Jossey-Bass on Leadership

Joe Grano on C-SPAN Book TV

Joseph Grano was recently on C-SPAN's Book TV to talked about his new book, You Can't Predict a Hero. He also answered questions about the next bubble, the Madoff scandal, and how to win the war in Afghanistan. Check out the video here.

Creativity, Leadership and Wisdom: Surviving and Thriving During Difficult Times

Chip Conley is speaking in San Francisco this Thursday, Nov. 12th, at 7pm PST at Saybrook University as part of Creativity, Leadership and Wisdom: Surviving and Thriving During Difficult Times . This event is sponsored by  Saybrook University and Social Venture Network. Speakers also include Priya Hayi, CEO and co-founder of World of Good.This event is open to the public. To register, click here.

Beyond Dealmaking by Melanie Billings-Yun

Melanie Billings-Yun, founder and senior partner of Global Resolutions, is coming out with a new book, Beyond Dealmaking: Five Steps to Negotiating Profitable Relationships. The new book won't be out until January 2010, but you can subcribe to her RSS feed for the latest updates on her book and her blog here.  

Openforum.com: Business Success Made Awesomely Simple by John Spence

Guy Kawasaki, co-founder of Alltop.com, asked John Spence, author of Awesomely Simple: Essential Business Strategies for Turning Ideas into Action, what companies needed to do in order to succeed.

Here's a piece from that entry: 

There is nothing particularly “revolutionary” in these prescriptions. However, there is a big difference between knowing these ideas are good and living them every day, so here is a quick audit to test how well you are doing. Score these on a scale of 1-10 with a ten meaning “we are world-class at this, we totally rock!!!” and a one meaning “We are horrible at this; this does not describe us at all.”

1.    We have a clear, vivid vision that is extremely well communicated throughout our entire organization.

2.    Our company is a talent magnet. We have only the best people on our team.

3.    We have lots of open, honest, and transparent communication across the entire company

4.    Everyone in the business works with a strong sense of urgency to deliver results.

5.    We are fantastic at flawlessly executing on all of our key initiatives.

6.    We have strong, trusting relationships with our customers and listen to them intently to understand their needs, wants and concerns.

A score below a seven should concern you. A score below five scare the crap out of you. A score above fifty means that you’re going to kick butt.

To read to the entire article, click here.

New York Times Deal Book: Bill George

Another View: Let’s Stop Vilifying the Bankers

By Bill George, author of 7 Lessons for Leading in Crisis

Throughout the country, the anger at bankers is palpable. This isn’t a narrow populist phenomenon; rather, it reflects widespread mistrust in the nation’s financial institutions. A “Bank Anger” tour has percolated across the blogosphere. “I Hate Banks” yields 70,000 Google Index results.

The vitriol is not restricted to the blogosphere. Mainstream commentators have roundly condemned financial institutions. Keith Olbermann of MSNBC rants: “Break up the banks. Regulate the financial industries to within an inch of their existences.”

Members of Congress are also piling on. Representative Barney Frank, Democrat of Massachusetts, says big banks are “discredited” on Capitol Hill. Senator Christopher J. Dodd, Democrat of Connecticut, has moved to impose limits on bonuses without limiting salaries. In response, the boards of the American International Group and Wells Fargo just increased their chief executives’ salaries to record levels.

The frustration of Americans is understandable. It is natural for citizens struggling to find jobs, avoid excess interest charges on unpaid credit card bills, and live off their shrinking 401(k)s to ventilate anger against bankers and their compensation excesses.

Read the rest of the article here.

Help choose the title for a new book!

Charlene Li, founder of strategy consulting firm Altimeter Group and co-author of Groundswell, needs your help picking a title for her upcoming book about how to lead organizations in the midst of new technologies.

To participate, click on the link below. It will take you to an online survey that begins with a short description of the book. There are four questions in the survey and it will take about two minutes to complete.

We hope you will participate and place your mark on this book!

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=ZN1AgApC8okEdSENCpwBqg_3d_3d

Thinkers 50: Bruce Tulgan

Congratulations to Bruce Tulgan, author of Not Everyone Gets A Trophy: How to Manage Generation Y is listed as one of Thinkers 50 Rising Star! Watch his interview here.

From John Spence's blog: The Real Value of Talent

Stephen Multon, president and Chief Insight Officer of Action Insight Inc., guest writes for John Spence's blog. In his entry, he talks about John's new book Awesomely Simple: Essential Business Strategies for Turning Ideas Into Action:

I just finished reading John’s new book, Awesomely Simple, and really appreciated the emphasis in Chapter two and several other chapters on hiring quality people who fit the organization’s culture. Like me, John has something to say about the old cliché, “People are our most valuable asset.” He says, “Your talented people are your most valuable asset and your worst people are your biggest liability.”

My own way of refuting the cliché has long been to say, “The right people, in the right positions, doing the right things are your most important asset.”

Read the rest of the entry here.