Lead from the Future: How to Turn Visionary Thinking Into Breakthrough Growth


Mark W. Johnson - 2020
    In business, they are last-name-only disrupters like Jobs, Bezos, and Hastings, and, in politics, they are such transformative figures as Mandela and FDR. They're bold and prophetic and at the same time pragmatic. They don't just promote change--they drive it, and they inspire and mobilize others to do the same.Although these leaders possess innate qualities that make them extraordinary, what truly sets them apart is their ability to turn their visions into action.In this timely and compelling book, Mark W. Johnson, cofounder of Innosight, and Josh Suskewicz, an Innosight partner, lay out a new and innovative approach to developing and executing the visionary ideas that drive breakthrough growth. This approach includes: Developing a mind-set that enables you to look beyond the present Translating your vision into a strategic plan that your team can align around and commit to Instilling visionary thinking into the processes and culture of your whole organization As practical as it is inspiring, Lead from the Future is the guide you and your team need in order to think clearly, creatively, and expansively, and then act decisively about what comes next.

Free Marketing


Jim Cockrum - 2011
    Thanks to the Internet, a new world of free and inexpensive tactics can help get the word out to the prospects of any business with a limited marketing budget. Free Marketing delivers more than 100 ideas to help any small business owner or marketer generate new revenue--with little or no marketing budget.With both Internet-based and creative offline ideas, you'll discover ways to turn your top customers into your unpaid sales force, get your competitors to help you promote your new products, and other innovative ways to get the word out.Create a "squeeze page," the most powerful one page website you'll ever build Use simple YouTube videos to grow sales Hold an eBay auction for publicity purposes (author Jim Cockrum made $30,000 and earned tons of free publicity from just one auction) and more! Grow a successful business without letting your marketing budget tell you "No." Jim Cockrum has proven that the most powerful marketing strategies are the cheapest.

The End of Marketing as We Know It


Sergio Zyman - 2000
    Or so says the "Aya Cola," Sergio Zyman, former marketing czar of Coca-Cola and quite possibly the most famous marketing gadfly in the world. Brilliant, irascible, unconventional, Zyman is best known for reinventing the Coca-Cola Company's marketing approach by spearheading the global launches of Diet Coke, New Coke, Classic Coke, Fruitopia, and Sprite. Now, in this brisk and revolutionary book, Zyman shows why old approaches to marketing have lost their fizz--and how to get a jump on the strateies that will work in the twenty-first century.Zyman explores such topics as:Why feel-good marketing is pointless unless it results in salesWhy marketing is a science not an artHow a well-honed strategy is more important to success than what ads sayAnd much more

Contemporary Fashion Illustration Techniques


Naoki Watanabe - 2009
    The impression given to the viewer depends on whether the fashion design drawings are good. Contemporary Fashion Illustration Techniques thoroughly describes the basics of fashion illustration, and covers the latest trends such as vivid images, sprightly movement, and garment material texture. After all, fashion drawing is not simply about sketching a body and face; only when you accurately reproduce the garments and their colors can the designs truly come to life.

The Trade Off


Louise Maniscalco - 2014
    Joyce Brown, President of Fashion Institute of Technology Go behind the window displays.  Behind the racks.  Two personal shoppers for Manhattan's biggest department stores have written a wildly dishy novel that goes behind the dressing rooms of New York’s fashion elite. At Frankel’s New York, the wives of billionaires and Hollywood celebrities sip champagne while stylists and tailors cater to every whim.  And one person has made it her career to help these Amex-wielding shoppers create the perfect look. Bonnie Salerno Madden knows all of her client’s preferences, whims, and fantasies.  She knows the price they paid to gain access to the salon where having Bonnie as their private shopper is a first-class ticket to being the toast of the New York high-fashion social scene. But while Bonnie is all elegance on the outside, she’s barely keeping it together on the inside.  A single mom to a special needs child, she needs her high-pressure job to care for her family.  And when that job is put in jeopardy, Bonnie will need to make some of the riskiest choices of her life to guarantee a better future for her son, and for herself.  With the opportunity to live in her own fairy tale, will Bonnie have what it takes to make the trade off?  “THE TRADE OFF is a riveting page-turner even for a non-shopper like me. The ultimate tale of New York life.”—David Patrick Columbia, newyorksocialdiary.com

What I Wore: Four Seasons, One Closet, Endless Recipes for Personal Style


Jessica Quirk - 2011
    From delicates (bras, slips, lingerie) to the basics every woman should have (black pants, white shirts, knee-high leather boots) to the dramatic touches that set just the right tone (scarves, jewelry, handbags), she shows you how to take your look from ordinary to outstanding without breaking the bank. Inside you’ll discover how to • remix the clothing you already have for dozens of fresh, pulled-together looks• become a smarter shopper and always get the most bang for your buck• create wow-worthy ensembles for special occasions, weekends, and the office• supplement basics and investment pieces with fun and inexpensive accessories Plus you’ll learn tailoring tricks, handy hints, and packing tips to ensure that you always leave the house looking your best. Loaded with hundreds of vibrant, original illustrations and unique suggestions for combining colors, patterns, and textures, What I Wore will help you feel stylish and confident, each and every day.

Human Sigma: Managing the Employee-Customer Encounter


John H. Fleming - 2007
    Now, HumanSigma is poised to do the same for sales and services. Human Sigma offers an innovative research-based approach to one of the toughest challenges facing sales and services companies today: how to effectively manage the employee-customer encounter to drive business success.Human Sigma offers an innovative, research-based approach to one of the toughest challenges businesses face today: how to effectively manage the employee-customer encounter to drive business success. Based on research spanning 10 million employees and 10 million customers around the world, the Human Sigma approach combines a proven method for assessing the health of the employee-customer encounter with a disciplined process for improving it. Human Sigma is based on five rules to bring excellence to how employees engage and interact with customers: RULE #1: E Pluribus Unum. Employee and customer experiences must be managed together — not as separate entities. RULE #2: Feelings Are Facts. Emotions drive and shape the employee-customer encounter. RULE #3: Think Globally, Measure and Act Locally. The employee-customer encounter must be measured and managed at the local level. RULE #4: There Is One Number You Need to Know. Employee and customer engagement interact to drive enhanced financial performance. And this interaction can be quantified and summarized with a single performance metric. RULE #5: If You Pray for Potatoes, You Better Grab a Hoe. Good intentions alone do not constitute a plan of action. Sustainable improvement in the employee-customer encounter requires disciplined local action coupled with a companywide commitment to changing how employees are recruited, positioned in roles, rewarded and recognized, and importantly, how they are managed. Essential reading for global business leaders, Human Sigma shows how sales and service companies can flourish in the new global economy. It reveals a profoundly different method for managing human systems for growth. Blending strategic analysis with hands-on, practical steps and advice, Human Sigma will change how you view your work, your employees and your customers forever.

Capture Your Style: Transform Your Instagram Photos, Showcase Your Life, and Build the Ultimate Platform


Aimee Song - 2016
    With over three million Instagram fans, Aimee Song knows a thing or two about taking the perfect Instagram photo. And Instagram is so much more than a platform for pretty pictures. It’s the fastest-growing social media network with an engaged community, a major marketing tool for brands, a place where Beyoncé drops her albums, and a hub where products can be bought with a simple double tap. Including everything from fashion, travel, food, décor, and more, Aimee includes insider tips on curating a gorgeous feed and growing an audience. In this ultimate how-to Instagram guide, you’ll learn: · How to brighten, sharpen, and filter your photos· The best apps and filters· How to prop and style food and fashion photos· Ways to craft your voice and story on Instagram· How to gain more Instagram followers· Secrets behind building a top Instagram brand· How to transform an Instagram hobby into a successful business· Tips for driving revenue based on your following Capture Your Style will empower you to become your own master mobile photographer, whether you’re looking to launch an e-commerce business or simply sharing a gorgeous meal with your friends, turning even the most mundane moment into Instagold. This is a must-have reference for anyone interested in the ins and outs of stylish personal branding.

The Five Temptations of a CEO: A Leadership Fable


Patrick Lencioni - 1998
    Author Patrick Lencioni--noted screenplay writer and sought-after executive coach -- deftly tells the tale of a young CEO who, facing his first annual board review, knows he is failing, but doesn't know why. "This book provides extraordinary insight into the pitfalls that leaders face when they lose sight of the true measure of success: results. This model is required reading for my staff." --Eric Schmidt, chairman of the board and CEO, NovellAny executive can learn how to:recognize the mistakes that leaders can make avoid errors before they occur and much more! Refreshingly original and utterly compelling, the story of this executive (written to be read in one sitting) will be enjoyed, remembered, and reread for years to come. It serves a timeless and potent reminder that success as a leader can come down to practicing a few simple behaviors--behaviors that are painfully difficult for each of us to master."Lencioni delivers a provocative message: CEOs mainly have themselves to blame when things go wrong. If you're a CEO (or any manager for that matter), do you have the courage to face the blame? Doing so could change your future-for the better." --Dr. Jerry Porras, coauthor, Built to Last; professor, Stanford School of BusinessYou won't find any dry management rhetoric in this razor-sharp novelette. Apply these riveting lessons in leadership with the self-assessment at the end of the book. It will change your career!

Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike


Phil Knight - 2016
    Selling the shoes from the trunk of his lime green Plymouth Valiant, Knight grossed $8,000 his first year. Today, Nike’s annual sales top $30 billion. In an age of startups, Nike is the ne plus ultra of all startups, and the swoosh has become a revolutionary, globe-spanning icon, one of the most ubiquitous and recognizable symbols in the world today.But Knight, the man behind the swoosh, has always remained a mystery. Now, for the first time, in a memoir that is candid, humble, gutsy, and wry, he tells his story, beginning with his crossroads moment. At 24, after backpacking around the world, he decided to take the unconventional path, to start his own business—a business that would be dynamic, different.Knight details the many risks and daunting setbacks that stood between him and his dream—along with his early triumphs. Above all, he recalls the formative relationships with his first partners and employees, a ragtag group of misfits and seekers who became a tight-knit band of brothers. Together, harnessing the transcendent power of a shared mission, and a deep belief in the spirit of sport, they built a brand that changed everything.

#Girlboss


Sophia Amoruso - 2014
    Sophia Amoruso spent her teens hitchhiking, committing petty theft, and scrounging in dumpsters for leftover bagels. By age twenty-two she had dropped out of school, and was broke, directionless, and checking IDs in the lobby of an art school— a job she’d taken for the health insurance. It was in that lobby that Sophia decided to start selling vintage clothes on eBay. Flash forward ten years to today, and she’s the founder and executive chairman of Nasty Gal, a $250-million-plus fashion retailer with more than four hundred employees. Sophia was never a typical CEO, or a typical anything, and she’s written #GIRLBOSS for other girls like her: outsiders (and insiders) seeking a unique path to success, even when that path is windy as all hell and lined with naysayers. #GIRLBOSS proves that being successful isn’t about where you went to college or how popular you were in high school. It’s about trusting your instincts and following your gut; knowing which rules to follow and which to break; when to button up and when to let your freak flag fly.' to 'In the New York Times bestseller that the Washington Post called "Lean In for misfits," Sophia Amoruso shares how she went from dumpster diving to founding one of the fastest-growing retailers in the world Sophia Amoruso spent her teens hitchhiking, committing petty theft, and scrounging in dumpsters for leftover bagels. By age twenty-two she had dropped out of school, and was broke, directionless, and checking IDs in the lobby of an art school—a job she’d taken for the health insurance. It was in that lobby that Sophia decided to start selling vintage clothes on eBay. Flash forward ten years to today, and she’s the founder and executive chairman of Nasty Gal, a $250-million-plus fashion retailer with more than four hundred employees. Sophia was never a typical CEO, or a typical anything, and she’s written #GIRLBOSS for other girls like her: outsiders (and insiders) seeking a unique path to success, even when that path is windy as all hell and lined with naysayers. #GIRLBOSS proves that being successful isn’t about where you went to college or how popular you were in high school. It’s about trusting your instincts and following your gut; knowing which rules to follow and which to break; when to button up and when to let your freak flag fly.'

The Cleveland Clinic Way: Lessons in Excellence from One of the World's Leading Health Care Organizations


Toby Cosgrove - 2013
    Join the revolution. Transform your organization the Cleveland Clinic way. One of the best healthcare systems in the world.President Barack ObamaAmerican healthcare is in crisis. It doesn't have to be.The Cleveland Clinic Way is a blueprint for fixing what's wrong with healthcare--and is a must-read for every leader seeking to transform his or her organization.There's a revolution going on right now. On the frontiers of medicine, some doctors have developed an approach for treating people that is more effective, more humane, and more affordable. It's an approach to healthcare that has captured the attention of the media and business elite--and the President of the United States.It's all happening at Cleveland Clinic, one of the most innovative, forward-looking medical institutions in the nation.In this groundbreaking book, the man who leads this global organization, Toby Cosgrove, MD, reveals how the Clinic works so well and argues persuasively for why it should be the model for the nation. He details how Cleveland Clinic focuses on the eight key trends that are shaping the future of medicine. Readers will learn:Why group practices provide not only better--but cheaper--care Why collaborative medicine is more effective How big data can be harnessed to improve the quality of care and lower costs How cooperative practices can be the wellspring of innovation Why empathy is crucial to better patient outcomes Why wellness of both mind and body depends on healthcare, not sickcare How care is best provided in different settings for greater comfort and value How tailor-made care treats a person instead of a disease At its core is Cleveland Clinic's emphasis on patient care and patient experience.A refreshingly positive and practical vision of healthcare, The Cleveland Clinic Way is essential reading for healthcare and business executives, medical professionals, industry analysts, and policymakers. It gives leaders lessons they can apply to their own organizations to achieve results and empowers average Americans to make more informed healthcare decisions.PRAISE FOR THE CLEVELAND CLINIC WAYA brilliant doctor and leader lays out practical and thought-provoking prescriptions for America's healthcare future. A must-read. -- Jack Welch, former Chairman and CEO of General Electric CompanyThe Cleveland Clinic Way is what the healthcare system in this country needs: honesty about the challenges, optimism about our ability to address them, and a focus on solutions. A must-read for healthcare leaders, it's written in clear, inclusive language that makes it just as valuable for the rest of us. -- John Chambers, Chairman and CEO of CiscoA pioneer in American healthcare, Toby Cosgrove shows just how the diligence and innovative thinking behind Cleveland Clinic has helped solve fundamental problems most other places barely touch. There are lessons here for everyone--patient, physician, and policymaker alike. -- Atul Gawande, MD, professor at Harvard Medical School and bestselling author of The Checklist ManifestoToby Cosgrove frames the eight important trends that will transform the U.S. healthcare system. The Cleveland Clinic Way is a good road map for those who want to make the U.S. healthcare system better. -- Jeffrey Immelt, Chairman and CEO of General Electric Company

The Heart of Change Field Guide: Tools And Tactics for Leading Change in Your Organization


Dan S. Cohen - 2005
    Kotter's Leading Change became a runaway best seller, outlining an eight-step program for organizational change that was embraced by executives around the world. Then, Kotter and co-author Dan Cohen's The Heart of Change introduced the revolutionary "see-feel-change" approach, which helped executives understand the crucial role of emotion in successful change efforts. Now, The Heart of Change Field Guide provides leaders and managers tools, frameworks, and advice for bringing these breakthrough change methods to life within their own organizations. Written by Dan Cohen and with a foreword by John P. Kotter, the guide provides a practical framework for implementing each step in the change process, as well as a new three-phase approach to execution: creating a climate for change, engaging and enabling the whole organization, and implementing and sustaining change. Hands-on diagnostics—including a crucial "change readiness module"—reveal the dynamics that will help or hinder success at each phase of the change process. Both flexible and scaleable, the frameworks presented in this guide can be tailored for any size or type of change initiative. Filled with practical tools, checklists, and expert commentary, this must-have guide translates the most powerful approaches available for creating successful change into concrete, actionable steps for you and your organization. Dan Cohen is the co-author, with John P. Kotter, of The Heart of Change, and a principal with Deloitte Consulting, LLC.

Get Back in the Box: Innovation from the Inside Out


Douglas Rushkoff - 2005
    All in the name of innovation.But this endless worrying, wriggling, and trend watching only alienates companies from whatever it is they really do best. In the midst of the headlong rush to think "outside the box," the full engagement responsible for true innovation is lost. New consultants, new packaging, new marketing schemes, or even new CEOs are no substitute for the evolution of our own expertise as individuals and as businesses.Indeed, for all their talk about innovation, most companies today are still scared to death of it.To Douglas Rushkoff, this disconnect is not only predictable but welcome. It marks the happy end of a business cycle that began as long ago as the Renaissance, and ended with the renaissance in creativity and collaboration we're going through today.The age of mass production, mass media, and mass marketing may be over, but so, too, is the alienation it engendered between producers and consumers, managers and employees, executives and shareholders, and, worst of all, businesses and their own core values and competencies.American enterprise, in particular, is at a crossroads. Having for too long replaced innovation with acquisitions, tactics, efficiencies, and ad campaigns, many businesses have dangerously lost touch with the process -- and fun -- of discovery."American companies are obsessed with window dressing," Rushkoff writes, "because they're reluctant, no, afraid to look at whatever it is they really do and evaluate it from the inside out. When things are down, CEOs look to consultants and marketers to rethink, rebrand, or repackage whatever it is they are selling, when they should be getting back on the factory floor, into the stores, or out to the research labs where their product is actually made, sold, or conceived."Rushkoff backs up his arguments with a myriad of intriguing historical examples as well as familiar gut checks -- from the dumbwaiter and open source to Volkswagen and The Gap -- in this accessible, thought-provoking, and immediately applicable set of insights. Here's all the help innovators of this era need to reconnect with their own core competencies as well as the passion fueling them.

The Age of the Platform: How Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google Have Redefined Business


Phil Simon - 2011
    In the tradition of The Long Tail, The Age of the Platform demonstrates how the world of business today is vastly different from that of even 10 years ago.