Crisis Leadership Lessons From Former Fortune 500 CEO

While pundits and experts are churning out a plethora of books analyzing the causes of the 2008 economic crisis, it’s refreshing to find a practical book that provides some good thinking on how to manage for success in crisis situations.
In his new book, “7 Lessons for Leading in Crisis,” Harvard Business School Professor and former […]

 

 Bill George: Play Now | Play in Popup

A Surprising Enviromental Solution

Two thoughts came to mind before I even got through the Forward and Introduction sections of The Surprising Solution: Creating Possibility in a Swift and Severe World by Bruce Piasecki.

Is this book is going to be preaching to the choir about addressing environmental and social issues? Will it be a studied treatment of the issues […]

 

 Bruce Piasecki [20:37m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

A “Wyly” Veteran Adds His Sense

Sam Wyly may be one of the biggest billionaires that most people have never heard of. But we’re familiar with many of the companies he’s established, grown and led like Michaels Stores, Green Mountain Energy and the Bonanza Steakhouse chain. With his track record, you can’t help wondering what he thinks about today’s economy.

 

 Sam Wyly [15:19m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

Own The Room

So how do you capture an audience when you’re asked to speak? The first thing you might want to do is to read OWN THE ROOM: Business Presentations that Persuade, Engage, and Get Results. Skilled corporate communication experts David Booth and Deborah Shames give you the answers.

 

 David Booth and Deborah Shames [18:33m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

The Price of Profit

George Cloutier is a Harvard grad that Business Week dubbed a “Turnaround Ace” and his focus has always been on small business. Actually, you may not even need to hire him, just read his national best-selling book called Profits Aren’t Everything, They’re the Only Thing. The book includes “The 15 Rules” that George Cloutier’s consulting firm has used to turn small businesses on life support into profit-making machines.

 

 George Cloutier [21:10m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

“Thank You!” Means Business

“Thank you!” Is it possible those are the two most important words in business?

They are according to April Kelly, Sr. Director of Customer Operations at LinkedIn.com and author of the new book “Gratitude At Work, How to Say Thank You, Give Kudos and Get the Best From Those You Lead”. “Gratitude is at the forefront of everything,” said Kelly. “The implications for people receiving gratitude, as well as those giving it, are really powerful.”

 

 April Kelly [14:12m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

It’s Only Rock & Roll

On the fortieth anniversary of Woodstock, renowned New York City disc jockey Pete Fornatale brings the iconic rock concert to vivid life through original interviews with musicians like Roger Daltrey, Joan Baez, and David Crosby plus, organizers, and fans. “Woodstock has moved culturally from whatever the reality of it was to some kind of mythology about it. It’s far less important now, how many nails were used to build the stage or how much the individual acts were paid than it is the messages of peace, love and music that were etched in the hearts and souls of not only those who actually attended, but the people who vicariously attended it through the movie, albums and through all of the accounts four decades later,” Fornatale said.

 

 Pete Fornatale, author "Back to the Garden" [32:18m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

After the Fall

For the first time, an Enron insider is speaking out with what really happened within the company walls. Former Enron Executive Vice President of Human Resources and Community Relations and author, Cindy Kay Olson, shares both the keys to many of Enron’s successes while revealing details of the scandal from her point of view in her book, “The Whole Truth…So Help Me God—An Enlightened Testimony from Inside Enron’s Executive Offices.”

 

 Cindy Kay Olson, former Enron employee [12:18m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

The Original “Savior Soldier”

65% of all Americans are willing to switch to a brand associated with a good cause, where price and quality are equal. If that statistic alone isn’t enough of a powerful force for change, consider that 61% of this year’s college graduates will not work for a company with a poor reputation in social responsibility. Socially responsible investments have grown tenfold since 1995, to 2.3 trillion (twice the amount for the dot com surge), so what does all of this mean?

 

 Tim Sanders, author of Saving the World [12:06m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

Back In Black

Every person dreams of having a wise, funny mentor who understands the challenges they face. I was privileged to chat with a great one today in the person of Cathie Black. She heads Hearst Magazines, and manages the financial performance and development of some of the industry’s best-known magazines, including Cosmopolitan, Esquire, Good Housekeeping, Harper’s Bazaar, and O, the Oprah Magazine.

 

 Kathy Back [10:31m]: Play Now | Play in Popup