HarperCollins Leadership to Publish Lead Boldly: Seven Principles from Martin Luther King, Jr. With Insights From Robert F. Smith on August 12, 2025

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 20, 2025--

In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, HarperCollins Leadership announced a new book published in partnership with the Martin Luther King, Jr. Library, Lead Boldly: Seven Principles from Martin Luther King, Jr. with insights from Robert F. Smith, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners. The book will publish on August 12, 2025.

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Lead Boldly includes several of Dr. King’s most memorable speeches. By sharing his personal stories and experiences as a Black man in the U.S., Smith helps contextualize the injustices of which Dr. King spoke of and explores how today’s leaders can nurture more inclusive economies and communities.

It has been over 55 years since the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and yet his presence and words continue to influence our culture and impact the lives of millions of people, young and old, of all colors and backgrounds. There is no doubt that he embodied a different kind of leadership in his time and achieved a level of influence few would have thought possible for a Black man born in Atlanta just before the Great Depression.

Now, leaders can reflect on some of Martin Luther King Jr.’s most recognized speeches and be inspired to learn from them and transform their own leadership journeys. Robert F. Smith provides insights and experiences after each speech on how themes like “The Beloved Community,” “Economic Justice,” and “Two Americas” played such a central role in his own leadership journey and why they are so important for leaders to understand today.

Releasing timed to the 62 nd anniversary of the March on Washington, Lead Boldly will explore the influence that Dr. King had on Smith, shaping his perspectives on many of the most significant issues of our time—from racial inequality and economic justice to forging connections with allies and more. Featuring seven of Dr. King’s most influential speeches, Lead Boldly lays a blueprint for how leaders can reflect on Dr. King’s expansive body of work to build more inclusive, just and equitable communities.

“My parents drove my brother and me from our home in Denver, Colorado, to Washington, D.C. to witness the sheer impact of Dr. King’s movement,” said Smith. “Even as a young boy, I understood the power of his words, the inspiration and hope that he left behind, and his transformational impact. Over 60 years later, his speeches continue to be a galvanizing call for anyone seeking to live up to his ideals and build a just and equitable society that works for all. My hope is that Lead Boldly will serve as a reflection point and call to action for leaders striving to fulfill Dr. King’s legacy.”

Lead Boldly will be available on August 12, 2025, in hardcover, ebook and audiobook. You can pre-order today at: https://www.harpercollinsleadership.com/books/lead-boldly/.

ABOUT ROBERT F. SMITH:
Robert F. Smith is an American investor, inventor, engineer, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He is the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners, a leading global investment firm that exclusively invests in enterprise software, data and technology-enabled businesses. Throughout his life, Smith has remained committed to the principles of philanthropy and equality, and seeking out pathways to make a difference in communities around the world is a central aspect of his character and approach to life. During his 2019 commencement address at Morehouse College, a Historically Black College, Smith surprised the nearly 400 graduates by pledging to eliminate their student loan debt. Smith later expanded this gift to eliminate the debt held by their parents on their behalf, totaling $34 million. In addition, he is the Chairman of Student Freedom Initiative (SFI) and Carnegie Hall, founding director and President of Fund II Foundation and co-founder of Southern Communities Initiative. In 2017, Forbes listed Smith as one of the 100 Greatest Living Business Minds.

ABOUT HARPERCOLLINS LEADERSHIP:
HarperCollins Leadership publishes content from leaders who redefine or expand what a reader previously thought possible. Authors provide unique inspiration and experiences to those who seek to learn, make a difference, and find their own version of success.

Courtesy of HarperCollins Leadership, an imprint of HarperCollins Focus. (Photo: Business Wire)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Bob Weir, guitarist, singer and founding member of the Grateful Dead, has died at age 78.

Weir's death was announced Saturday in a statement on his Instagram page.

“It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of Bobby Weir,” the statement said. “He transitioned peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, after courageously beating cancer as only Bobby could. Unfortunately, he succumbed to underlying lung issues.”

Weir joined the Grateful Dead — originally the Warlocks — in 1965 in San Francisco at just 17 years old. He'd spend the next 30 years playing on endless tours with the Grateful Dead alongside fellow singer and guitarist Jerry Garcia, who died in 1995.

Weir wrote or co-wrote and sang lead vocals on Dead classics including “Sugar Magnolia,” “One More Saturday Night” and “Mexicali Blues.”

In the decades since he kept playing with other projects including Dead and Company.

“For over sixty years, Bobby took to the road,” the Instagram statement said. A guitarist, vocalist, storyteller, and founding member of the Grateful Dead. Bobby will forever be a guiding force whose unique artistry reshaped American music.”

Weir’s death leaves drummer Bill Kreutzmann as the only surviving original member. Founding bassist Phil Lesh died in 2024.

Dead and Company played a series of concert’s for the Grateful Dead’s 60th anniversary in July at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.

FILE - Bob Weir plays guitar with his band The Dead, formerly the Grateful Dead, at the Forum in the Inglewood section of Los Angeles, Calif. on Saturday May 9, 2009. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel,File)

FILE - This undated file photo shows members of the Grateful Dead band, from left to right, Mickey Hart, Phil Lesh, Jerry Garcia, Brent Mydland, Bill Kreutzmann, and Bob Weir. (AP Photo/File)

FILE - Kennedy Center Honors recipients from left; filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, the legendary American rock band the Grateful Dead band members Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann Bob Weir and blues rock singer-songwriter and guitarist Bonnie Raitt, applaud at at the 2024 Kennedy Center Honors reception in the East Room of the White House, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta,File)

FILE - Bob Weir arrives at Willie Nelson 90, celebrating the singer's 90th birthday on Saturday, April 29, 2023, at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. (Photo by Allison Dinner/Invision/AP,File)

FILE - Bob Weir of Dead & Company performs at Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival on Sunday, June 12, 2016, in Manchester, Tenn. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP,File)