Why do businesses consistently fail to execute their competitive strategies? Because leaders don’t identify and invest in the full range of projects and programs required to align the organization with its strategy. Moreover, even when strategy makers do break their plans down into doable chunks, they seldom work with project leaders to prioritize strategic investments and assure that needed resources are applied in priority order. And they often neglect to revise the strategic portfolio to fit the demands of a dynamic environment, or to stay connected to strategic projects through completion as new products, services, skills, and capabilities are transferred into operations. In “Executing Your Strategy,” Mark Morgan, Raymond Levitt, and William Malek present six imperatives that enable you to do the right strategic projects–and do those projects right. And it is no accident that the six imperatives combine to create the acronym INVEST: Ideation–Clarify and communicate Purpose, Identity, and Long Range Intention; Nature–Develop alignment between Strategy, Structure, and Culture based on Ideation; Vision–Create clear Goals and Metrics aligned to Strategy and guided by Ideation; Engagement–Do the right projects based on the Strategy through Portfolio management; Synthesis–Do Projects and Programs right, in alignment with Portfolio; Transition–Move the Project and Program outputs into Operations where benefit is realized. Full of intriguing company examples and practical advice, this crucial new resource shows you how to make strategy happen in your organization.

 

 Mark Morgan Interview: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

America’s most sought-after executive coach shows how to climb the last few rungs of the ladder…

The corporate world is filled with executives, men and women who have worked hard for years to reach the upper levels of management. They’re intelligent, skilled, and even charismatic. But only a handful of them will ever reach the pinnacle — and as executive coach Marshall Goldsmith shows in this book, subtle nuances make all the difference. These are small “transactional flaws” performed by one person against another (as simple as not saying thank you enough), which lead to negative perceptions that can hold any executive back. Using Goldsmith’s straightforward, jargon-free advice, it’s amazingly easy behavior to change.

Executives who hire Goldsmith for one-on-one coaching pay $250,000 for the privilege. With this book, his help is available for 1/10,000th of the price.

 

 Marshall Goldsmith Interview [23:38m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The Winner’s Attitude: Using the “Switch” Method to Change How You Deal with Difficult People and Get the Best Out of Any Situation at Work, published by McGraw-Hill.

How would it be if you could actually start to control your thoughts and your voices, so you can turn every day into an amazing day? That’s what Switch will do. You don’t have to spend hours rereading or trying to intellectualize it. Once you understand what’s going on inside your head, you will have an amazing breakthrough which will help you in every area of your life.

Switch reminds you about how amazing you are-that no matter what is put in your way, you can overcome-not only overcome, but feel great about your day and your environment. This book is about switching on the amazing you, so that you make every day-even the mundane and routine aspects of your life-enjoyable and rewarding. It could change your life; it’s that powerful.

With the help of this book, you can take a stand to go from average to outstanding. You will be able to handle not just the big problems, but the little everyday things, like the traffic, weather, family, friends, partners, the annoying colleague, or the fractious customer.

The secret to a happy life is inside your head. You never have to be at the mercy of things or people anymore to attain happiness. You have the answer within and it is your choice to make the Attitude Switch to be the amazing you.

 

 Val Gee Interview [28:54m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Why do 20 to 40 million Weblogs, or blogs, serve as an outlet for an estimated 32 million readers worldwide? And why do these numbers continue to skyrocket?

In Blogging for Business, authors Shel Holtz and Ted Demopoulos tell you exactly how and why more companies are incorporating blogs into their business strategies. This smart new guide helps you engage in the global conversation by creating and maintaining blogs to generate heightened awareness and greater customer mindshare.

In Blogging for Business, the authors reveal why businesses should embrace blogging:

• How to tap into the power of blogs • How blogs are different from e-zines, Web sites, and message boards• Why businesses need to monitor blogs that discuss their products and services• How to use an internal corporate blog as an effective knowledge sharing tool• Future iterations of blogging, such as podcasts and vlogs • Legal considerations Worldwide corporations from EDS and IBM to General Motors and Sprint are leveraging the myriad applications of blogs for product marketing, customer affinity programs, public relations, and internal communications. Packed with top-notch recommendations from two pros, Blogging for Business demonstrates that blogs offer a competitive advantage that businesses cannot afford to overlook.

 

 Holz & Demopoulos Interview [41:11m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The CEO’s Guide to Talent Acquisition is an engaging, lightning-fast, insightful book in stark contrast to the overstuffed business tomes lining book shelves today. Heavy on practicality, easy to pack in your carry-on bag, this field guide delivers profitable ideas that you can implement between the time you take off from New York and land in Atlanta. This book delivers the metrics and insights to secure top executive talent now. Messengers Garner, Tolan, and Riendeau deliver fast-to-implement, effective, real-world ideas with a steady dose of humor and storytelling flare for hurried executives in need of proven metrics and tactics for securing top talent in our competitive marketplace. Combining their experience of over 110,000 interviews and collective insights in executive search, consulting, management, and behavioral research, this trio champions key initiatives and systems in the quest for human capital your competitors overlook.

 

 Russ Riendeau Interview [24:27m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is a straightforward little book that packs a powerful message: Good things can happen when people work together.

If you want to get things done, you have to talk and reach agreements with others. Talking isn’t always convenient or easy, but it is an essential tool for building cooperation and getting results.

As a facilitator of workplace conversations for many years, I’ve witnessed frustration, anger, confusion, and divisiveness among some co-workers. I’ve also seen enthusiasm, pride, and cohesiveness among others. As a result, I am continually driven to ask the questions, “What’s the difference? Despite the physical environment, amount of work, or personalities, why do some people work well together while others are continually at odds with one another?” One of the major differences is that people who work well together talk regularly with one another about matters of mutual importance.

Working as One answers:

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Why you need to talk with one another . . . how moving from a “me” to “we” mind-set is important will make a difference in your ability to get things done.
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What you need to talk about . . . seven fundamental conversations that help co-workers stay focused, positive, and productive.
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How to go about having these conversations . . . specific guidelines, tools, and techniques to help enhance communication during your day-to-day work.

Using the Working as One framework, you’ll find yourself more able to talk about the right things in the right way, with a lot more skill and confidence. You’ll also find that you and your co-workers are more focused on what’s really important and in sync with how and when the work gets done. With over sixty real-life examples from a variety of traditional and volunteer work settings, Working as One offers hope that what you say and do can make a difference.

Who Should Read This Book?

Working as One is intended for anyone who has to work with others in order to get things accomplished. In the context of this book, workplace is defined as any place where people come together for some intended purpose or effort, either on a paid or volunteer basis. Co-workers are defined as anyone who works with others to provide a product, service, or outcome, either on a paid or volunteer basis.
The type or configuration of the workplace and co-workers may vary and it doesn’t matter whether there are two or two hundred people involved in the conversation. Examples include workgroups in hospitals, schools, businesses or government; boards of directors or committees for non-profit organizations; community athletic programs, and so forth. The common denominator is that the people are connected in some way to provide a product, service, or outcome, and that in order to properly conduct their work they have to talk and reach agreements with one another about fundamental issues.

As you will discover, there’s nothing fancy about fundamental conversations. All you need is a fair amount of common sense and a great deal of commitment and persistence. It doesn’t require external sources (such as organizational development gurus, consultants, or facilitators, etc.) to provide answers, although these sources can be helpful in providing expertise, guidance and direction. Mostly, the conversations call for you and your co-workers to think for yourselves (perhaps very differently than before) and accept responsibility for who you are, what you’re about, and how you choose to do business with each other and your customers.

 

 Christine Williams Interview [19:05m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

I’ve never met a CEO who was really happy with the way business development was working. They all end up saying the same thing. “Traditional solutions fail to produce expected results while regularly generating unexpected costs. There needs to be a better way.”

Amazing Pace shows you how to turbo-charge business development. Over decades of experience as a CEO, board member and senior advisor, I have developed a unique approach to turbo-charging business development. It involves: 1) a board of advisors, which is populated by very senior people who are dedicated to driving the top line; 2) a different approach to resourcing and organizing a company’s senior management team; and 3) an approach that focuses on building revenue in large chunks.

This book will show you how it’s done. It will also help you avoid the pitfalls and leverage the strengths of your company. Read on—this really works!

 

 Earl Smith Interview [20:50m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

“Disrespectful! Discourteous! Inefficient!” These are just some of the adjectives our customers are using to describe the service they receive from us today. With all the resources business owners have available to help improve their customer service delivery, we somehow still keep missing the mark. How can we stop this trend and dramatically change our businesses?

If Service Came from the Heart is not just another book about customer service! It is a refreshing approach on delivering EXCELLENT service. The author takes a look at the heart and attitude of Jesus and uses that to describe how we should truly serve our customers. She uses anecdotes and suggests simple steps that can be used to take your businesses to a superior level.

 

 Velinda Hanna Interview [21:40m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Today’s business world is filled with fast paced action and the need for snap decisions. The team that takes the field for your company every day must be prepared to keep up with all of the ins and outs. Choosing the right team and building that team chemistry is vital to success. Business Is Like Baseball is a quick read, built for the manager/professional on the go. It is chock full of suggestions and solutions for building a championship team out of your employees. The 21st century business world has been waiting for a solid game plan like this. Tom Russo Jr. hits a grand slam by transferring his vibrant speaking style to this work. Hit a home run for your team and utilize the scoring system developed.

 

 Tom Russo Interview [19:23m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

If you’re in a management position with a large corporation, are driven by ego, and think it’s all about you, a word of caution: this book isn’t for you! The art of management is the ability to focus on the point-of-service workers and help them to perform well. Provide your employees with a comfortable work environment, the proper tools and resources to do the job, and then get out of their way. Far too often in today’s corporate world managers become the focal point and employees spend more time servicing the selfish, internal needs of management rather than servicing the customer. Did the corporate world forget who brings in the revenue and the reason they are in business in the first place? When you take care of your employees, they will take care of your customers.

If you’re in a management position, maybe your road to success is different than you think.

 

 Sandy Colabufo Interview [19:52m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download