Rutger Bregman Tells Impact Leaders: 'Find a Cult of Radical Do-Gooders'

Nov, 26 2025

When Rutger Bregman stepped onto the stage at the B for Good Leaders summitAmsterdam on May 22, 2024, he didn’t offer platitudes. He didn’t hand out sticky notes with inspirational quotes. Instead, he dropped a bomb: "Find a cult of radical do-gooders and make life more difficult." The crowd — over 1,000 CEOs from certified B Corps and purpose-driven businesses gathered under the banner of "B Corps and beyond" — fell silent. Then came the murmurs. And then, slowly, nods. This wasn’t motivation. It was a challenge.

The Bubble Isn’t the Problem — It’s the Weapon

For years, critics have accused the impact business movement of living in an echo chamber. "You’re preaching to the choir," they say. "You’re not reaching the mainstream." But Bregman, the Dutch historian known for his provocative takes on human nature and inequality, turned that criticism on its head. "The abolitionists? The suffragettes?" he asked. "They didn’t try to get out of the bubble. They were the bubble." And that, he argued, was their superpower. These movements didn’t win by pleasing everyone. They won because they surrounded themselves with people who refused to compromise — people who held each other accountable, who pushed boundaries, who made each other uncomfortable in the best way possible.

"It’s really important: surround yourself with like-minded, morally ambitious people," Bregman said. His words weren’t a call to isolation. They were a call to intensity. The goal isn’t to convert the masses overnight. It’s to build a core of relentless believers who can then ripple change outward — not by being polite, but by being uncompromising.

"Make Life More Difficult" — A Rejection of Self-Help Culture

The summit opened with a tender moment: speakers sharing personal dreams as John Lennon’s "Imagine" played softly in the background. It was hopeful. Uplifting. And Bregman, ever the disruptor, called it out. "We need fewer books that tell you how to be happy," he said. "We need books that teach you how to live a more difficult life — because making change is hard."

That line landed like a hammer. In an era saturated with productivity hacks, mindfulness apps, and "hustle culture" disguised as wellness, Bregman flipped the script. He wasn’t asking leaders to burn out. He was asking them to choose the harder path — the one that risks alienation, failure, and criticism — because it’s the only one that leads to real transformation. "If you’re really serious about this," he told the room, "it’s not all going to be fun and relaxed."

He wasn’t romanticizing struggle. He was naming reality. The civil rights movement didn’t succeed because people wanted to be liked. The climate movement isn’t moving because activists kept their voices polite. Real change requires friction. And friction, Bregman insisted, comes from community — not comfort.

Who’s Listening — And Who’s Looking Away?

The B for Good Leaders summit is more than an annual gathering. It’s a convergence of the most committed players in the global impact economy. These aren’t CSR departments checking boxes. These are founders, investors, and executives who built their businesses around values — transparency, equity, environmental stewardship — and are now being asked to scale those values without diluting them.

That’s where Bregman’s message hits hardest. Many leaders in the room are already wrestling with the tension between impact and growth. How do you stay true when investors demand faster returns? When customers want cheaper products? When your board says, "Be more inclusive," but means, "Be less radical?" Bregman’s answer: Don’t dilute. Double down. Find your tribe. Build your cult.

"Radical do-gooders," as he defined them, aren’t naive idealists. They’re strategic insurgents. They know they won’t win everyone over. But they also know that history isn’t shaped by consensus — it’s shaped by conviction. And conviction, he reminded them, is contagious — but only if it’s loud enough, close enough, and unwavering enough.

What Happens Now?

The Pioneers Post editorial published on May 24, 2024, noted that Bregman’s remarks came amid growing unease in the UK impact sector following the announcement of a general election — though no specific date was given. That timing isn’t accidental. As political winds shift, purpose-driven businesses face new pressures: Will regulation reward their ethics? Or punish them for standing out?

Bregman’s advice may sound radical. But it’s rooted in centuries of history. The women who fought for the vote didn’t wait for permission. The abolitionists didn’t wait for public opinion to catch up. They built networks of trust, shared risk, and raised the stakes — together.

So what’s next for the leaders in Amsterdam? Will they return to their offices and quietly file Bregman’s words under "interesting but impractical"? Or will they start asking: Who in my network pushes me to do more? Who holds me accountable when I’m tempted to take the easy way out? Who’s willing to go deeper — even if it costs us something?

That’s the real test. Not whether the crowd clapped. But whether they acted.