AMA Edgewise

Michael Alter on Building Superior Customer Service

klee — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 13:00:50 +0000

At SurePayroll, employees win money for making mistakes. Although this approach may seem a little backwards, Michael Alter, president of the payroll provider, says the only way to continue to grow is to change and try new things. And it may account for the company’s fast growth, a three year growth rate of 1.302 percent.

Michael Alter is President of SurePayroll. Michael was a founder and leader in the Service Operations Practice at McKinsey and Company. He is a columnist for INC.com and appears regularly in publication across the country, including Bloomberg TV, this Wall Street Journal and Entrepreneur Magazine.

For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars:

*Customer Service Excellence: How to Win and Keep Customers
*Achieving Leadership Success Through People
*Creativity and Innovation: Unleash Your Potential for Greater Success

To learn more, read these AMACOM Books:

*Award Winning Customer Service, by Renee Evenson
*Best Practices in Customer Service, by Ron Zemke
* Leading with Kindness, by William F. Baker, Michael O’Malley, Ph.D.

Johnny Taylor on Getting Good Hires Now

klee — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 14:00:22 +0000

Even with the economy in a downturn, companies still need to invest in new talent. Johnny Taylor says that the race to find good talent is coming soon and smart employers are starting early.

Johnny Taylor is the author of The Trouble with HR: An Insider’s Guide to Finding and Keeping the Best People. He is the Past Chairman of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), one of the world’s largest professional associations with 235,000+ members in 130 countries, and has served on the boards of the Urban Leagues of Broward County and Mecklenburg County, the University of Miami President’s Council, the Drake University Board of Trustees, and the National YMCA Employee Benefits Plan.

For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars:

*Recruiting, Interviewing, and Selecting Employees
*Leading Virtual and Remote Teams
*How to Develop a Smarter Workforce

To learn more, read these AMACOM Books:

*Finding & Keeping Great Employees, by Jim Harris, Ph.D., Joan Brannick, Ph.D.
*101 Strategies for Recruiting Success, by Christopher W. Pritchard
* Effective Succession Planning, by William J. Rothwell

Larry Schweikart on the Legacy of American Entrepreneurs

klee — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 22:12:57 +0000

What entrepreneurs best characterize America’s business past and why? The American Entrepreneur: The Fascinating Stories Of The People Who Define Business In The United States by Larry Schweikart, illustrates the history of business in the United States from the point of view of the enterprising men and women who made it happen.

Larry Schweikart is also a history professor at the University of Dayton, and he is the author or coauthor of many books, including “A Patriot’s History Of The United States” and “48 Liberal Lies About American History.”

For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars:

*Entrepreneurial Thinking: A New Mindset for Business Growth
*Strategic Agility and Resilience: Embracing Change to Drive Growth
*Creativity and Innovation: Unleash Your Potential for Greater Success

To learn more, read these AMACOM Books:

*The American Entrepreneur: The Fascinating Stories Of The People Who Define Business In The United States, by Larry Schweikart, Ph.D., Lynne Pierson Doti, Ph.D.
*The Accidental Entrepreneur, by Susan Urquhart-Brown
*Young Guns, by Robert Tuchman

Claire Wyckoff and Nat Stoddard on Selecting the Right Leader

klee — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 16:18:43 +0000

Leadership failures damage or even destroy companies every day. The Right Leader: Selecting Executives Who Fit, Details: A Revolutionary Process For Selecting Executives Based On Years Of Consulting For Some Of America’s Largest Companies, by Nat Stoddard and Claire Wyckoff offers a new approach to eliminate the leadership failures that plague so many companies around the world today. The Right Leader introduces the “Match-Fit Model” and explains how it reduces the risks and costs of executive failure by changing the factors that are considered and by taking into account the cultural dynamics at play in any organization.
Nat Stoddard is Chairman of Crenshaw Associates, a New York based consulting firm specializing in career and transition management for senior executives. Claire Wyckoff is an accomplished writer and editor who has held executive positions in both the corporate and nonprofit sectors.

For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars:

* Developing Executive Leadership
* Recruiting, Interviewing and Selecting Employees
* Situational Leadership® II Workshop

To learn more, read these AMACOM Books:

* Leading Leaders , by Jeswald W. Salacuse
* The Leadership Advantage , by Robert M. Fulmer, Jared L. Bleak
* Lead by Example , by John Baldoni

Jon Bidwell on Driving Innovation from Within

klee — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 12:57:49 +0000

When Jon Bidwell became the Chubb Group of Insurance Cos.’s first ever new chief innovation officer, his mission was to increase the speed, pace and profitability of Chubb’s products and services, involving a global network of 10,000 employees. Bidwell realized that the best way to generate innovation as quickly as possible was to tap into the company’s 10,000 employees, those who knew from first-hand experience what could make the organization work better. The conservative culture at Chubb gave way to a radical program that tapped into the company’s internal resources, generating thousands of ideas for organizational improvement.

Jon Bidwell is senior vice president of Chubb & Son and chief innovation officer for the Chubb Group of Insurance Cos., Warren, NJ

For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars:

* Creativity and Innovation: Unleash Your Potential for Greater Success
* Planning and Developing New Products
* Developing and Executing a Customer-centric Strategy

To learn more, read these AMACOM Books:

* Getting to Innovation , by Arthur B. VanGundy
* Something Really New, by Denis J. Hauptly
* The Power of Strategy Innovation , by Robert E. Johnston, J. Douglas Bate

Peter Firestein on Building Success through Reputation

klee — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 14:26:48 +0000

Public opinion in the wake of the financial meltdown has revealed the public’s abiding mistrust of corporations and the executives who run them. Scrutiny from the Internet and 24-hour cable TV offers companies no place to hide; so they must proactively seek the confidence of their shareholders and the public. In today’s economy, reputation is a prime factor in a corporation’s bottom line.

Peter Firestein presents Seven Strategies of Reputation Leadership in his book Crisis of Character, offering a fail-proof way for executives to immunize themselves and their companies against the breakdowns that can happen to even the most prominent organizations. Using real-life examples (from Merck and Citigroup to Hewlett-Packard and Coca-Cola), Crisis of Character presents concrete ways executives can shape the internal corporate culture to support their business interests.

Peter Firestein is a consultant specializing in reputation risk management in both public and financial arenas. Since 2002, he has helmed Global Strategic Communications, Inc., counseling the CEOs and senior managers of a variety of global corporations. He has been a managing director at Thomson Financial and served as global financial communications advisor to the government of Brazil in the privatization of its national telecommunications network. For more information, see www.peterfirestein.com.

For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars:

* Advanced Leadership Communication Strategies

To learn more, read these AMACOM Books:

* Leading By Example by John Baldoni
* Leading With Kindness by William F. Baker, Michael O’Malley, Ph.D.
* Managing Brand You by Jerry S. Wilson, Ira Blumenthal

David Ulrich on How HR Transforms the Future

klee — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 14:25:32 +0000

David Ulrich is Co Founder of the RBL Group and Professor of Business at the University of Michigan’s Raw School of Business. He’s ranked number one as a management educator guru by Business Week, and Ulrich was selected by Fast Company as one of the ten most innovate and creative leaders. He has also been named HR Magazine’s most influential person in the HR field four out of the last five years, and was most recently listed number 31 on the Thinker’s 50 global ranking of business gurus. He’s written 20 books covering topics in HR and leadership, including The Leadership Code and HR Transformation.

For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars:

* Human Resources Measurement and Metrics
* Planning and Managing Organizational Change
* Fundamentals of Human Resources Management

To learn more, read these AMACOM Books:

* The ROI of Human Capital , by Dr. Jac Fitz-enz
* The AMA Guide to Management Development, by Daniel R. Tobin, Ph.D., Margaret Pettingell
* Auditing Your Human Resources Department, by John H. McConnell

Alice Adams on Bridging the Gender Divide at Work

klee — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 13:04:07 +0000

Men are from Mars. Women are from Venus. This popular summation of the gender divide is given a lot of credence in the workplace. But the fact is that working women and men are far more alike than commonly realized—and managers who understand that can develop lasting, productive gender equity at work. In Playing to Strength, Alice Adams guides managers and organizations who want to achieve the type of gender-balanced environment that brings out the best in both men and women.

For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars:

* Leadership and Team Development for Managerial Success
* Situational Leadership® II Workshop
* Leading with Emotional Intelligence

To learn more, read these AMACOM Books:

* The Voice of Success by Joni Wilson

Steve McKee on What to Do When Growth Stalls

klee — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 13:08:57 +0000

Stalled growth is the rule, not the exception–even for the best-managed companies. That’s especially true in unpredictable economic environments such as the one we’re experiencing today. Steve McKee commissioned a study of 700 companies that had at one time been among the nation’s fastest-growing businesses. In his book, When Growth Stalls, McKee presents compelling knowledge about how and why companies lose their way, and offers practical advice about how they can rekindle growth.

Steve McKee is the president and co-founder of McKee Wallwork Cleveland, a full service marketing communications firm that has twice been awarded the American Marketing Association’s EFFIE Award, one of the industry’s highest honors. He has more than two decades experience coaching troubled companies as they look to better position themselves for success.

For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars:

* Strategic Planning
* Fundamentals of Strategic Planning

To learn more, read these AMACOM Books:

* Tough Calls by Dick Martin
* The Management 500 by Dan Coughlin

Michael Watkins on Navigating Your Career Transition

klee — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:04:19 +0000

Transitions into new roles are the crucibles in which leaders get their toughest tests, and they’re the defining factor in professional careers today. Yet far too often, leaders fail to transition effectively into new roles. The resulting costs are high, for your career and the organization.

In Your Next Move, leadership-transition guru Michael Watkins shows how leaders can survive and thrive in all the major transitions you will face during your career, including promotion, on-boarding into a new organization, and making an international move. With real-life examples and case studies, he illustrates the defining hurdles associated with each type of transition.

Michael D. Watkins is the cofounder of Genesis Advisers, a Newton, Massachusetts-based leadership development firm specializing in transition acceleration programs and coaching. He is the author of The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels (Harvard Business Press, 2003).

For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars:

* Making the Transition to Management
* Making the Transition from Staff Member to Supervisor
* Fundamentals of Sales Management for the Newly Appointed Sales Manager

To learn more, read these AMACOM Books:

* Reinvention by Brian Tracy
* The AMA Handbook of Leadership by Marshall Goldsmith, John Baldoni, Sarah McArthur

David Rock on How to Maximize Your Brain at Work

klee — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:02:15 +0000

In Your Brain at Work, David Rock takes readers inside the heads—literally—of a modern two-career couple as they mentally process their workday to reveal how we can better organize, prioritize, remember, and process our daily lives. Rock, the author of Quiet Leadership and Personal Best, shows how it’s possible for this couple, and thus the reader, not only to survive in today’s overwhelming work environment but succeed in it—and still feel energized and accomplished at the end of the day.

David Rock is the CEO of Results Coaching Systems, and he works with Fortune 500 clients worldwide to develop leaders, improve performance, and change culture.

For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars:

* Critical Thinking
* The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People® 3-Day Signature Program

To learn more, read these AMACOM Books:

* Brain Sense by Faith Hickman Brynie

Michael Song on How to Get More Done with Fewer Meetings

klee — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:58:20 +0000

Meetings have changed. They’re more frequent, virtual, and informal. Yet, most professionals haven’t upgraded their meeting skills. It’s no wonder that 43% of meeting time is wasted. In The Hamster Revolution for Meetings: Your Guide to Effective Meetings in the Information Age, bestselling author Mike Song discusses how to keep your meetings productive, on track, and engaging.

Mike Song is the CEO of Cohesive Knowledge Solutions. He is also the co-developer of the highly-regarded COTA system. He consults at several major companies such as Clear Channel, Dish Network, Novartis, and HP.

For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars:

* Leading Effective Meetings
* Successful Meeting Planning
* The Effective Facilitator: Maximizing Involvement and Results

Chip Bell on Creating “Take Their Breath Away” Customer Service

klee — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:00:44 +0000

Customers are bored! Service providers, chastised by the “less-than-exciting” results of their surveys, have put all their eggs in the “improvement” basket.” According to Chip Bell, “Take Their Breath Away” service is about bringing a new spirit to the service world. His new book Take Their Breath Away, co-authored by John R. Patterson, offers a practical blueprint and courage-builder for business pioneers who are unwilling to be lulled into complacency by the same old service practices.

Chip R. Bell is the founder of The Chip Bell Group and works from the Dallas, Texas area. His consulting practice focuses on helping organizations build a culture that supports long-term customer loyalty.

For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars:

* Customer Service Excellence: How to Win and Keep Customers

To learn more, read these AMACOM Books:

* Managing Knock Your Socks Off Service by Chip R. Bell, Ron Zemke
* Strategic Customer Service by John A. Goodman
* 101 Activities for Delivering Knock Your Socks Off Service by Ann Thomas, Jill Applegate

John Hoover and Paul Gorrell on Connecting Coaching to the Organization

klee — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:41:48 +0000

Coaching has traditionally focused entirely on the individual…sometimes even at the expense of improving measurable business results for the company. The Coaching Connection (AMACOM) by John Hoover and Paul J. Gorrell shows managers how they can use contextual coaching to simultaneously promote both individual and organizational growth. The book helps readers align what individual contributors do best with what organizations need most, ensuring everyone involved their highest probability for success.

Paul J. Gorrell, Ph.D. (New York, NY) is the Managing Director of the Human Capital Consulting practice at Partners in Human Resources International (WeMakeTalentWork.com).

John Hoover, Ph.D. (New York, NY) is a former executive with The Walt Disney Company and McGraw-Hill. He also works for Partners International, and is on the AMA faculty.

For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars:

* Coaching: A Strategic Tool for Effective Leadership
* Coaching and Counseling for Outstanding Job Performance

To learn more, read these AMACOM Books:

* The Coaching Connection by John Hoover and Paul J. Gorrell
* The AMA Guide to Management Development by Daniel R. Tobin, Ph.D., Margaret Pettingell
* Improving Employee Performance Through Appraisal and Coaching by Donald L. Kirkpatrick

Keith McFarland on Turning Tough Times into Triumph

klee — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:03:14 +0000

Bounce, by New York Times bestselling author Keith McFarland, is a leadership fable for those wary of fables, a story that rejects pat, heard-it-before advice, and shows how to use challenges to make both yourself and your organization stronger.

Keith McFarland is the bestselling author of The Breakthrough Company. McFarland is a leading business consultant whose client list includes Microsoft, Motorola, Morgan Stanley, Vans, House of Blues, and hundreds of small to midsize firms. A regular columnist for BusinessWeek, McFarland formerly served as CEO of technology firms Nivo International and Collectech Systems, and as a dean of the Pepperdine University School of Business.

For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars:

* Strategic Agility and Resilience: Embracing Change to Drive Growth
* Igniting Commitment: Engaging Employees for Breakthrough Performance

Kurt Andersen on Resetting Our Economy the Right Way

klee — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:15:25 +0000

“It’s the end of the world as we’ve known it,” Kurt Andersen writes in his book Reset, “but it isn’t the end of the world.” In his book, Andersen explains why the current economic crisis is actually an historic moment of great opportunity to get ourselves and the nation back on track.

Kurt Andersen is an American novelist who is also host of the Peabody-winning public radio programStudio 360, a co-production between Public Radio International and WNYC. In 1986 with E. Graydon Carter he co-founded Spymagazine, which they sold in 1991; it continued publishing until 1998. Previously he was a writer and columnist for New York Magazine, The New Yorker and Time, where he wrote on a wide variety of subjects.

For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars:

* Strategic Agility and Resilience: Embracing Change to Drive Growth
* Planning and Managing Organizational Change
* Strategic Planning

To learn more, read these AMACOM Books:

* Reinvention by Brian Tracy
* Riches Among the Ruins by Robert P. Smith, Peter Zheutlin
* American Entrepreneur by Larry Schweikart, Ph.D., Lynne Pierson Doti, Ph.D.

Lynn Taylor on How to Tame an Office Tyrant

klee — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:36:10 +0000

Most people simply endure the tirades, mood swings, and incessant questions from their tyrannical bosses. But a new book by Lynn Taylor, Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant addresses the situation and shows the readers how to build positive relationships with even the most out-of-control boss and still thrive in their job.

Lynn Taylor is a regular workplace contributor to Psychology Today. She’s a contributor to Business Week, and the monthly human resource columnist for SmartHRManager.com. Her workplace expertise is rooted in her own corporate executive experience including her past roles with two global employment firms, and she’s been a major contributor to several popular business books including various publications on careers, HR and employee motivation.

For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars:

* Successfully Managing People
* Responding to Conflict: Strategies for Improved Communication
* How to Communicate with Diplomacy, Tact and Credibility

To learn more, read these AMACOM Books:

* In the Land of Difficult People by Terrence L. Gargiulo, Gini Graham Scott
* A Survival Guide for Working with Bad Bosses by Gini Graham Scott
* Working with Difficult People by Michael S. Dobson, William Lundin, Ph.D., Kathleen Lundin

Lawrence Allen on The War for Chocolate in China

klee — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:49:17 +0000

As China comes into its own as a world economic power, a new, huge consumer class is emerging, hungry for all things Western. In this land where twenty-five years ago most of the population had never tasted chocolate, five icons of Western business are now slugging it out in a battle royal to see which will become the Emperor of Chocolate in China.

Chocolate Fortunes by Lawrence Allen examines each of the five major players—Hershey, Nestlé, Cadbury, Mars, and Ferrero—and the trials they face as they attempt to dominate their market in an enigmatic and still-developing economy. More broadly, Chocolate Fortunes examines the unique opportunities and challenges inherent in the Chinese business universe.

Lawrence Allen is a former senior executive for both Hershey and Nestlé in China. He has spent more than 20 years building consumer brands for multinational companies in China.

For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars:

* Export/Import Procedures and Documentation

To learn more, read these AMACOM Books:

* Chocolate Fortunes by Lawrence Allen
* How to Negotiate Anything with Anyone Anywhere Around the World by Frank Acuff
* Rebuilding Brand America by Dick Martin

William Schiemann on Reinventing Talent Management

klee — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 12:12:46 +0000

Over the past 10 or so years talent management has become something of an HR hurrah term. The extent to which all the hubbub has led to tangible results is quite another issue. Dr. William Schiemann’s Reinventing Talent Management: How to Maximize Performance in the New Marketplace aims to put a tight process and discipline of measurement behind the annual report cliché that “Our people are our most important asset.” At the heart of Dr. Schiemann’s thesis is a provocative new talent management model he terms People Equity.

William Schiemann is Chief Executive Officer of Metrus Group. Dr. Schiemann and his colleagues have consulted extensively with many major corporations on the development and implementation of business strategies. He is coauthor of Bullseye! Hitting Your Strategic Targets Through High-Impact Measurement. He’s also written extensively for many publications including Across the Board, Journal of Business Strategy, Management Review and Quality Progress.

For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars:

* Talent Management
* Employee Retention Strategies
* Fundamentals of Human Resource Management

To learn more, read these AMACOM Books:

* The Manager’s Guide to Maximizing Employee Potential by William J. Rothwell
* The AMA Guide to Management Development by Daniel R. Tobin, Ph.D., Margaret Pettingell
* The Management 500 by Dan Coughlin

Bill George on Seven Lessons for Leading in a Crisis

klee — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 12:06:56 +0000

Bill George’s reputation as a leadership guru has expanded exponentially with each of his bestselling books on the subject. One of the top professors on leadership at Harvard Business School, he turns his attention now to the timely topic of leading in a high-pressure, economically challenged business climate with 7 Lessons for Leading in Crisis. Here we have Bill George’s very personal perspective sharing his thoughts and reflections based on his experiences and those of executives he knows well.

Bill George is Professor of Management Practice at Harvard Business School, where he is teaching leadership and leadership development along with several executive education programs. His previous two books, True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership and Authentic Leadership: Rediscovering the Secrets to Creating Lasting Value, were also best-sellers.

For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars:

Advanced Leadership Communication Strategy
Preparing for Leadership: What It Takes to Take the Lead
AMA’s Advanced Executive Leadership Program
Leading with Emotional Intelligence
The Voice of Leadership: How Leaders Inspire, Influence and Achieve Results

For related reading from AMACOM Books:

The Nature of Leadership: Reptiles, Mammals, and the Challenge of Becoming a Great Leader

John Baldoni on How To Lead Your Boss

klee — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:25:05 +0000

In Lead Your Boss, recognized leadership guru John Baldoni gives managers new as well as tried and true methods for influencing both their bosses and their peers, and giving senior leaders reasons to follow their lead.

Named one of the world’s top 30 influential gurus by Leadership Gurus International in 2007, John Baldoni wrote Lead By Example: 50 Ways Great Leaders Inspire Results (AMACOM). Baldoni also writes the Leadership At Work blog for Harvard Business Publishing.

For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars:

* Partnering With Your Boss
* Getting Results Without Authority
* Successfully Managing People

To learn more, read these AMACOM Books:

* Lead By Example: 50 Ways Great Leaders Inspire Results by John Baldoni
* Results Without Authority by Tom Kendrick

Larry Samuel on the History and Future of Wealth Culture

klee — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:34:29 +0000

As Americans, we are unapologetically obsessed with money and the people who have a lot of it. We are curious, to say the least, about how rich people make their money, how they spend it, and what separates them from the rest of us. Rich: The Rise and Fall of American Wealth Culture by Larry Samuel puts the American obsession with all things money into much needed perspective. Rich shows how American wealth culture as we knew it has become almost extinct owing to a variety of social and economic factors over the years.

Larry Samuel, the author of this book, is Founder of Culture Planning LLC, a resource helping organizations market to the wealthy, and has been a leading consultant to Fortune 500 companies and major advertising agencies since 1990.
Samuel conducted a study of the nation’s wealthy for J.P. Morgan in 2000 and 2005, the results of which led Slate.com to call him “the anthropologist of plutocrats, who aims to do for the American wealthy what Margaret Mead did for the Samoans.”

To learn more, read these AMACOM Books:

* Rich by Larry Samuel

Adam Werbach on the Strategic Advantage of Sustainability

klee — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 12:40:26 +0000

More than ever before, consumers, employees, and investors share a common purpose and a passion for companies that do well by doing good. So any strategy without sustainability at its core is just plain irresponsible - bad for business, bad for shareholders, bad for the environment.

In his book Strategy for Sustainability author Adam Werbach argues that sustainability is now a true competitive strategic advantage, and building it into the core of your business is the only means to ensure that your company - and your world - will survive.

Adam Werbach is Global CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi S, specializing in the field of sustainability.

To learn more, read these AMACOM Books:

* Investing in a Sustainable World by Matthew J. Kiernan
* The Sustainable Enterprise Fieldbook by Jeana Wirtenberg, PhD, William G. Russell, David Lipsky, PhD

Thomas Harrison on How to Develop Your Leadership Instincts

klee — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:38:41 +0000

Is the ability to succeed in business hardwired into our DNA? Are entrepreneurs, like racing thoroughbreds, simply born to win? Instinct, by Thomas L. Harrison, is the first book to apply the tools and insights of human genome research to the concept of success. Harrison, a corporate CEO who began his career as a cell biologist, argues that successful people, particularly successful entrepreneurs, tend to have certain identifiable talents encoded in their genes. Harrison shows readers how to determine if they have inherited these genes, and how to compensate if they are lacking in some of these vital traits.

Thomas Harrison is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Diversified Agency Services (DAS), the world’s largest holding group of marketing services companies.

To learn more, read these AMACOM Books:

* The Leadership Advantage by Robert M. Fulmer, Jared L. Bleak
* Lead by Example by John Baldoni
* Leading with Kindness by William F. Baker, Michael O’Malley, Ph.D.

Dan Coughlin on Management Success Lessons from Top Auto Racing Teams

klee — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 15:26:11 +0000

The Management 500 (AMACOM Books) provides practical management lessons drawn from the history of professional auto racing. With insights and stories from some of the most successful people in Formula 1, IndyCar Series, and NASCAR over the past 60 years including Lee White, President of Toyota Racing Development and Ed Laukes, head of Toyota Motorsports, consultant Dan Coughlin shows busy managers how they can rev up their skills in areas like leadership, teamwork, strategy, branding, problem-solving, change management and innovation, and get their company running in high gear.

Dan Coughlin is a management consultant and keynote speaker, whose clients include Toyota, McDonald’s, Abbott, Marriott, Coca-Cola, YPO, Boeing, the St. Louis Cardinals, and more than 150 other organizations.

For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars:

* Improving Your Managerial Effectiveness
* Performance Management: Minimizing Stress, Maximizing Effectiveness
* Successfully Managing People

To learn more, read these AMACOM Books:

* The Management 500 by Dan Coughlin

Ann Evanston on Successful Twitter-preneurship

klee — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 13:36:25 +0000

More and more people believe that social networking on sites like LinkedIn, Facebook and now Twitter, make business sense. but how do you do it right without wasting tons of time and energy?

Ann Evanston, MA is a social psychologist who not only believes in online social networking, she’s lived by it and thrived by it. She is ranked #5 of top influencers in the SF bay area on Twitter and has over one million Google-able hits. Over the last year she has received a book deal, 6 speaking engagements, and over $30,000 in closed business through social networking. Ann is faculty for the American Management Association, the sponsors of Edgewise.

For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars:

* Leveraging Web 2.0 to Engage Customers and Build Your Brand
* Building an Informal Network: How Work Really Gets Done

To learn more, read these AMACOM Books:

* Digital Engagement by Leland Harden, Bob Heyman
* The Wisdom Network by Steve Benton, Melissa Giovagnoli
* The Get-Started Guide to M-Commerce and Mobile Technology by Danielle Zilliox

David Noer on Healing the Wounds of Layoffs

klee — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 12:09:37 +0000

Reports of the most recent layoffs are making the front pages of our newspapers with frightening regularity. And massive downsizing continues to reshape the face of American business. But what about those who remain behind? In his updated 2009 edition of Healing the Wounds, David M. Noer, an expert frequently quoted in major media such as The Wall Street Journal and Fortune on the topic of layoffs and layoff survivor sickness, addresses these problems. Drawing on case studies and original research, Healing the Wounds provides executives, human resource professionals, managers, and consultants with an original model and clear guidelines for revitalizing downsized organizations and the employees left behind.

David M. Noer is vice president for training and education for the Center for Creative Leadership. He has consulted extensively both in the United States and abroad, and he is the author of Multinational People Management (1975), How to Beat the Employment Game (1975), and Jobkeeping (1976).

For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars:

* Igniting Commitment: Engaging Employees for Breakthrough Performance
* Confronting the Tough Stuff: Management Skills for Supervisors

To learn more, read these AMACOM Books:

* One Foot Out the Door by Judith M. Bardwick
* 101 Tough Conversations to Have with Employees by Paul Falcone

Ric Merrifield on Rethinking Cost Cutting and Boosting Innovation

klee — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 12:22:58 +0000

It’s the trap that ensnares virtually every business. We focus on process: “how” we’re doing the job. And we forget about the bigger issue: “what” we’re doing and “why” we’re doing it. That’s why we’re leaving so much value on the table.

In Rethink, business architect Ric Merrifield exposes this problem with vivid examples and introduces breakthrough techniques for overcoming it. Merrifield presents case studies ranging from ING DIRECT to Amazon.com to Procter & Gamble. These diverse companies have learned how to cut costs, strengthen innovation, and profit from change all at the same time.

Ric Merrifield spent nearly 15 years in various consulting roles helping organizations define and achieve their goals. Since joining Microsoft as director of strategy on the top secret Motion Incubation team, Merrifield has spend more than 10,000 hours as a business architect and has filed 12 patent applications, all with the goal of helping companies rethink their operating models.

For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars:

* Creativity and Innovation: Unleash Your Potential for Greater Success
* Strategic Planning
* Fundamentals of Strategic Planning
* Strategy Execution: Getting It Done

To learn more, read these AMACOM Books:

* Transnational Leadership Development by Beth Fisher-Yoshida, Kathy D. Geller

Rosabeth Moss Kanter on the 21st Century Super Corporation

klee — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 12:08:57 +0000

For over 30 years, Rosabeth Moss Kanter has been a leading thinker in strategy, innovation and change management. Among her bestselling influential books are The Change Masters, Men and Women of the Corporation, and Confidence. Her new book is titled SuperCorp: How Vanguard Companies Create Innovation, Profits, Growth, and Social Good. In SuperCorp, Kanter looks at the emerging best practices of twenty-first century business, and the management skills required to get there.

Rosabeth Moss Kanter holds the Ernest L. Arbuckle Professorship at Harvard Business School, where she specializes in strategy, innovation, and leadership for change. Her strategic and practical insights have guided leaders of large and small organizations worldwide for over 25 years, through teaching, writing, and direct consultation to major corporations and governments. The former Editor of Harvard Business Review (1989-1992), Professor Kanter has been named to lists of the “50 most powerful women in the world” (Times of London), and the “50 most influential business thinkers in the world” (Accenture and Thinkers 50 research). In 2001, she received the Academy of Management’s Distinguished Career Award for her scholarly contributions to management knowledge, and in 2002 was named “Intelligent Community Visionary of the Year” by the World Teleport Association.

For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars:

* Igniting Commitment: Engaging Employees for Breakthrough Performance
* Critical Thinking
* AMA’s Advanced Executive Leadership Program
* Leadership and Team Development for Managerial Success

To learn more, read these AMACOM Books:

* Smarts by Chuck Martin, Peg Dawson, Richard Guare

Josh Leibner and Gershon Mader on the Power of Strategic Commitment

klee — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 12:33:49 +0000

Most managers and executives don’t have a clear system for ensuring the support they need from those around them. In The Power of Strategic Commitment (AMACOM), authors Josh Leibner and Gershon Mader advise on how improve strategic processes by enlisting the support of managers, employees, boards, suppliers, investors, and others. The book outlines the key factors that determine commitment, providing powerful ways to build buy-in that cost nothing.

Josh Leibner and Gershon Mader are consultants, speakers, and founding partners of Quantum Performance, Inc., a leading edge management consulting firm with Global 1,000 clients including Capital One, Sysco, Prudential Financial, Cushman and Wakefield, Zurich Financial, the United Way, and many others.

For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars:

* Moving from an Operational Manager to a Strategic Thinker
* Interpersonal Skills for Managers
* Project Team Leadership: Building Commitment Through Superior Communication
* Getting Results Without Authority

To learn more, read these AMACOM Books:

* The Power of Strategic Commitment by Josh Leibner, Gershon Mader, Alan Weiss, Ph.D.

Steve Cone on Successful Marketing Through a Recession

klee — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 19:42:23 +0000

With more than 35 years at the top of the marketing profession, Steve Cone has led campaigns for many companies including Citigroup, American Express, Fidelity, Apple, and United Airlines, as well as presidential campaigns for both major parties.

Steve is currently Executive Vice President and Senior Advisor at Epsilon, and works directly with clients in all industries to design, implement, measure and optimize multichannel marketing programs. He’s a leading authority on consumer marketing and the author of the bestselling books, Steal These Ideas: Marketing Secret That Will Make You A Star and Power Lines: Words That Sell Brands, Grip Fans, and Sometimes Change History.

For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars:

* Fundamentals of Marketing: Your Action Plan for Success
* Measuring and Maximizing Marketing ROI
* AMA’s Advanced Course in Strategic Marketing
* Aligning Marketing and Sales: Achieve Success Through Collaboration
* Market Research: How to Get the Right Data to Make the Right Decisions

To learn more, read these AMACOM Books:

* Chaotics by Philip Kotler, John A. Caslione

Bruce Tulgan on How to Manage Generation Y

klee — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:32:41 +0000

Now is the perfect time for business leaders, managers, and other so-called grownups to give a much needed reality check to the Generation Y employees that are on their staffs, those born between 1978 and 1990. This is the argument posed by Bruce Tulgan in his new book Not Everyone Gets A Trophy: How To Manage Generation Y.

Bruce Tulgan is internationally recognized as the leading expert on young people in the workplace, and one of the leading experts on leadership and management. Bruce is a best selling author and advisor to business leaders all over the world, and a sought after keynote speaker and management trainer.

For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars:

* Coaching and Counseling for Outstanding Job Performance
* Igniting Commitment: Engaging Employees for Breakthrough Performance
* Fundamentals of Human Resources Management
* Responding to Conflict: Strategies for Improved Communication
* Successfully Managing People

To learn more, read these AMACOM Books:

* The Age Curve by Kenneth Gronbach

Jill Griffin on Earning Loyalty in a Search and Switch World

klee — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 11:24:11 +0000

The ability to compare price and product created by Internet search engines coupled with our insatiable desire for instant information have created a volatile new breed of buyer, the search and switch customer. In these bruising economic times, businesses unprepared to address this buyer are losing market share by the minute.

In her book Taming The Search and Switch Customer: Earning Customer Loyalty In A Compulsion To Compare World, loyalty guru Jill Griffin, advisor to Microsoft, Dell, Toyota, Marriott, HP, Days Inn and Western Union, provides a fresh, new arsenal of loyalty solutions uniquely calibrated for today’s compulsion to compare planet of buyers.

Jill Griffin is known to her clients as the loyalty maker. And since 1988 she’s led Austin based Griffin Group, helping firms worldwide build fierce, loyal customers. Her clients include Microsoft and Dell, as we heard before, Toyota, Marriott, HP, Western Union and Sprint. Her previous book, “Customer Loyalty” was named to Harvard Business School’s Working Knowledge list, and has been translated into six languages.

For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars:

* Leveraging Web 2.0 to Engage Customers and Build Your Brand
* Fundamentals of Marketing: Your Action Plan for Success
* Customer Service Excellence: How to Win and Keep Customers
* Principles of Professional Selling

John Goodman on the Future of Customer Service

klee — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:00:51 +0000

Most executives still view customer service as a cost center, a necessary nuisance that drains funds from other more strategic investments. But for companies with a strategic approach, the customer service function itself is an unbeatable marketing machine, a word of mouth monster that directly drives sales, repeats business referrals, and increases the bottom line.

John Goodman is one of the originators of the customer experience industry. His new book is entitled Strategic Customer Service. John is the Founder and Vice Chairman of Arlington, Virginia based TARP Worldwide Incorporated, the organization Tom Peters called, “America’s premier customer service research firm.”

For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars:

* Customer Service Excellence: How to Win and Keep Customers
* Aligning Marketing and Sales: Achieve Success Through Collaboration

Charles Jacobs on Why Feedback Doesn’t Work

klee — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 12:16:53 +0000

Business people are taught to make decisions with facts and logic, and to avoid emotional bias. But according to the latest research, we almost never decide rationally, despite thinking that we do. Our experiences carry an emotional charge encoded in the synapses of our neurons. And when we try to deny what our emotions tell us, we lose what we’ve learned from the past. That’s just one of many recent discoveries that help explain why management is so challenging.

As author Charles Jacobs explains in new book, Management Rewired: Why Feedback Doesn’t Work and Other Surprising Lessons From The Latest Brain Science, much of the conventional wisdom taught to managers is not only inadequate; it produces the opposite of what was intended. The better path is frequently counterintuitive.

Charles S. Jacobs is managing partner of 180 Partners and an advisor to Fortune 500 companies, and was also the founder of the Amherst Consulting Group in the 1980s. He has worked in Europe, Asia, and the United States. His clients include Verizon, CitiGroup, Exxon Mobil, and over 50 of the Fortune 100.

For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars:

* Moving from an Operational Manager to a Strategic Thinker
* Critical Thinking
* AMA’s Advanced Executive Leadership Program
* Leadership and Team Development for Managerial Success

To learn more, read these AMACOM Books:

* Smarts by Chuck Martin, Peg Dawson, Richard Guare

Tom Redman on Using Data to Drive Results

klee — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 11:57:11 +0000

In Data Driven, Thomas Redman, the “Data Doc,” shows how to leverage and deploy data to sharpen your company’s competitive edge and drive its profitability.

Thomas C. Redman is a Senior Consultant with Cutter Consortium’s Business Intelligence Practice and president of Navesink Consulting Group, which he founded in 1996. Among the first to recognize the need for high-quality data in the information age, Dr. Redman established the AT&T Bell Laboratories Data Quality Lab in 1987 and led it until 1995. There he created the Applied Research Program that produced many of today’s methods for improving data quality. Known by many as the “guru of data quality,” Dr. Redman has written numerous articles and authored the seminal book on data quality. He is the leading inventor of practical techniques to help organizations improve amidst the explosion of data (and data quality problems) created in the information age. He is the author of numerous papers, including “Data Quality for Competitive Advantage” (Sloan Management Review, Winter 1995) and three books, Data Quality: The Field Guide, Data Quality for the Information Age, and Data Quality: Management and Technology.

For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars:

* AMA’s Financial Modeling and Forecasting Workshop
* Process Management: Applying Process Mapping to Analyze and Improve Your Operation
* Market Research: How to Get the Right Data to Make the Right Decisions
* Managing Projects Using Microsoft® Project
* Critical Thinking

To learn more, read these AMACOM Books:

* Blissful Data by Margaret Y. Chu
* Identifying and Managing Project Risk by Tom Kendrick
* Project Management That Works by Rick A. Morris, Brette McWhorter Sember

Aaron Sandoski on How the Wise Decide

klee — Fri, 29 May 2009 13:26:04 +0000

How do the wise decide and lead businesses and organizations to great success is the question Bryn Zeckhauser and Aaron Sandoski posed to themselves after landing their first jobs as managers. Despite the best training the world could offer—Harvard MBAs and stints at McKinsey & Company, the elite powerhouse consulting firm—they felt unprepared when faced with the pressure to make critical decisions. So they set out on a three-year quest to discover how people with remarkable success and experience in both corporate and public life—“the wise”—went about making crucial, often make-or-break decisions. They share their discoveries in their book How the Wise Decide: The Lessons of 21 Extraordinary Leaders.

For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars:

* Critical Thinking
* Leadership and Team Development for Managerial Success
* Preparing for Leadership: What It Takes to Take the Lead
* Developing Executive Leadership

To learn more, read these AMACOM Books:

* John F. Kennedy on Leadership by John A. Barnes
* Leading with Kindness by William F. Baker, Michael O’Malley, Ph.D.
* Lead by Example by John Baldoni
* 78 Important Questions Every Leader Should Ask and Answer by Chris Clarke-Epstein
* Preparing for Leadership by Donna J. Dennis, Ph.D., Debbie Meola

Paul Krugman on Staring Down Depression Economics

klee — Tue, 26 May 2009 17:42:42 +0000

Edgewise is pleased to bring an extended conversation with Dr. Paul Krugman, Professor of Economics and International Affairs at Princeton University, a regular columnist for the New York Times, and the 2008 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economics. In this interview Dr. Krugman provides a concise account of the events that led to the current economic crisis, and offers a prognosis for recovery. Dr. Krugman shares insights from his book The Great Unraveling: Losing Our Way in the New Economy. In this book, Dr. Krugman chronicles how the boom economy unraveled: how exuberance gave way to pessimism, how the age of corporate heroes gave way to corporate scandals, how fiscal responsibility collapsed; and offers a road map for recovery.

For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars:

* AMA’s Course on Financial Analysis Seminar
* AMA’s Financial Modeling and Forecasting Workshop Seminar
* AMA’s Advanced Executive Leadership Program Seminar
* Strategic Agility and Resilience: Embracing Change to Drive Growth Seminar

To learn more, read these AMACOM Books:

* Riches Among the Ruins: Adventures in the Dark Corners of the Global Economy by Robert P. Smith, Peter Zheutlin

Paul Teutul, Sr. on Doing Business the Orange County Choppers Way

dsohn — Fri, 15 May 2009 12:00:56 +0000

If you think cruising down the highway on a custom chopper is the ultimate thrill ride, try running your own business. The same outlaw spirit that drives some people to strap on a helmet and hit the road drives other people to risk it all and build a business from the ground up. Bikers and entrepreneurs share at least one trait. They do it their way without compromise. That’s the opening liner note of a book entitled The Ride Of A Lifetime, written by Paul Teutul Sr.

Paul is the founder of Orange County Choppers, one of the world’s premier builders of custom motorcycles. He formerly ran a family-owned steel fabrication shop before he began building custom bikes as a hobby, eventually founding Orange County Choppers in 1999. Since 2002, he, his family, and his business have been the subject of the hit TLC reality TV show American Chopper.

For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars:

* Successfully Managing People
* Creativity and Innovation: Unleash Your Potential for Greater Success
* Developing Executive Leadership

Blythe McGarvie on Making Courageous Decisions in a Changing World

klee — Fri, 08 May 2009 12:00:09 +0000

If the 20th century was the American century, the 21st century may well be the global century. Globalization spreads wealth across the world, opens new consumer markets, and reorients the dynamics of the American market. In a new book, Shaking The Globe: Courageous Decision Making In A Changing World, Blythe McGarvie guides readers on how to absorb the world’s diversity and to build upon his or her global citizenship by using the “FISO Factor:” skills to transform themselves from a conventional leader into a courageous one.

McGarvie is Chief Executive Officer of LIF Group, and serves on the boards of Accenture, the Pepsi Bottling Group, the Travelers Companies Inc., Viacom, and Wawa. In 1995 she was one of only 10 female CFOs in the Fortune 500.

For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars:

* The 21st Century Global Leader
* Critical Thinking
* AMA’s Advanced Executive Leadership Program
* Developing Executive Leadership
* Strategic Planning

To learn more, read these AMACOM Books:

* Transnational Leadership Development by Beth Fisher-Yoshida, Kathy D. Geller
* Global Sourcing Logistics by Thomas A. Cook
* Riches Among the Ruins:
Adventures in the Dark Corners of the Global Economy by Robert P. Smith, Peter Zheutlin
* Investing in a Sustainable World by Matthew J. Kiernan
* The Power of Strategic Commitment by Josh Leibner, Gershon Mader, Alan Weiss, Ph.D.

Marshall Goldsmith on Influence in All Directions

klee — Fri, 01 May 2009 12:00:42 +0000

One of our most popular podcast and webcast guests is executive coach, Marshall Goldsmith, author of the New York Times Bestseller What Got You Here Won’t Get You There as well as the new book Succession. In this podcast, Goldsmith coaches on how to exert your influence in today’s tough times. The topic is related to an upcoming AMA program, The Secrets of Managing Up. It will broadcast live on May 19 at 1PM, and it’s part of AMA’s new line of premium webinars. To find out more about this special 90 minute webinar, please visit amanet.org/events.

Dr. Marshall Goldsmith is corporate America’s preeminent executive coach and the New York Times best selling author of 22 books, including What Got You Here Won’t Get You There - a Wall Street Journal #1 business book. Dr. Goldsmith’s Ph.D. is from UCLA. He teaches executive education at Dartmouth’s Tuck School and frequently speaks at leading business schools.

For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars:

* Getting Results Without Authority
* Mastering Organizational Politics, Influence and Alliances
* Advanced Leadership Communication Strategies
* Communicating Up, Down and Across the Organization

To learn more, read these AMACOM Books:

* Maximum Influence by Kurt Mortensen
* Persuasion IQ by Kurt Mortensen
* Lead by Example by John Baldoni
* Results Without Authority by Tom Kendrick

Sylvia Lafair on Breaking Family Patterns That Limit Success

klee — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 12:00:46 +0000

You know the type. Maybe he’s the office cut up or the woman who manages to look busy but avoids work or the guy who was the long suffering victim. There’s one in every office. Perhaps you or someone you know fits one of these profiles. These behaviors are painfully annoying and start conflict in the office.

Sylvia Lafair is author of Don’t Bring It To Work: Breaking The Family Patterns That Limit Success. Sylvia is an expert on leadership, workplace behavior, and relationships, and helps clients from top companies navigate difficult conflicts with board members, employees, associates, and even family. Unlike other executive coaches, Lafair began her career as a family therapist and is fine tuned to the reverberations of family lives that play out in the workplace. Lafair is the Founder and President of Creative Energy Options.

For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars:

* Moving Ahead: Breaking Behavior Patterns That Hold You Back
* Assertiveness Training
* Improving Your Managerial Effectiveness
* Responding to Conflict: Strategies for Improved Communication

To learn more, read these AMACOM Books:

Working with Difficult People by Michael S. Dobson, William Lundin, Ph.D., Kathleen Lundin
Leading with Kindness by William F. Baker, Michael O’Malley, Ph.D.
Lead by Example by John Baldoni
Winning Behavior by Terry R. Bacon, David G. Pugh

Steve Kerr on Performance Rewards Systems That Really Work

klee — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 12:00:28 +0000

It’s one of the thorniest management problems around: dealing with unmotivated, low-performing employees. It’s easy to point the finger of blame at them. But in most companies, it’s the reward system, not the workforce, that’s causing poor attitudes and performance: many reward systems actually discourage desired behaviors while rewarding the very actions that drive executives crazy.

In Reward Systems: Does Yours Deliver? Steve Kerr describes the steps you must take to create an effective reward system:

- Clarify what you mean by “performance” — in ways that help employees understand how they can support what you’re trying to accomplish
- Devise an effective performance-measurement system that distinguishes between metrics used for control and those used for employees’ development
- Design a reward system that motivates people to do what you want them to do while also meeting their needs

Steve Kerr is the former Chief Learning Officer of Goldman Sachs and General Electric. He is a former professor of management and has served on the faculties of the University of Michigan business school, Ohio State University, and the University of Southern California, where he was faculty dean. He has authored numerous academic articles and coauthored the bestselling business books The Boundaryless Organization and The GE Work-Out.

For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars:

* Essentials of Human Resources Management
* Human Resources Measurement and Metrics
* Coaching and Counseling for Outstanding Job Performance

To learn more, read these AMACOM Books:

How to Recognize and Reward Employees by Donna Deeprose
Effective Executive Compensation by Michael Dennis Graham, Thomas A. Roth, Dawn Dugan
More ProActive Sales Management by William “Skip” Miller
Keeping the People Who Keep You in Business by Leigh Branham

Jason Jennings on How New Leaders Can Hit the Ground Running

klee — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 12:00:37 +0000

You have to hit the ground running— diagnose the situation, pull together a strong team, decide on a strategy, and inspire everyone to execute it.

Jason Jennings and his research team searched for the new CEOs who had pulled off the most impressive transformations of this decade. He interviewed ten who, on average, had doubled revenues, doubled profit margins, and more than tripled earnings per share, at companies such as Staples, Goodrich, Humana, and J. M. Smucker.

Jennings’ new book, Hit the Ground Running, lists ten new “golden rules” that can help leaders balance the short term and the long term, and the competing needs of shareholders, employees, customers, and the community.

Jason Jennings is the bestselling author of It’s Not the Big That Eat the Small . . . It’s the Fast That Eat the Slow; Less Is More; and Think Big, Act Small. In 2006, USA Today named him one of the three most in-demand business speakers, alongside Jim Collins and Tom Peters.

For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars:

* Developing Executive Leadership
* Preparing for Leadership: What It Takes to Take the Lead
* The Voice of Leadership: How Leaders Inspire, Influence and Achieve Results
* The 21st Century Global Leader

To learn more, read these AMACOM Books:

Preparing for Leadership by Donna J. Dennis, Ph.D., Debbie Meola
The Leadership Training Activity Book by Lois B. Hart, Ed.D., Charlotte S. Waisman, Ph.D.
Assimilating New Leaders by Diane Downey, Tom March, Adena Berkman
Leading with Kindness by William F. Baker, Michael O’Malley, Ph.D.
Lead by Example by John Baldoni

Forrest Breyfogle on Taking Six Sigma to the Next Level

klee — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 12:00:50 +0000

Problem-solving or assessment methodologies such as Six Sigma, Lean Six Sigma, or ISO may not provide a business framework so that organizations can move toward achieving the three Rs of business: everybody doing the Right Things the Right Way at the Right Time.

In The Integrated Enterprise Excellence System: An Enhanced, Unified Approach to Balanced Scorecards, Strategic Planning, and Business Improvement , Forrest Breyfogle introduces a new organizational governance system that integrates analytics with innovation. The IEE system shows business leaders what to measure and report; when and how to report it; how to interpret and use the results to establish goals; how to orchestrate work activities; and how to develop strategies that is consistent with established goals. These strategies ultimately lead to specific projects that enhance organizational focus and success.

Forrest W. Breyfogle III is the author of eleven books and over 90 articles on the topic of quality improvement. He is the President and CEO of Smarter Solutions, Inc.; and the winner of the 2005 American Society for Quality Crosby Medal for his book, Implementing Six Sigma, 2nd edition (ISS2). The Crosby Medal is presented to the individual who has authored a distinguished book contributing significantly to the extension of the philosophy and application of the principles, methods, or techniques of quality management.

Beth Fisher-Yoshida and Kathy Geller on Transnational Leadership

klee — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 12:00:16 +0000

Transnational Leadership Development by Beth Fisher-Yoshida and Kathy Geller acquaints readers with the paradoxes and mental processes leaders need to relate successfully to people with different backgrounds, cultures, and societal identities. The book advises readers on how leaders may learn to see, feel, and experience the world with different lenses; take the necessary amount of time to reflect on what they know and what they need to know; find new ways to communicate; and be resilient in the face of this unique challenge.

Beth Fisher-Yoshida, Ph.D., is the Founder of Fisher-Yoshida Inter national, LLC, consulting globally on organizational development and intercultural competence and diversity. She lives in Teaneck, New Jersey.

Kathy D. Geller, Ph.D., is presently Director of Organization Effectiveness at Stanford University. Prior to joining Stanford in 2008, she was Managing Director of Areté Leadership International, Ltd., an international consultancy working with Fortune 500 leaders in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. She lives in Palo Alto, California.

For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars:

* The 21st Century Global Leader
* AMA’s Advanced Executive Leadership Program
* Successfully Managing People
* The Voice of Leadership: How Leaders Inspire, Influence and Achieve Results

To learn more, read these AMACOM Books:

The Manager’s Guide to HR by Max Muller
Global Sourcing Logistics by Thomas A. Cook
Transnational Leadership Development by Beth Fisher-Yoshida and Kathy Geller

Michael Dulworth on The Connect Effect

klee — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 12:00:35 +0000

Beyond merely widening the circle of people you know, strong networks foster deeper learning and broaden your exposure across a range of issues. Effective investments in your networks can make you smarter, more knowledgeable, and better grounded, as well as a more agile learner and collaborator.

In The Connect Effect, author Michael Dulworth identifies three distinct kinds of networks: personal, professional, and virtual, exploring their specific characteristics and offering strategies, tools, and resources for building up and making the best use of each one. Stories from Dulworth’s over twenty years of experience running networks, as well as interviews with top executives, researchers, and thought leaders, provide insights and advice about how networks function in the real world.

Michael Dulworth is president and CEO of Executive Networks. Before acquiring Executive Networks in late 2003, he was Vice President of Learning Services at The Concours Group. Prior to that, he was a Founder and CEO of Learning Technologies Group, Inc. He is the author, coauthor or a contributor to seven books on executive development, learning, and high-performance organizations, including The Connect Effect: Building Strong Personal; Professional and Virtual Networks; Corporate Learning: Proven and Practical Guidelines for Building a Sustainable Learning Strategy; and Strategic Executive Development: The Five Essential Investments.

For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars:

* Building Better Work Relationships
* How to Communicate with Diplomacy, Tact and Credibility
* The Voice of Leadership: How Leaders Inspire, Influence and Achieve Results

To learn more, read these AMACOM Books:

The Art of Connecting by Claire Raines and Lara Ewing
How to Succeed in Business Using LinkedIn by Eric Butow and Kathleen Taylor
The Voice of Success, A Woman’s Guide to a Powerful and Persuasive Voice by Joni Wilson
The Virtual Handshake, Opening Doors and Closing Deals Online by David Teten and Scott Allen

Max Muller on HR Issues That Managers Need to Know Now

klee — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 12:00:40 +0000

Managing people is a tricky business—and managers and small business owners can no longer get by without understanding the essentials of human resources. New questions abound. In our increasingly legal-minded age, how much documentation do we need to keep on each employee? What’s the best way to confront complicated personnel issues, and even workplace violence?

Plus there are regulatory changes … like implementing the new I-9 form … that every manager needs to be aware of to remain compliant. The Manager’s Guide to HR by Max Muller provides readers with a straightforward, step-by-step guide to human resources topics.

Max Muller an attorney, began his involvement in human resources law in 1976 when he became house counsel for Isis Foods. He has presented thousands of seminars on the topic of human resources, including many for the American Management Association.

For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars:

* Coaching and Counseling for Outstanding Job Performance
* Responding to Conflict: Strategies for Improved Communication
* Successfully Managing People
* The Voice of Leadership: How Leaders Inspire, Influence and Achieve Results
* Cross-Functional Communication: Strategies for Workplace Effectiveness

To learn more, read these AMACOM Books:

The Manager’s Guide to HR by Max Muller
101 Tough Conversations to Have with Employees by Paul Falcone
Finding & Keeping Great Employees by Jim Harris, Ph.D., Joan Brannick, Ph.D.
The First-Time Manager’s Guide to Performance Appraisals by Diane Arthur
The Trouble with HR by Johnny C. Taylor, Gary M. Stern

Dr. Matthew Kiernan on How to Successfully Invest in a Sustainable World

klee — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 12:00:16 +0000

For businesses and investors, there’s no doubt about it. The smart money is going green. And the growing movement towards ecologically forward thinking companies is quickly becoming bigger and bigger. What may be surprising to some is that the socially responsible organizations aren’t just doing the right thing for the environment. They’re also paying off financially, making their investors money and increasing the bottom line.

Investing in a Sustainable World (AMACOM) by Dr. Matthew J. Kiernan offers clear proof, through facts, figures, and hard documentation, that “going green” leads directly to better stock market performance…and that investors and companies who ignore it will, in fact, lose money. The book reveals the most powerful global megatrends—from the ongoing focus on emerging markets to natural resource depletion—which are transforming the very basis on which companies will compete, and offers an approach to sustainability-enhanced investing beneficial to both investors and companies.

Dr. Kiernan is Founder and Chief Executive of Innovest Strategic Value Advisors Inc. It’s the number one rank sustainability investment research firm in the world with office in New York, Tokyo, London, Paris, Sydney, San Francisco, and Toronto. He previously served as a Director of the World Business Council for sustainable development. And in 2008 Dr. Kiernan spoke to the second time at the … for the second time at the prestigious World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars:

* The 21st Century Global Leader

To learn more, read these AMACOM Books:

Investing in a Sustainable World by Matthew J. Kiernan

Paddy Miller on Mission Critical Innovation

klee — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 12:00:37 +0000

Paddy Miller is professor of Managing People in Organizations at IESE Business School. Dr. Miller is the author of a recent book, Mission Critical Leadership. Dr. Miller’s specializes in leadership, change management, and innovation, with a focus on multinational organizations. Dr. Miller has become extensively involved in the challenges faced by organizations during the transition to globalization.

Dr. Miller has written and contributed to several books and articles that have appeared in publications ranging from the Financial Times to the Journal of Management Education. His case studies have won awards in various international forums. Last year he was awarded by the American Academy of Management for his work in the field of globally distributed teams.

For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars:

* The 21st Century Global Leader
* Fundamentals of Purchasing for the New Buyer
* Import/Export Procedures and Documentation

To learn more, read these AMACOM Books:

International Logistics by Donald F. Wood, Anthony Barone, Paul Murphy, Daniel L. Wardlow
Export/Import Procedures and Documentation by Thomas E. Johnson
Global Sourcing Logistics by Thomas A. Cook
Rebuilding Brand America by Dick Martin