Paul Heagen: The Leader's Climb - Blog Business Success Radio

Listen to Wayne Hurlbert on Blog Talk Radio

Executive coach, president and founder of Defining Moments Consulting, and co-author of the engaging and insightful business fable The Leader's Climb: A Business Tale of Rising to the New Leadership Challenge, Paul Heagen describes the reasons that CEOs become stuck and and are unable to stay at the top of their companies, Paul Heagen provides insights into how CEOs and other top leaders find they are overwhelmed by the challenges facing them, their companies, and their industries. As a result, Paul Heagen points out that to meet these challenges, the CEOs will try to go too fast, fight too much, and force too many decisions. In the end, these are precisely the wrong approaches and decisions to take. In their place, Paul Heagen recommends the skills of awareness and slowing down, acceptance and embracing reality, and abundance and considering multiple options. Learn the crucial skills for leaders, to avoid becoming stuck and being unable to remain at the pinnacle after a long hard climb to the top.

Paul Heagen is my internet radio show guest on Blog Business Success; hosted live on BlogTalkRadio.

The show airs live on Tuesday, November 13, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time; 5:00 pm Pacific Time.

Executive coach, president and founder of Defining Moments Consulting, and co-author of the engaging and insightful business fable The Leader's Climb: A Business Tale of Rising to the New Leadership Challenge, Paul Heagen describes the reasons that CEOs become stuck and and are unable to stay at the top of their companies, You will learn:

* Why so many top leaders fail to remain on leadership roles

* Why the standard approaches to meeting challenges fail for leaders

* How to utilize a fresh set of skills to achieve leadership success

( How to not be stuck and avoid making bad leadership decisions

*

Paul Heagen {photo left) president and founder of Defining Moments Consulting, is an executive coach who guides executives through crucial events and phases of their careers and personal lives. His belief that reputations, purpose and even destiny are shaped by how leaders capitalize on such "defining moments" has distinguished his work for more than 30 years with clients ranging from Disney to Cisco to Fidelity Investments.

He is an instructor with the Cincinnati-based Goering Institute and is a high-ranked presenter at conferences and workshops on topics ranging from personal branding and the role of storytelling in propelling business growth.

My book review of The Leader's Climb: A Business Tale of Rising to the New Leadership Challenge by Bob Parsanko and Paul Heagen.

Listen live on Tuesday at 8:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm Pacific time.



If you miss this very informative show, it will be available for free download as a podcast for iPod, iTunes, and MP3 players; or play it right on your computer. To download this, or any other of my guest interviews, go to the Blog Business Success host page and click on Archived Segments. Once there, click on the podcast icon at the end of the episode description, to download the show free of charge for your listening enjoyment. You can also subscribe to the show feed.



To call in questions for my guest, the number is: (347) 996-5832

Let's talk with executive coach, president and founder of Defining Moments Consulting, and co-author of the engaging and insightful business fable The Leader's Climb: A Business Tale of Rising to the New Leadership Challenge, Paul Heagen, as he describes the reasons that CEOs become stuck and and are unable to stay at the top of their companies, Paul Heagen provides insights into how CEOs and other top leaders find they are overwhelmed by the challenges facing them, their companies, and their industries. As a result, Paul Heagen points out that to meet these challenges, the CEOs will try to go too fast, fight too much, and force too many decisions. In the end, these are precisely the wrong approaches and decisions to take. In their place, Paul Heagen recommends the skills of awareness and slowing down, acceptance and embracing reality, and abundance and considering multiple options. Learn the crucial skills for leaders, to avoid becoming stuck and being unable to remain at the pinnacle after a long hard climb to the top on Blog Business Success Radio.

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The Leader's Climb by Bob Parsanko & Paul Heagen - Book review

The Leader's Climb

A Business Tale of Rising to the New Leadership Challenge

By: Bob Parsanko, Paul Heagen

Published: September 18, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 188 pages
ISBN-10: 1937134210
ISBN-13: 978-1937134211
Publisher: Bibliomotion











"Today in companies big and small, local and global, public and private, leaders at all levels say the same thing: business has become faster, more complicated, more uncertain, more disruptive, and more competitive", write personal coach and president and founder of Executive Insights, Bob Parsanko; and executive coach and president and founder of Defining Moments Consulting, Paul Heagen, in their engaging and insightful business fable The Leader's Climb: A Business Tale of Rising to the New Leadership Challenge. The authors share the story of of Adam, a CEO who faces a challenging responsibility for his company, and a sense of overconfidence in his ability to control events. Suffering a rock climbing accident, Adam is forced to face his mistakes through chance meetings with an unusual set of characters who share their wisdom with the recovering CEO.

Bob Parsanko (photo left) and Paul Heagen provide insights into leadership, and into the challenges faced by organizational leaders, through the medium of a narrative story. For the authors, climbing to achieve a leadership position is only part of the leader's journey. The critical test of a leader is meeting the often overwhelming array of problems and obstacles presented to leaders, so as to remain at the top. The story poses the metaphor of rock climbing as the career of the leader.

The overburdened and overconfident Adam climbs the rock face, only to discover he is not invincible when he suffers an accident. As with his stuck career as a CEO< Adam finds himself stuck from the accident as well. Through the advice and teachings of an unexpected array of people, Adam uncovers the wisdom to become unstuck, and to move forward and grow as a leader.

Paul Heagen (photo left) and Bob Parsanko present their principles for remaining in a leadership role, and for avoiding the pitfalls that await the unwary and hurried leaders. The authors, through the medium of the business parable, demonstrate how CEO Adam finds himself trying to go too fast, fighting too much, and forcing too many decisions. The inevitable result, as shown by the story of the rock climb, Adam finds himself stuck and unable to find a way to break free. To help guide Adam on his climb, characters in the story teach Adam the principles of awareness and slowing down, acceptance and embracing reality, and abundance by considering multiple options.

The authors show how listening carefully and openly to others helps a leader to understand the principles. Instead of fighting against adversity, Adam learns to lean into it for greater success. Adam finds that the standard practice of limiting the number of options results in bad decision making, and instead finds that multiplying his choices and possibilities leads to better outcomes. Through the sage advice of the story guides, Adam learns how to become unstuck from the rock and from the difficulties he faced as a CEO.

For me, the power of the book is how Bob Parsanko and Paul Heagen present their principles of leadership through a story format that illustrates their concepts in action. The pillars of leadership, and being stuck and overwhelmed, are given clarity in the narrative of Adam, the rock climbing CEO. Through the metaphor of being stuck in a rock climbing accident, the authors point out how the same concepts that get a climber unstuck work for a stuck leader.

The story provides the key elements of successful leadership, that overcome the challenge of remaining in leadership positions, and how these behaviors are so lacking in companies today. The authors present the basic ideas of meeting the myriad of leadership obstacles in a pleasurable and engaging way that underlines the importance of developing and utilizing those principles and skills.

I highly recommend the idea filled and realistic leadership skills development business parable The Leader's Climb: A Business Tale of Rising to the New Leadership Challenge by Paul Heagen and Bob Parsanko, to anyone seeking a very readable and enjoyable narrative that offers rich insights into leadership and overcoming the challenges faced by the today's leaders. This book offers timeless wisdom and a healthy does of common sense to develop skills for any leader.

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Remembrance Day - Lest We Forget

Lt. Colonel John McRae - "In Flanders Fields" 1915

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Exam Schools by Chester E. Finn, Jr. & Jessica A. Hockett - Book review

Exam Schools

Inside America's Most Selective Public High Schools

By: Chester E. Finn, Jr., Jessica A. Hockett

Published: September 16, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 264 pages
ISBN-10: 0691156670
ISBN-13: 978-0691156675
Publisher: Princeton University Press












"Selective public high schools that serve motivated kids and high achievers, many of them also very smart, have been a tiny but important part of the U.S. secondary-education landscape for generations", write president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, Chester E. Finn; and educational consultant in differentiated instruction, Jessica A. Hockett, in their pioneering and visionary book Exam Schools: Inside America's Most Selective Public High Schools. The authors describe their examination of America's selective public high schools, and outline their goals, their operations, and their successes and failures.

Chester E. Finn, Jr. (photo left) and Jessica A. Hockett recognize that the emphasis in American education has been to raise the floor, but at the same time, neglected to raise the ceiling. For the authors, the selective exam schools represent an opportunity for America's best and brightest students to excel, and to achieve the background to become the leaders in innovation, business, government, and entrepreneurship. In this first ever overview of the schools dedicated to the highest performing students, the authors consider how these publicly funded institutions work and prepare their students. The authors consider the racial and socioeconomic background of the students, and consider the impact of these schools on public policy considerations.

Jessica A. Hockett (photo left) and Chester E. Finn, Jr. understand the dilemma facing high achievement education. While enormous amounts of funding are spent on low achieving students, the exam schools are forced to turn away the top performing pupils. The authors are aware of problems and challenges facing exam schools, and also note there are many areas where the high performance schools could make improvements. At the same time, the authors note that the exam schools provide a leg up for highly intelligent and hard working students from lower income and racially diverse families.

The authors emphasize the critical role that selective schools play in the development of leaders who can strengthen America's future. The authors show how these selective schools work, and examine the 165 profiled schools on their admission policies, diversity, and how they select their teaching staff. the authors describe how the exam schools offer an alternative to the widely applied approach of addressing the worst producing schools and under-performing students. As a result of their comprehensive study, the authors make strong case for enhancing and increasing the role of selective schools as an integral part of public education policy.

For me, the power of the book is how Chester Finn and Jessica Hockett provide a complete overview of selective schools across the United States, and present a balanced analysis of their areas of strength, as well as where improvements can be made. The authors offer the first research based investigation of the exam schools, and sheds light on this important but relatively unknown area of secondary education. The selective schools, in the view of the authors, provide a crucial service to the students they teach, and to the overall quality of education in America.

The emphasis on selecting the best and brightest students, regardless of race and economic background, offers a high performance alternative to ever more costly private schools. The authors demonstrate how the exam schools can provide another potential blueprint for top performing education in the United States. and how the support for high standards and challenging the most intelligent students to become the leaders of tomorrow in innovations, the creative arts, the professions, business, and entrepreneurship.

I highly recommend the thought provoking and groundbreaking book Exam Schools: Inside America's Most Selective Public High Schools by Chester E. Finn, Jr. and Jessica A. Hockett, to anyone seeking a complete examination of an alternative approach to excellence in high school eduction. This book provides a road map to high achievement levels that stresses raising the standards bar at the top, as an addition to the usual focus on raising the bar at the bottom.

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Mike Weinberg: New Sales. Simplified. - Blog Business Success Radio

Listen to Wayne Hurlbert on Blog Talk Radio

Sales executive, founder and President of The New Sales Coach, and author of the straight talking and results oriented book New Sales. Simplified. The Essential Handbook for Prospecting and New Business Development, Mike Weinberg describes how to become more successful at acquiring new customers. Mike Weinberg shares his simple and effective process for developing new customers through a straightforward method. Mike points out how new customers are critical to the health and growth of the company, and offers his tools and techniques for finding the right prospects and transforming them into buyers. Mike demonstrates how to target the right qualified prospects, how to contact them, use the power of story, and active listening, to overcome the buyer's reflexive resistance through establishing rapport. Mike offers his tips and tactics for preparing for the sales meeting to be seen as a value creator and problem solver. Learn how to find and land new customers for your company, and establish yourself as a valuable sales team asset.

Mike Weinberg is my internet radio show guest on Blog Business Success; hosted live on BlogTalkRadio.

The show airs live on Thursday, November 8, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time; 5:00 pm Pacific Time.

Sales executive, founder and President of The New Sales Coach, and author of the straight talking and results oriented book New Sales. Simplified. The Essential Handbook for Prospecting and New Business Development, Mike Weinberg describes how to become more successful at acquiring new customers. You will learn:

* Why sales representatives must prospect and develop new customers

* How to find targeted prospects and get meetings with them

* how to sell using stories and active listening

* How to stop relying on presentations and become a provider of value

Mike Weinberg (photo left) is a sales coach, consultant, speaker and author on a mission to simplify sales and help his clients achieve greater success developing new business.

Mike loves business and he loves sales. His specialty is new business development, and his passion is helping companies and individuals with sales responsibility acquire new accounts and increase sales.

Mike provides sales and sales leadership coaching to sales leaders and sales teams, sales force consulting to senior executives, and speak on topics pertinent to new business development sales success.

Mike's new book, published by AMACOM, was just released and he could not be more excited about the reviews it’s getting or the support from retailers and the professional sales community! On the publication date it rose to #2 on Amazon’s Bestseller list in the Sales & Selling category. Click for more about New Sales. Simplified. The Essential Handbook for Prospecting and New Business Development.

This year Mike was also honored to be named a Top Sales Influencer for 2012 by both Top Sales World and OpenView Labs.

My book review of New Sales. Simplified. The Essential Handbook for Prospecting and New Business Development by Mike Weinberg.

Listen live on Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm Pacific time.



If you miss this very informative show, it will be available for free download as a podcast for iPod, iTunes, and MP3 players; or play it right on your computer. To download this, or any other of my guest interviews, go to the Blog Business Success host page and click on Archived Segments. Once there, click on the podcast icon at the end of the episode description, to download the show free of charge for your listening enjoyment. You can also subscribe to the show feed.



To call in questions for my guest, the number is: (347) 996-5832

Let's talk with sales executive, founder and President of The New Sales Coach, and author of the straight talking and results oriented book New Sales. Simplified. The Essential Handbook for Prospecting and New Business Development, Mike Weinberg, as he describes how to become more successful at acquiring new customers. Mike Weinberg shares his simple and effective process for developing new customers through a straightforward method. Mike points out how new customers are critical to the health and growth of the company, and offers his tools and techniques for finding the right prospects and transforming them into buyers. Mike demonstrates how to target the right qualified prospects, how to contact them, use the power of story, and active listening, to overcome the buyer's reflexive resistance through establishing rapport. Mike offers his tips and tactics for preparing for the sales meeting to be seen as a value creator and problem solver. Learn how to find and land new customers for your company, and establish yourself as a valuable sales team asset on Blog Business Success Radio.

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New Sales. Simplified. by Mike Weinberg - Book review

New Sales. Simplified.

The Essential Handbook for Prospecting and New Business Development

By: Mike Weinberg

Published: September 4, 2012
Format: Paperback, 220 pages
ISBN-10: 0814431771
ISBN-13: 978-0814431771
Publisher: AMACOM












"There is an oversupply of account managers and customers-service people filling sales roles, but precious few true sales hunters that can be counted on to consistently deliver new business. You can bring tremendous value to your business, your customers, and yourself by becoming proficient at bringing in new business", writes former sales executive and president of The New sales Coach, Mike Weinberg, in his straight talking and timeless idea packed book New Sales. Simplified. The Essential Handbook for Prospecting and New Business Development. The author describes how to attract and close new customer sales, by connecting with and providing service for the needs of the buyers, and by offering real solutions to the customer's problems.

Mike Weinberg recognizes that new sales representatives, and established sales professionals as well, are experiencing real challenges in developing new business for themselves and the company. The author points out that despite the value offered by existing loyal customers, the company needs a continual influx of new customers and clients for sustainable growth. Unfortunately, as Rick Weinberg writes, the established sales methods are no longer effective with today's customers. The author shares a news sales approach, that is both simple to understand and execute, and is based on timeless wisdom that will motivate new and seasoned sales representatives.

Mike Weinberg (photo left) understands that today's economy is a challenging environment for sales representatives to maintain their quotas. To resolve that problem, Mike Weinberg offers a simple, yet effective sales system that finds qualified prospects, provides the resources and tools needed to approach the potential buyer, and for achieving a successful outcome that develops a new customer. Instead of doing things wrong, as so many new and even experienced sales representatives do, the author coaches sales professionals in how to perform the entire process from prospecting to the close the right way.

Mike Weinberg divides the new sales simple process into three readily understood and actionable steps. Those three parts include:

* Select target: identify the ideal prospect
* Create and deploy weapons: Using the telephone and other tools to tell a story
* Plan and execute the attack: Preparation, questions and listening

For me, the power of the book is how Mike Weinberg combines a straight forward and results oriented sales approach with the practical tools and techniques to achieve a successful outcome. The author provides an effective method for finding and developing new sales business. The concept of finding new customers has been downplayed in recent years, and has even been regarded as being almost automatic. Mike Weinberg shares an alternative to that passive strategy.

In its place, Mike Weinberg offers an integrated, yet very easy to understand and apply system, that will add new business to the order books, while keeping sales professionals engaged in the process. The author bolsters his timeless wisdom with humor and interesting anecdotes that illustrate the concepts in action in real world sales situations.

I highly recommend the very hands on and results oriented book New Sales. Simplified. The Essential Handbook for Prospecting and New Business Development by Mike Weinberg, to any new or experienced sales representatives, and to any sales managers and leaders who are seeking a workable and effective process for developing new customers. This book offers a back to basics strategy that will find qualified prospects and transform them into satisfied customers.

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Gini Dietrich & Geoff Livingston: Marketing In The Round - Blog Business Success Radio

Listen to Wayne Hurlbert on Blog Talk Radio

Marketing and public relations consultant, founder and CEO of Arment Dietrich, Gini Dietrich; and marketing and social media strategist, and bestselling author Geoff Livingston, co-authors of the comprehensive and groundbreaking book Marketing in the Round: How to Develop an Integrated Marketing Campaign in the Digital Era, describe developing and implementing an integrated marketing strategy for your brand. Gini Dietrich and Geoff Livingston provide the comprehensive strategy of fully integrating traditional media and social media channels. Gini and Geoff present the concept of a holistic marketing approach that breaks down the silos between marketing channels and ends the false dichotomy between traditional and social media. The authors propose an integrated strategy that offers real flexibility within the tactics and techniques that ensure the success of that overall strategy. Gini and Geoff also describe how to measure and improve the outcomes of the marketing strategy in bottom line terms that are meaningful to marketers and business leaders.

Gini Dietrich and Geoff Livingston are my internet radio show guests on Blog Business Success; hosted live on BlogTalkRadio.

The show airs live on Tuesday, November 6, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time; 5:00 pm Pacific Time.

Marketing and public relations consultant, founder and CEO of Arment Dietrich, BGini Dietrich; and marketing and social media strategist, and bestselling author Geoff Livingston , co-authors of the comprehensive and groundbreaking book Marketing in the Round: How to Develop an Integrated Marketing Campaign in the Digital Era, describe developing and implementing an integrated marketing strategy for your brand. Gini Dietrich and Geoff Livingston provide the comprehensive strategy of fully integrating traditional media and social media channels. You will learn:

* Why an integrated marketing approach through all media channels is essential

* How to break down internal silos that work against integrated marketing

* How to apply marketing tactics to achieve the larger strategy

* How to measure the effectiveness of the campaign in meaningful terms

Gini Dietrich (Left in photo left) is founder and CEO of Arment Dietrich, an integrated marketing communication firm, and Spin Sucks Pro, a professional development site for PR and marketing pros. Her blog, Spin Sucks, is on the AdAge top 150 list, as well as being a top 10 online destination for PR and marketing tips, tools, and techniques. An award-winning communicator, she has had clients that include Abbott, Sprint, Ocean Spray, Bayer, BASF, The Catfish Institute, Central Garden & Pet, and Denny’s. She speaks internationally on the topics of social media, communication, and integrated marketing.

Geoff Livingston (Right in photo left) is an award-winning author and marketing strategist who has successfully built two companies. A marketing strategist for 18-plus years, he has had clients that include PayPal, Google, United Way of America, Network Solutions, Verizon Wireless, the American Red Cross, and General Dynamics. In addition to marketing organizations, his strategies have raised more than $2 million for charities using multichannel marketing programs.

My book review of Marketing in the Round: How to Develop an Integrated Marketing Campaign in the Digital Era by Gini Dietrich and Geoff Livingston.

Listen live on Tuesday at 8:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm Pacific time.



If you miss this very informative show, it will be available for free download as a podcast for iPod, iTunes, and MP3 players; or play it right on your computer. To download this, or any other of my guest interviews, go to the Blog Business Success host page and click on Archived Segments. Once there, click on the podcast icon at the end of the episode description, to download the show free of charge for your listening enjoyment. You can also subscribe to the show feed.



To call in questions for my guest, the number is: (347) 996-5832

Let's talk with marketing and public relations consultant, founder and CEO of Arment Dietrich, Gini Dietrich; and marketing and social media strategist, and bestselling author Geoff Livingston, co-authors of the comprehensive and groundbreaking book Marketing in the Round: How to Develop an Integrated Marketing Campaign in the Digital Era, as they describe developing and implementing an integrated marketing strategy for your brand. Gini Dietrich and Geoff Livingston provide the comprehensive strategy of fully integrating traditional media and social media channels. Gini and Geoff present the concept of a holistic marketing approach that breaks down the silos between marketing channels and ends the false dichotomy between traditional and social media. The authors propose an integrated strategy that offers real flexibility within the tactics and techniques that ensure the success of that overall strategy. Gini and Geoff also describe how to measure and improve the outcomes of the marketing strategy in bottom line terms that are meaningful to marketers and business leaders on Blog Business Success Radio.

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Marketing in the Round by Gini Dietrich & Geoff Livingston - Book review

Marketing in the Round: How to Develop an Integrated Marketing Campaign in the Digital Era

By: Gini Dietrich, Geoff Livingston

Published: April 23, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 224 pages
ISBN-10: 0789749173
ISBN-13: 978-0789749178
Publisher: Que Publishing












"Companies and agencies have struggled to integrate traditional and social media and to measure results beyond increased awareness and positive sentiment", write marketing and public relations consultant, and founder and CEO of Arment Dietrich, Gini Dietrich; and marketing and social media strategist, and bestselling author, Geoff Livingston, in their comprehensive and groundbreaking book Marketing in the Round: How to Develop an Integrated Marketing Campaign in the Digital Era. The authors describe the concept of developing and implementing a fully integrated marketing strategy that combines traditional marketing tactics with the effective deployment of social media campaigns.

Gini Dietrich (photo left) and Geoff Livingston recognize that a marketing strategy based on the exclusion of either traditional marketing tactics or the use of social media is an incomplete approach. The authors break down the silos that exist for brands and for customers alike that artificially separate social media from traditional media channels.

The authors provide an overarching strategic approach to marketing that transcends both organizational silos and the false divide between traditional and new media marketing. The book offers a complete and fully integrated approach for providing a unified and consistent marketing and brand message to customers. At the same time, the authors break down the message to targeted audiences to fit the needs of those customers; and how to measure the results and effectiveness of the strategy in meaningful terms.

Geoff Livingston (photo left) and Gini Dietrich understand that the choice of media channels, whether traditional or social media, is not the real issue. The real challenge is to achieve positive and profitable results for the brand. To meet this challenge, the authors propose the concept of an integrated marketing strategy that forgets the misleading premise of either one channel or the other. As a more effective alternative, the authors recommend an all channel approach to marketing, where the audience receives the message in different formats of their choice. The breaking down of silos and myths surrounding the various marketing format is the first step, and with that barricade broken through, real connection with the customer can begin in earnest.

The authors divide the book into three overall sections, with each subsection devoted to real world focused tactics and techniques. The three basic parts of the book are as follows:

* Understand the marketing round and develop your strategy
* Four marketing round approaches
* Measurement, refinement, and improvement

For me, the power of the book is how Gini Dietrich and Geoff Livingston combine a strong theoretical framework for developing an integrated marketing strategy, with the practical and hands on tactics for making that overall strategy an effective reality. The authors dispense with the usual defenses of either social media on the one hand, and traditional marketing on the other, and combine them into an integrated and holistic marketing message. What is intriguing is why this silo and separation of marketing strategies ever developed in the first place, and the authors do a fine job of ending that false dichotomy.

The authors wisely create a series of four different approaches to the tactics utilized by a brand for marketing and connecting with customers. This useful concept offers the marketer flexibility that is not always seen in books of this type. The authors recognize as well that marketing through any media channels is more than simply awareness or a feel good result. Instead, the authors recommend a complete measurement and evaluation program for the brand to determine real effectiveness in bottom line terms.

I highly recommend the insightful and very results oriented book Marketing in the Round: How to Develop an Integrated Marketing Campaign in the Digital Era by Gini Dietrich and Geoff Livingston to any business leaders, entrepreneurs, marketers and branders who are seeking an integrated and holistic approach to developing a comprehensive marketing strategy. This book is a manifesto to tear down those silo walls and bring an overall and complete marketing strategy into effect for your brands.

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The Connected Company by Dave Gray with Thomas Vander Wal - Book review

The Connected Company

By: Dave Gray, Thomas Vander Wal

Published: September 18, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 304 pages
ISBN-10: 144931905X
ISBN-13: 978-1449319052
Publisher: O'Reilly Media











"Customers are connecting, forming networked communities that allow them to rapidly share information and self-organize into powerful interest groups. Companies will have to be more responsive to customer needs and demands if they want to survive", write SVP Strategy, Dachis Group management consultant, Dave Gray; and Principal, InfoCloud Solutions, Thomas Vander Wal, in their visionary blueprint for the new business reality oriented book The Connected Company. The authors describe how customers have increased their power over the marketplace, how companies must understand that new power relationship, and share strategies for connecting with customers and thriving in the new wired world.

Dave Gray (photo left) and Thomas Vander Wal recognize that customers are utilizing the disruptive technologies of the internet and mobile, and forming networked information sharing communities faster than companies can cope with the changes. The authors point out that in the service economy, customers and their needs are part of the design process. With the ever increasing complexity of services, and the necessity of close interaction with customers, companies must overcome their tendency to move away from customers. To meet this challenge, companies must create, develop and enrich sustainable connections with their increasingly empowered customer base. The authors provide the solution of making the structural changes that transform an organization into a connected company, and offer the strategy for building an operating this emerging business model.

Thomas Vander Wal (photo left) and Dave Gray understand that their visionary connected company has a purpose. The authors share the important insight that a company cannot act as a machine, but is really a living, learning organism. The connected company learns through seeking and acting upon customer feedback, and with constant experimentation and the trying of new approaches.

The connected company works through what the authors describe as a pod based system they call a holarchy. The complex structure of this connected company formation is semi-autonomous, and able to respond quickly through their close connectedness with customers. At the same time, the pod structured company requires connected support platform systems to provide interaction, feedback, and resources. Through these multifaceted and interconnected platforms and pods, a company is able to learn and grow organically. The authors also describe the challenges and opportunities for leadership within the connected company structure.

The authors divide the book into five overarching sections to ensure that the reader understands the main pillars of the connected company format. The five sections are as follows:

* Why change?
* What is a connected company?
* How does a connected company work?
* How do you lead a connected company?
* How do you get there from here?

For me, the power of the book is how Dave Gray and Thomas Vander Wal combine a strong theoretical framework of the connected company, with the practical strategies for developing and maintaining a vibrant, learning, and growing company. the authors present their case for the integration of a customer focus into the fresh connected company system. The new structure forms an interactive feedback mechanism with the new empowered customer. Instead of being disrupted by the customer, the connected company leverages and utilizes that connected customer community to offer more services that the customer wants.

The authors present a series of strategies and techniques for transforming a company from the previous business model, to the connected company model. They also offer a fresh leadership model for working with this fresh business approach. The authors also describe some of the challenges that face leadership, and how to avoid the potential pitfalls.

I highly recommend the insightful and landmark book The Connected Company by Dave Gray and Thomas Vander Wal, to any business leaders, managers, and entrepreneurs who are seeking a fresh approach to creating a responsive and customer focused company that welcomes feedback and input from the empowered customer base. This book will transform your organization to meet the challenges of the new technological realities.

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Improving Profitiability Through Green Manufacturing by David R. Hills & J. Barry DuVall - Book review

Improving Profitability Through Green Manufacturing

Creating a Profitable and Environmentally Compliant Manufacturing Facility

By: David R. Hillis, Ph.D., J. Barry DuVall, Ph.D.

Published: September 19, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 248 pages
ISBN-10: 1118111257
ISBN-10: 1118111257
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.












"Now many believe that manufacturing in the United States is too cost both in dollars and harm to the environment. This is not true. There are ways to make manufacturing sustainable and profitable while meeting environmental obligations and requirements", write independent manufacturing consultant David R. Hillis, Ph.D.; and Professor in the Department of Technology Systems at East Carolina University, J. Barry DuVall, Ph.D., in their complete systems approach based book Improving Profitability Through Green Manufacturing: Creating a Profitable and Environmentally Compliant Manufacturing Facility. The authors describe how profits don't have to be sacrificed to environmental sustainability, or that care for the environment doesn't have to be reduced for profits, and provide real proven techniques that demonstrate how profitability and the environment can work together effectively.

David R. Hillis and J. Barry DuVall understand that manufacturing plants can be highly profitable while complying with or exceeding the environmental standards set by local, state, and federal governments. For the authors, there is no contradiction between profit generation and good environmental stewardship. Instead, the authors provide strong evidence that care for the environment and profits work well together. The authors open the book with a complete explanation of why a holistic approach that considers profitability while sustaining the environment are really a single and unified goal. The authors present a comprehensive overview of the unity of profits and environmental sustainability,a and not as a contradiction at all.

J. Barry DuVall and David R. Hillis recognize the most appropriate format for establishing a comprehensive manufacturing process, where both profits and the environment are considered, is through the entire system. As a result, the authors offer a complete explanation of the concepts of profits and green manufacturing. The next portion of the book is devoted to the practical strategies and techniques for establishing and maintaining a profitable manufacturing system that meets or exceeds all environmental standards and regulations.

The authors divide the book into sections that focus on the various aspects of green manufacturing as a comprehensive and fully integated system:

* Manufacturing: Product life cycles, waste, and regeneration
* Building a decision making process
* Environmental regulations, standards, and profitability
* Case studies: The principles in real world manufacturing settings
* Overview of tools used to improve manufacturing operations
* The facility: The plant, location, and sustainable design
* Applying the profitable and compliant process chart

For me, the power of the book is how David R. Hillis and J. Barry DuVall combine a strong theoretical reasoning and framework for profitable green manufacturing, with the proven and practical strategies for developing a profitable process that is also environmentally compliant. The authors make a tremendous case that profitability and environmental sustainability are not mutually exclusive goals. The authors demonstrate clearly that the two goals are not only compatible but are also symbiotic in their approach. The authors provide a series of illustrative case studies that show the principles at work in real world manufacturing plants.

The authors present a clear step by step blueprint for create and maintain a profitable manufacturing process with an integral environmental component. The holistic and systemic approach to green manufacturing is convincing and will change the way that business and government agencies view the sustainability of a manufacturing process.

I highly recommend the holistic and knowledge building book Improving Profitability Through Green Manufacturing: Creating a Profitable and Environmentally Compliant Manufacturing Facility by David R. Hillis, Ph.D. and J. Barry DuVall, Ph.D., to any business leaders, manufacturers, design specialists, building and plant builders, public policy makers, environmental groups, practicing engineers, engineering and manufacturing students, elected officials, and anyone interested in green manufacturing who are seeking a clear and concise road map to establishing and maintaining a complete system that is profitable and environmentally sustainable. This book will change your mind forever about profit and the environment as green manufacturing works for both goals.

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National Geographic Space Atlas: Mapping the Universe and Beyond by James Trefil - Book review

Space Atlas

Mapping the Universe and Beyond

By: James Trefil, Ph.D.

Published: November 6, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 336 pages
ISBN-10: 1426209711
ISBN-13: 978-1426209710
Publisher: National Geographic Books













"Space Atlas is a visual guide to the universe,starting with our own solar system and reaching out to the farthest galaxies and the mysteries of multiple universes", writes Robinson Professor of Physics at George Mason University, James Trefil, Ph.D., in his comprehensive and beautifully illustrated book Space Atlas: Mapping the Universe and Beyond. The author describes and explains the planets, stars, and galaxies; as well as more exotic objects and concepts including black holes, string theory, and the idea of the multiverse, in non-technical and engaging language.

James Trefil recognizes the awe and wonder of the stars, planets, and the entire universe. With profuse illustrations and over ninety pages of richly detailed star maps, the author guides the reader through the solar system, across the Milky Way, and beyond to other galaxies and to the edge of the known universe. James Trefil shares insightful information about the planets, stars, and galaxies and how they fit into the grand form of the universe. Each chapter begins with an orientation of the topic through four star charts that display the night skies, in full color, from our vantage point here on Earth. Each chapter devoted to a specific planet, within the solar system, contains a detailed map of the planet's surface.

James Trefil (photo left) offers a complete guided tour of all of the solar system planets, their moons, and such features as the asteroid belt, the Kuiper Belt, and the Oort cloud. The author combines his own background in physics, which adds tremendously to the forces at work across the universe, to the geographical and cartography aspects of the various worlds, stars, and other exotic space objects. From the big bang to an explanation of dark matter to the many remaining mysteries of space, the author shares his knowledge clearly and concisely for the reader.

The author divides the space atlas into three overarching chapters, plus an epilogue. Those sections are as follows:

8 the Solar System: Formation, planets, moons, and other objects
* The Galaxy: The Milky Way and other galaxies
* The Universe: Cosmology, structure, and its birth and death
* The Mysteries: Topics include string theory and multiverse possibility

Included in the book are the following enhancement features:

* 50 space maps, including 47 never before published
* 80 images from outer space
* 57 diagrams of key theories
* 278 fascinating statistics
* 300+ pages of up to date space information

For me, the power of the book is how James Trefil combines clear and succinct information about space with illustrative maps, star charts, and photographs that enhance that information. The author is a physicist, and his knowledge in that field enriches the understanding of the subject matter. At the back of the book are several detailed appendixes that provide additional data to supplement the material in the main book.

An added feature of the space atlas is the engaging foreword written by Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin. Overall, this is an extraordinary book, packed with the latest knowledge, informative and detailed maps, stunning photographs, and very useful charts. This is precisely the type of superior atlas that is expected from National Geographic; and they deliver on that promise with this deluxe edition.

I highly recommend the valuable and endlessly fascinating book Space Atlas: Mapping the Universe and Beyond by James Trefil, to anyone with an interest in space, the universe, or science in general. This book, with its lavish illustrations is a tremendous addition to the subjects of astronomy, physics, geography, and science in general.

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Street Freak: A Memoir of Money and Madness by Jared Dillian - Book review

Street Freak

A Memoir of Money and Madness

By Jared Dillian

Published: September 11, 2012
Format: Trade Paperback, 368 pages
ISBN-10: 1439181276
ISBN-13: 978-1439181270
Publisher: Touchstone










"If you're a trader, it is important to exercise the illusion of control,because the reality is that you're not in control of anything", writes former trader for Lehman Brothers, and founder of the daily market report The Daily Dirtmap, Jared Dillian in his eye opening and deeply personal book Street Freak: A Memoir of Money and Madness. The author describes his career as a trader at the now defunct Lehman Brothers, rising from rookie associate to head Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) trader. That transition from former military, working class person to trader who handled trillions of dollars in value, is only one part of the author's story.

Jared Dillian shares a story that goes far beyond the peaks and valleys of his Wall Street trading career. The author delves into the serious issue of his bipolar and obsessive-compulsive disorders. Neither condition was diagnosed, and both were heightened and covered up by Jered Dillian's manic trading activity. The author takes the reader on a roller coaster ride through the trading floors of Lehman Brothers, where he made and lost millions of dollars, all while attempting to maintain his sanity. Jared Dillian was battling his personal demons in a world where his psychological and medical conditions were valued for the results they created for the company.

Jared Dillian (photo left) recognized that his career and his life were spiraling out of control. Faced with the possibility that he lacked what he considered the necessary skills of a successful trader, the author felt his world collapsing around him. A failed attempt at suicide, and a growing sense that he was going mad, found Jared Dillian mired at rock bottom. In the end, the author arrives at the realization that more than his own emotional challenges, the trading environment was an unhealthy one for him. In a flash of insight and self awareness, Jared Dillian considers the trading desk world to be insane.

The culture of Lehman Brothers encouraged socio-pathic and manic behavior. The result of that culture norm was not one that worked in favor of the company over the long term. Lehman Brothers, with its culture of paranoia and dysfunction went bankrupt. When the stock market melted down in 2008, the culture of the company was ill suited to respond to the challenge. Not understanding or even considering its own flaws, the organization blamed outside forces. In the end, Jared realized that as world of Lehman Brothers was collapsing, that he could live a normal life again.

For me, the power of the book is how Jared Dillian shares his personal story openly and without flinching on the the often painful details. Along with his own journey, the author offers a rare glimpse inside the rough and tumble trading desk world, with all of its dysfunction and excitement on full display. Jared Dillian recreates the hectic and manic world, of the last era of Lehman Brothers, through the eyes of a person whose personality and emotional makeup were strangely suited to the overall company culture.

At the same time, however, those same personal attributes led to the author's complete emotional breakdown. In a world where the structure was unsustainable, and the endgame was the complete failure of the Lehman Brothers company, anyone could be destroyed emotionally by it. The author tells his own story, of an average person in an insane world, and how he regained his own normal life.

I highly recommend the tumultuous and riveting book Street Freak: A Memoir of Money and Madness by Jared Dillian, to anyone seeking a clear eyed view of Wall Street in its grittiest and most morally and ethically bankrupt form. The book is a real page turner, that reads like an adventure novel, but the events portrayed in this story are very real and affect people's lives.

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Private Empire: ExxonMobil and American Power by Steve Coll wins the Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award 2012

New York, November 1, 2012: Steve Coll today won the Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award 2012 for Private Epmire: ExxonMobil and American Power, published by The Penguin Press, Allen Lane. The book is a hard-hitting investigation of the notoriously secretive ExxonMobil Corporation, beginning with the Exxon Valdez accident in 1989 and closing with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010.

The award, which recognises the book that provides 'the most compelling and enjoyable insight into modern business issues', was presented this evening to Steve Coll in New York by Lionel Barber, editor of the Financial Times and chair of the panel of judges, and Lloyd C. Blankfein, chairman and chief executive officer, The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.

Steve Coll saw off strong competition to win the £30,000 prize. Each of the five runners-up received a cheque for £10,000.

Lionel Barber said, "Private Empire is forensic, nuanced and extremely well written. It is the story of ExxonMobil, one of the world's most powerful companies. Through a series of compelling narratives, it covers Exxon's huge geopolitical footprint and its influence. No other book on this year's shortlist exposes so much information that we did not know."

Lloyd C. Blankfein commented, "Steve Coll's meticulous reporting led to a compelling work on one of the world's most important and impressive companies. We congratulate him for his effort."

Steve Coll (photo left) author of Private Epmire: ExxonMobil and American Power

Steve Coll is most recently the author of the New York Times bestseller The Bin Ladens. He is the president of the New America Foundation, a non-partisan public policy institute headquartered in Washington, D.C., and a staff writer for The New Yorker. Previously he worked for twenty years at the Washington Post, where he received a Pulitzer Prize for explanatory journalism in 1990, travelled widely as a foreign correspondent, and served as the Post's managing editor between 1998 and 2004. He is the author of six other books, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning bestseller Ghost Wars. He lives in Washington and New York.


The distinguished judging panel for the 2012 award included:

Vindi Banga, Partner, Clayton, Dubilier & Rice

Lynda Gratton, Professor of Management Practice, London Business School

Douglas Holtz-Eakin, President, American Action Forum

Arthur Levitt, former Chairman, United States Securities and Exchange Commission

Jorma Ollila, Chairman, Royal Dutch Shell

Shriti Vadera, Director of Shriti Vadera Ltd, Non-Executive Director, BHP Billiton and AstraZeneca

The other short listed entries:

• Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity and PovertyDaron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson (Crown Business, Profile Books)

• The Hour Between Dog and Wolf: Risk-taking, Gut Feelings and the Biology of Boom and Bust
John Coates (The Penguin Press, Fourth Estate)

• Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography
Walter Isaacson (Simon & Schuster; Little, Brown)

• What Money Can't Buy: The Moral Limits Of Markets
Michael J. Sandel (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Allen Lane)

• Volcker: The Triumph of Persistence
William L. Silber (Bloomsbury Press)

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Rodger Dean Duncan: Change-friendly Leadership - Blog Business Success Radio

Listen to Wayne Hurlbert on Blog Talk Radio

Leadership and organizational change expert, founder and CEO of Duncan Worldwide, and author of the visionary and very practical book Change-Friendly Leadership: How to Transform Good Intentions into Great Performance, Rodger Dean Duncan, Ph.D. describes how change is part of every organization in the 21st century and has become a constant. Rodger Dean Duncan provides the insight that change is no longer simply a management issue but has now become a key leadership attribute, The ability to implement change and engage the people affected by that change is a key element of leadership. Rodger points out that people are not resistant to change, but rather to the stress brought about by the change. As a result, a leader must engage the people and understand their heads, hearts, and hopes. Rodger presents his framework for change through his Four T's strategies. The author also presents his seven steps to successful implementation of change through engagement of the people involved in and affected by that change. Learn how to lead change successfully in any type of organization in any type of industry.

Rodger Dean Duncan is my internet radio show guest on Blog Business Success; hosted live on BlogTalkRadio.

The show airs live on Thursday, November 1, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time; 5:00 pm Pacific Time.

Leadership and organizational change expert, founder and CEO of Duncan Worldwide, and author of the visionary and very practical book Change-Friendly Leadership: How to Transform Good Intentions into Great Performance, Rodger Dean Duncan, Ph.D. describes how change is part of every organization in the 21st century and has become a constant. You will learn:

* Why change is now the normal part of any organizational life

* Why change management is now a core leadership attribute

* How to apply the Four T's strategy to change management

* How to use the seven steps to implement change through engaging the people

Rodger Dean Duncan, Ph.D. (photo left) is widely known for his work in leadership and organizational performance. His clients range from cabinet officers in two White House administrations to top executives in more than a dozen industries. He's been a senior executive in two Fortune 500 companies. He earned his PhD at Purdue University, and writes an internet column that reaches opt-in business subscribers in more than 130 countries. Bestselling author Stephen R. Covey calls Duncan's work on leadership 'brilliantly insightful, inspiring; profound, yet user friendly; visionary, yet highly practical.

After an early career as an award-winning journalist and university professor, Dr. Rodger Dean Duncan founded Duncan Worldwide consultancy in 1972. His client roster includes American Airlines, IBM, Consolidated Edison, Sprint, Black & Veatch Engineering, eBay, the Federal Reserve Bank and presidential cabinet officers in two White House administrations.

A highly-sought-after speaker, trainer, and executive coach, Rodger is widely known for his expertise in the strategic management of change – for individuals as well as for organizations.

My book review of Change-Friendly Leadership: How to Transform Good Intentions into Great Performance by Rodger Dean Duncan.

Listen live on Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm Pacific time.



If you miss this very informative show, it will be available for free download as a podcast for iPod, iTunes, and MP3 players; or play it right on your computer. To download this, or any other of my guest interviews, go to the Blog Business Success host page and click on Archived Segments. Once there, click on the podcast icon at the end of the episode description, to download the show free of charge for your listening enjoyment. You can also subscribe to the show feed.



To call in questions for my guest, the number is: (347) 996-5832

Let's talk with leadership and organizational change expert, founder and CEO of Duncan Worldwide, and author of the visionary and very practical book Change-Friendly Leadership: How to Transform Good Intentions into Great Performance, Rodger Dean Duncan, Ph.D.. as he describes how change is part of every organization in the 21st century and has become a constant. Rodger Dean Duncan provides the insight that change is no longer simply a management issue but has now become a key leadership attribute, The ability to implement change and engage the people affected by that change is a key element of leadership. Rodger points out that people are not resistant to change, but rather to the stress brought about by the change. As a result, a leader must engage the people and understand their heads, hearts, and hopes. Rodger presents his framework for change through his Four T's strategies. The author also presents his seven steps to successful implementation of change through engagement of the people involved in and affected by that change. Learn how to lead change successfully in any type of organization in any type of industry on Blog Business Success Radio.

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Change-friendly Leadership by Rodger Dean Duncan - Book review

Change-Friendly Leadership

How to Transform Good Intentions into Great Performance

By: Rodger Dean Duncan, Ph.D.

Published: September 18, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 304 pages
ISBN-10: 0985213507
ISBN-10: 0985213507
Publisher; Maxwell Stone Publishing












"Change really is a big deal. Work hard to accommodate people's feelings - their heads, hearts, and hopes - and your change effort can be one of the success stories", writes leadership and organizational change expert, and founder and CEO of Duncan Worldwide, Rodger Dean Duncan, Ph.D., in his visionary and wisdom filled book Change-Friendly Leadership: How to Transform Good Intentions into Great Performance. The author describes how change is an integral component of the modern world, and provides his people focused approach to transforming change from a time of stress to one of organizational engagement and competitive advantage.

Rodger Dean Duncan recognizes that change is not only inevitable for any organization, but also that constant change is the new normal for all of society. The author provides evidence that change management has moved far beyond just one more management skill. Instead, the author places the ability to manage change successfully in the ranks of crucial leadership abilities. Rodger Dean Duncan shares the concept, that engaging the feelings of the people in the organization, is the essential part of the change process.

Regardless of the organization or its industry, the idea of change is stressful. The author offers the important insight that the stress of he change is what creates the resistance to change; and not the actual change itself. To engage the people who feel this stress, Rodger Dean Duncan presents a process that focuses on the real human dynamics involved in the change.

Rodger Dean Duncan (photo left) understands that the human element of change is central to the change success. The author also recognizes that those very real feelings and emotions are all too often not taken into account by the leaders of the change. To help facilitate change through engagement of the people involved, and for considering their their hopes and fears, the author presents his Four T's strategy for change:

* Think-friendly: Being curious, asking questions, challenging assumptions
* Talk-friendly: Opening dialogue and really listening to others
* Trust-friendly: Earning trust and extending trust to others
* Team-friendly: Establishing genuine collaboration

With this overall framework in place, Rodger Dean Duncan shares his seven steps for change-friendly leadership. Those seven steps are as follow:

* Validate the journey: Make a sold case for change
* Scan for speed bumps: Understanding and handling resistance
* Chart the course: Earn everyone's commitment
* Build a coalition: Bond people together for synergy
* Ford the streams: Understanding emotions and the company culture
* Stay on message: Provide open and honest communication
* Mind the gap: Keep on course so the goal becomes reality

For me, the power of the book is how Rodger Dean Duncan combines a strong theoretical framework for understanding the human dynamics of change, with the practical strategies and techniques for facilitating successful change. The author establishes the crucial leadership attribute of understanding and facilitating successful organizational change management. Rodger Dean Duncan moves beyond the standard position that change is a management issue, and places change firmly in the realm of leadership.

Rodger Dean Duncan takes a visionary viewpoint that change is already, and will continue to be a key element of business, the economy, and of society as a whole. As a result, the book employs a holistic approach to engaging people and the entire organization in the change process. To further illustrate the various principles in action, in real world settings, the author also includes a series of important case studies.

I highly recommend the essential and important book Change-Friendly Leadership: How to Transform Good Intentions into Great Performance by Rodger Dean Duncan, to any leaders in any organizations, regardless of industry or economic sector, seeking a clear and people oriented approach to managing the inevitable and now ubiquitous change. This book will change how you think about change as a whole, the role of leadership, and of the people who are affected by that change.

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