brucepiasecki.com to see mention of them all.