Michael Moore’s newest movie, Capitalism: A Love Story – which opens in theaters nationwide today – spotlights what Moore calls “the disastrous impact of corporate dominance on the everyday lives of Americans.” Jeff Klein, author of Working for Good: Making a Difference While Making a Living, offers a  contrasting, more hopeful perspective with his latest op-ed (written for the December 2009 issue of ICOSA Magazine – which the editors kindly allowed us to preview on our blog).

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Capitalism: A Love Story – The Missing Chapter

by Jeff Klein

True to form, in his new documentary Capitalism: A Love Story, director Michael Moore amplifies the lies, abuses, and manipulations underlying the recent and ongoing financial crisis. In some ways appropriately, Moore points accusing fingers at Wall Street titans and their well-placed allies in government. We can recognize and perhaps celebrate the role of connection and collaboration in facilitating the bail out of the finance, auto, and other related industries.

But there is a chapter missing from Michael Moore’s story, which reveals a very different conclusion and inspires optimism and engagement, rather than pessimism and despair. This new chapter in the story of Capitalism reflects a distinctly different kind of connection and collaboration.

While some capitalists work on Wall Street, and some of those Wall Street capitalists focus on money and their personal wealth at the exclusion of nearly other things, many other capitalists build and run companies that focus on creating value for more that just themselves. And many of the capitalists on Wall Street invest in companies for reasons beyond their own self-interest.

The missing chapter of the Love Story reveals a growing cadre of entrepreneurs, executives, and investors dedicated to practicing Conscious Capitalism – dedicated to creating conscious companies, which are purpose-driven and deliver great value to all of their stakeholders, including their customers, employees, investors, vendors, and the communities where they do business.

At its core, Capitalism is about voluntary association and collaboration, which is one of the reasons Capitalism works, why it won the battle with Socialism in the 20^th Century, and why it continues to persist and flourish, in spite of its flaws and manipulations by some of its practitioners. At its core, in a market-based economy, no one forces us in deciding what to buy or where to buy it, where to work and under what conditions, or where to invest and on what terms. For the marketplace to work, the participants need to be connected – through language, culture, proximity or technology – and to collaborate to facilitate transactions and value exchange. Without connection and collaboration, there is no marketplace or Capitalism. While to some extent the financial markets function in their own realm, their foundation rests on the companies, commodities, and other things that we value or that create value. No customers, no business. No business, no stock market.

While Capitalism is about much more than Wall Street, the ecosystem of Capitalism requires capital. Just as we require food and drink to survive, grow, and flourish, businesses need capital to fuel their growth and development, and often the rate of capital required outstrips a business’s ability to generate through its revenues. And a start up, like an infant, requires nourishment from the outside to feed its launch into life.

Thus investors are one important stakeholder in the ecosystem of a business, but not the only one. Conscious investors recognize that for their capital to have the greatest effect and to yield the best return – best including their considerations other than financial, such as healthy companies, communities, and environments, among other things – the business need to deliver value to the other stakeholders and they need to collaborate with management to ensure a healthy stakeholder system.

The marketplace is increasingly saying “yes!” to environmental sustainability, poverty alleviation, peace, and opportunity for all—and business is responding. Consumers, employees,

investors, and others expect businesses to participate in addressing social issues, and they look to business as a source of inspiration, meaning, and purpose as well as a platform for personal growth and societal evolution.

So, how does the marketplace reward conscious companies? In their ground-breaking book, Firms of Endearment: How World-Class Companies Profit from Passion and Purpose (Wharton School Publishing: 2007) authors Jag Seth, Raj Sisodia, and David Wolfe assess long-term and short-term stock performance of 30 companies who practice versions of conscious capitalism. The companies substantially outperform the S & P 500. The 100 Best Places to Work similarly outperform the market.

By having a clear, meaningful purpose, creating value for all stakeholders, explicitly and purposefully fostering collaboration within and between its stakeholder groups, companies and their leaders they cultivate vigorous ecosystems with great energy and information flow. In the process, conscious capitalists will create healthy, sustainable, purpose-driven companies based on strong, resilient relationships with engaged stakeholders. As a result of an increasing number of conscious companies, we will advance the evolution of the marketplace as a tool to facilitate human interaction and development and a more Conscious Capitalism will emerge.

While Michael Moore may want the Love Story to end, there are new suitors entering the story, and their offerings are not only appealing, they are delicious, nutritious, and sustainable. If Capitalism is dead or dying, it is only to be reborn. From the compost of Greed-based Capitalism (which has never been the only face of Capitalism), Conscious Capitalism is sprouting. Let’s all play a role – as consumers, employees, entrepreneurs, leaders, investors, communities, citizens – in celebrating and tending its growth and development.

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Jeff Klein is CEO of Cause Alliance Marketing, President of the Conscious Capitalism Alliance, and author of Working for Good: Making a Difference While Making a Living.

To learn more about Working for Good and download the free e-book, 26 Principles of Working for Good, visit www.workingforgood.com.

To learn more about scheduling Jeff Klein to deliver the “Working for Good Engagement Experience” at your next meeting or conference, visit www.thespeakersgroup.com/Jeff_Klein.

Posted under In the Spotlight, Leadership Development, Motivational Speakers, Organizational Excellence

We had the privilege of sitting down for coffee with Jason Jennings today – the day his new book, Hit the Ground Running, landed on bookshelves. While Jason’s previous New York Times Bestsellers – Think Big, Act Small and Less Is More – have focused on top-performing companies, Hit the Ground Running looks at the 10 best performing CEOs from 2001-2007. Learn more about the CEOs he profiles and the lessons learned in this video:

Hit the Ground Running is certain to be yet another bestseller for Jason, and likely, one of the top business books of the year. For any leader aspiring to greatness, we highly recommend it. Here are some of the memorable quotes from the CEOs who are profiled:

“My job as a leader is to root out contentment.” – Keith Rattie, chairmaan and CEO, Questar

“People come first on our list of basic beliefs. We will always be fair with our employees and maintain an environment that encourages personal responsibility. In return we look to them to be responsible for their jobs and for the company as a whole.” – Tim and Richard Smucker, cochairmen and co-CEOs, The J. M. Smucker Company

“You could get tempted to bend the numbers. It’s not worth it. I’d rather be fired for not producing.” – Marshall Larsen, chairman and CEO, Goodrich Corporation

“People don’t work for companies just to earn a paycheck. They want to feel good about the companies they work for and they want to feel like they’re making a difference in the world.” – Ron Sargent, chairman and CEO, Staples, Inc.

In addition to talking about Jason’s new book, we also discussed his approach to his keynote speaking engagements – he is, after all, one of the three most in-demand business speakers on the planet alongside Jim Collins (Good to Great) and Tom Peters (In Search of Excellence), according to USA TODAY. Here are some highlights of our conversation:

Relating to the Economy…

Although Jason’s presentations are not specifically related to the economy, he recognizes that any “business” presentation that doesn’t acknowledge the current economic climate risks being perceived as irrelevant, so he embraces the role of re-assuring meeting participants that “everything is going to be okay,” citing the fact there have been 60+ recessions or downturns in the economy since the 1790s and we’ve emerged bigger and stronger after every one. [Jason has the actual numbers.]

Adding Value to the Engagement…

Meeting budgets are being reduced and some meetings are even being canceled, so if an investment is going to be made in a speaker, there must be real ROI. To ensure that his presentation is relevant and capable of generating real results, Jason spends a significant amount of time on the phone with an organization’s CEO prior to an event, and also speaks with 8-10 other key individuals, in order to truly understand the issues that are important to a given audience. Within the first few moments of a keynote address, he highlights some key points from those pre-event conversations and sets out to address them through the remainder of his session. In the end, the meeting participants will walk away knowing that presentation was specifically for them.

The Real Hero of Your Meeting…

…is you! Jason understands that it is the meeting planner and/or the meeting owner (a CEO, department leader, etc.) who need to be the hero of the program – not him. He approaches every engagement as if it is his last, giving his all to make sure the client and the audience are completely satisfied and enriched by his presentation. With that philosophy, there’s no wonder he fills his calendar with 80 dates a year – even in this economy – and is named one of the most in-demand business speakers.

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Check out Jason’s new book, and if you’re looking for a great leadership speaker for your next event, Jason offers one of the greatest values on the circuit. Learn more by viewing his profile, or give us a call to check his availability today.

Posted under Book Review, In the Spotlight, Leadership Development, Motivational Speakers, Organizational Excellence, Speaker News

For our latest “In the Spotlight” speaker feature, we’re departing from our traditional interview format and featuring a guest post/case study from Drs. Kevin Freiberg and Jackie Freiberg, authors of best-selling business books such as NUTS!, GUTS!, and their latest, BOOM! Whether you are a meeting planner looking for high-impact speakers to help your audience, or whether you are a business leader looking for thought leaders who can help you improve the performance of your team and your organization, the Freibergs can deliver, as this case study with SONY testifies. Here’s the post:

WANTED… Leaders and Game-Changing Solutions!

Whether you voted for our new leader or not, the country is a buzz and oh so hungry for answers to what the future holds! Our country, without a doubt, is crying out for leadership! Our businesses, our communities, and our families need leadership. It is a new era; and to lead it, we want game changers.

There are a lot of theories and a lot of approaches to leadership today. Just try a “leadership” search; you’ll get a diversity of thought.

But let us make one thing very clear-leadership is a choice. Every day we are confronted with multiple opportunities to step into the breach and lead like a game changer. From cutting costs without compromising performance, to “up-coaching” a colleague who has become a liability to the team, to calling BS in favor of a better way, to stepping out on a limb and streamlining a process for a client. All these situations and more call for gamechanging leaders– are you up for it?

Let us introduce you to a client who is doing exactly the OPPOSITE of many other retailers. As the reports scream, “retail sales are the lowest in 40 years,” many retailers are tightening the budget, cutting expenses, and paralyzing their teams. BUT not at Sony Style Stores – they are BOOMING! Dennis Syracuse, Sr. Vice President of Sony Retail Stores, is a gamechanging leader. Even though the media is hosting a recession, Dennis RSVP’d: “Regrets, we are choosing NOT to participate!” Dennis is changing the game and leading his managers and sales associates to BOOM!

How do you get 700 people at 70 different locations around the country to hear the same message without blowing the budget and shutting down the business? In the spirit of refueling his team and giving them tools during a tough time, Dennis stepped into the breach and approved a game-changing event!

We did a 2-hour, customized BOOM! presentation at their state-of-the-art San Diego Sony Style Store. The event was video cast live via Direct TV to Sony Style Stores nationwide, and over 700 Store Managers and their teams heard the message. Talk about an innovative and economical approach to hosting a meeting!

And that’s not all…

Another game-changing move was to avoid the one shot approach – bring in a speaker and fire-up the team for a day, and then it’s back to business as usual. Nope! Not good enough for Dennis; he knows what you measure gets done. So, Sony Style Stores is using our BOOM! Formula to not only track individual and team success, but to more deeply root the message into their service culture. There is no doubt that Sony Style associates have embraced and are implementing the 7 Choices in BOOM! They are doing whatever-it-takes to keep sales up and create an unforgettable experience for their customers.

Read a recent exchange between SONY Sales Managers sent in an eWave (an electronic conversation).

“One Customer, One TOTAL SOLUTION for $31,000 Dollars, putting us over our daily goal by $2000, and it is not even lunch time!”

“Let’s Play to our Genius and Realize that the Customers want to be educated And that SONY has the LIFESTYLE for them.”

“FOCUS FORWARD and make the Holidays all about S O N Y.”

“WOW…the weekend warriors are out in force!”

“We have officially joined the party, BOOMing to $19,793 versus $14,613!”

“Who’s next to push the plunger down and blow the doors off business as usual!?!”

BOOM! is about building a team and a culture of ACCCOUNTABILITY, COMMITMENT and PERFORMANCE! Do you have what it takes to equip your team with ideas on how to lead like game changers, especially in a tough business environment? Do like Dennis, RSVP REGRETS! Be a game changer, be creative and host an innovative, economical meeting. Give your team a gift that will refuel commitment, strengthen accountability, and drive performance up!

We have yet to see the choices our country’s new leaders will make. But you can choose today to be a leader and inspire others to think and act like game changers too. Your choices will determine the quality of your reputation and the difference you will make. Game-changing leaders do not wait for permission; they are accountable to the team and own the success of the business.

Learn more about Drs. Kevin Freiberg and Jackie Freiberg and how they are helping companies go “BOOM!” and blow the doors off business-as-usual by viewing their profiles on The Speakers Group web site, or contact TSG speakers bureau today.

Posted under In the Spotlight, Leadership Development, Organizational Excellence, Speaker News

Peter Sims is a best-selling coauthor, strategic adviser and keynote speaker specializing in leadership and innovation. He is the coauthor (with Bill George) of True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership, the BusinessWeek and Wall Street Journal best-selling book that New York Times called “one of the most important books on leadership to come along in years.”

Peter was kind enough to participate in our “In the Spotlight” interview series recently and he shared some enlightening insights on the True North book, authentic leadership, and his current work on the subject of leading innovation.

TSG: How did you and Bill George connect for True North?

Peter Sims: I met Bill after he gave a great speech at Stanford Business School. We got to know each other much better in the months that followed because he was starting a course on leadership at Harvard Business School that was very similar to a course I was establishing at Stanford with a group of classmates called “Leadership Perspectives.” Although we were not successful in luring Bill to teach at Stanford, he and I would speak once a week or so to trade ideas, insights, or best practices and, before long, we were collaborating on True North.

TSG: What was the experience of creating True North?

Peter Sims: I loved it – I have never learned so much, so quickly. I was initially drawn to the book in part because we could pick up where Jim Collins left off in Good to Great – how do individuals go from good to great leaders, or “authentic leaders”? Bill describes authentic leaders as those who stick to their values and lead with purpose to empower others, similar to Collins’ Level 5 leaders. Our research team conducted 125 one-on-one, in-person interviews, out of which I did about 50, including with Howard Schultz of Starbucks, long-time presidential advisor David Gergen, Charles Schwab, eBay CEO John Donahoe, and Donna Dubinsky. The interviewees did not know what they were going to be asked in advance, but we learned that, without exception, they believed they were more effective as leaders when they were authentic.

Much of the critical acclaim for True North has come from the fact that the book is based on revealing and oftentimes eye-opening research about the influences, experiences, and concrete development tactics that shape leaders. I use those lessons and insights everyday – the hardest part was determining the most important and relevant ones for the book.

TSG: Is there a particular story that you heard from an executive that you find yourself still thinking about today?

Peter Sims: John Donahoe, a great leader, summarized what we learned best, “It’s a process, not a destination.” He described how he grew through each stage of his career. Starting in his first job, he felt he had the world at his finger-tips – he didn’t know what he didn’t know. Soon, he had to begin to learn how to balance values tradeoffs between his personal and professional life and even signed a pledge to his wife on the back of a bank receipt, “I will not lead the life of a typical management consultant.” Then, in his 30s, mentors helped John understand how to overcome a fear of failure. He also experienced difficult setbacks or “crucibles” that helped him to develop perspective and self-awareness – to be more comfortable in his own skin. Lastly, he has refined his own effective leadership style, in which he has become a great leader and developer of people (which I know from speaking with those who work for him). He does all this while being the same person at home as he is at work, something that is not easy for anyone to achieve, and he shared a number of helpful tactics about how he does it. Getting there is indeed a process and everyone is at a different stage of their growth.

TSG: What was your role in co-authoring the book?

Peter Sims: Throughout the course of developing the book, I led the research, including managing our research team and making sense from the 3,000 pages of transcripts. Bill brought over 30 years of management and leadership expertise and we did a lot of concept-building and writing together. Then, Bill did the final edit before it went to press. What fueled me throughout was the desire to share the key lessons we learned as clearly and concisely as possible with our readers.

TSG: Your next chapter focuses around leading innovation. How has that evolved?

Peter Sims: Over the past few years, I developed a closely related interest: how do individuals and organizations better innovate? Like before, I started reading the relevant research and had hundreds of discussions with CEOs, managers, experts, and organizations like IDEO that specialize in innovation. Innovation has become almost a generic term, but the emerging field of design thinking provides some tested and insightful innovation processes and principles – ranging from customer need-finding techniques to rapid, low-cost approaches to experimentation – that will soon be required reading for every MBA, CEO, and corporate or nonprofit manager. A.G. Lafley, CEO of Proctor & Gamble, is one example of someone who leads innovation in this way, and with enormous success. The Stanford University Institute of Design (the d.school), is a remarkable place for innovation thinking, doing, companies, and experts.

TSG: The topic of innovation is not new, but what do you think are the keys to successful innovation today?

Peter Sims: There are many best practices designed to help make incremental innovations. However, the main question that CEOs ask me about is how to achieve breakthrough innovations, especially since the failure to do so will lead to irrelevance. Entrepreneurs are usually the best examples of executing this type of innovation because they don’t overanalyze – they act as quickly and inexpensively as possible to identify unique market opportunities. It’s a mindset. Similarly, Beethoven used countless experiments to gradually differentiate his music from Mozart’s established brand of classical music. Beethoven learned from small failures and built upon his successes such that he eventually built the movement toward a new era of classical music. Amazon executives have used a similar mindset to continuously use experiments to identify ground-breaking innovations such as the Kindle, just as Toyota has done with the Prius. That innovative mindset comes naturally for many entrepreneurs and pioneering leaders, but it doesn’t fit easily within traditional management or strategic thinking. Combining the rigor of strategic thinking with the dynamism of an innovative mindset is the future of leading innovation – a handful of insights and approaches will help guide the way.

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More about Peter Sims:

While studying at Stanford Business School, Peter established “Leadership Perspectives,” which is now one of the school’s most sought-after classes. His work has been published in Harvard Business Review, Fortune, and The Huffington Post and he has spoken at and advised organizations such as Eli Lilly, Molson Coors, Current TV, American Data Network, and Gallup. Previously, he was part of establishing and building the European Office of Summit Partners, a leading global investment company, where he worked with hundreds of the world’s most innovative companies and served as part of the Deloitte Touche Tomatsu Global Strategy Team.

To consider Peter as a speaker for your organization, contact The Speakers Group speakers bureau or visit Peter’s speaker profile page on The Speakers Group’s web site at http://www.thespeakersgroup.com/Peter_Sims.

Posted under In the Spotlight, Innovation Speakers, Leadership Development, Organizational Excellence

Founder and Chairman of Mandalay Entertainment, the visionary multimedia venture spanning movies, TV, sports, and new media, Peter Guber is perhaps the most successful executive in the entertainment industry. Films he personally produced or executed produced – including Rain Man, The Color Purple, The Witches of Eastwick, Flashdance and Batman – have resonated with audiences all over the world, earning over three billion dollars worldwide and garnering more than fifty Academy Award nominations.

Peter is also an empowering motivational keynote speaker, helping business professionals understand how to utilize the power of storytelling to achieve greater success in leadership, sales, marketing, and other endeavors. Peter obviously knows something about the power of a story, so we were thrilled to hear his insights on the subject during our “In the Spotlight” interview session with him.

TSG: You’ve achieved – and continue to achieve – the kind of success that many of us aspire to. What do you count as the biggest key to your success?

Peter Guber: Oral storytelling. While struggling to identify what separated my successes from my failures – and believe me, I’ve had plenty of failures – I realized in every endeavor I needed to convince someone or a group of someones to do something. Why was I able to do this sometimes but not most of the time? What I discovered was when I connected emotionally through an oral story, embedding the information I wanted to share with my listener inside the story experience, I was able to convince, motivate, incite, excite, galvanize and persuade far more effectively and consistently than when I presented with soulless bullets, facts and figures. Without a doubt, this is the biggest key to my success. The best news of all is that this can be the key to everyone’s success. We are hard wired to be storytellers. What I aspire to do is shine the light on this talent, providing the key to unlock each individual’s storytelling ability to its maximum potential.

TSG: As you look back on your career, what do you count as your greatest success/accomplishment?

Peter Guber: Being a full professor at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television for almost four decades. I have always believed that knowledge is power and that those who have achieved power should give back by empowering others.

TSG: And what has been the greatest challenge you’ve encountered – either personally, or as a leader – to getting to where you are now?

Peter Guber: My greatest challenge has been attempting to identify what separates success from failure. What I discovered was that inside each success were the seeds of failure and vice versa. So, what’s the difference maker? Without wanting to sound repetitive, the difference in my experience, has been telling and selling through the oral story.

TSG: What are the defining characteristics of a successful business in the entertainment industry, and how are they similar or different from those of a successful business in retail, professional services, technology, or other industries?

Peter Guber: Make no mistake, the entertainment industry is as results-focused and brutally competitive as Wall Street. The defining characteristic of a successful business in the entertainment industry, as in all industries, is providing a product or service that resonates with or solves a problem for a specific market for which people will pay. You are always striving for competitive advantage. There is always someone breathing down your neck. You can never rest on your laurels. Technology can be disruptive in a positive way or catastrophic, depending on how you’ve “read” the future. You must compete in a global, flattened world. If you are a public company, you must answer to shareholders. And finally and most importantly, you must confront head on your fear of failure and take risks – or, risk a certain failure since holding on to the status quo is a ticket to distress – regardless of your industry!

TSG: It’s obvious that storytelling is at the core of the movie business, but how do we incorporate storytelling into other businesses?

Peter Guber: Every business has a story as does every person employed in that business. Businesses that fail to perpetuate their stories miss an opportunity to create a culture that reinforces the values, behaviors and norms that can fortify their goals. For the individual, it is the oral story that will enable them to propel sales, manage better, lead more effectively, inspire creativity, forge deeper relationships, communicate change, problem solve and a host of other day to day challenges every working professional faces.

TSG: You developed a course at UCLA’s film school called “Navigating a Narrative World,” and your guest lecturers ranged from Chris Anderson to Deepak Chopra to Mark Burnett to Pat Riley to Tony Robbins. What is that course about, that such a wide variety of individuals could contribute?

Peter Guber: Great question! The course is about the universality of the oral narrative and its centrality to the success of individuals across every industry and profession. So, Chopra spoke to the narrative of wellness. Riley spoke to the narrative of sport. We had 22 extraordinary leaders, generously give their time to share how they use the oral narrative in their different industries. The class itself was inter-disciplinary as graduate students came from the schools of Law, Public Policy, Business and Theater, Film and Television. It was truly an amazing experience.

TSG: As if you weren’t busy enough, you’re also on the speaking circuit delivering a motivational keynote presentation. First, how do you find time to get out and speak? And second, what is the message you’re sharing?

Peter Guber: You make time for things that are important to you. So, yes, I run five highly successful, time intensive businesses. Yet, I make the time because giving back by helping others become more successful is what I am most passionate about. My message is simple. Oral storytelling is the secret to success. It can bring you closer to your target, more quickly and make your journey far more joyous and fulfilling. What’s more, you don’t need any special talent. You’ve been telling stories all your life. It’s no risk, high reward.

TSG: You say there is MAGIC to success… what is that “MAGIC”?

Peter Guber: Figuratively there is a MAGIC to how oral storytelling melts resistance, galvanizes others and can incite viral advocacy for your product, service or cause. Literally, I use it as an acronym to help business professionals learn the process I developed to sharpen their oral storytelling skills. It stands for Motivate your Audience to your Goal Interactively while surrendering Control.

TSG: You have stated that “what if” is more powerful than “how to” in a story. Would you talk a bit about that?

Peter Guber: “What if” opens the door to possibility. In oral storytelling you need to open the mind of your listener for them to open their hearts and then their wallets. “How to” describes a process. It lacks the emotional connection and subsequent resonation as “what if.”

TSG: What types of audiences do you like to speak to?

Peter Guber: Any audience who needs to convince someone or someones to do something. This pretty much covers the entire spectrum of businesses and industries. When I shine the light on a business professional’s oral storytelling ability and see his “ah-ha!,” I know this person has been empowered to try something that can propel his success. There is no entertainment award that can be as fulfilling as this experience is for me.

TSG: Is there anything you’ve noticed in the entertainment industry that you think is missing from mainstream corporate America?

Peter Guber: Very broadly speaking, as an inherently creative industry, the entertainment industry embraces risk and nonconformist personalities far more than mainstream corporate America does. While many companies in corporate America seek to improve their problem solving and innovation skills, they fail to create a culture that supports out of the box thinking, true inclusion and risk taking. In fact, the culture of many mainstream companies is one of very fitting in and not making waves. While this philosophy may not rock the boat, it won’t rock the vote either.

TSG: We’ve talked about how your work as an entertainment executive is not so different from that of executives in other industries, but not everyone gets to work with the Who’s Who of Hollywood as you have for the past 30 years. Before we go, are there any fun/interesting celebrity stories you can share?

Peter Guber: Yes. Since I discussed risk taking as part of my answer to your earlier question, a story about a dear friend of mine and one of America’s finest directors who recently past, Sydney Pollack, comes to mind. We were producing Rain Man. The biggest directors had worked on this project tirelessly, each for over one year, only to ultimately pass. They included Marty Brest and Steven Spielberg. Next, Sydney Pollack committed to direct the movie and we worked diligently on moving it forward. Sydney called me to ask if we could meet to discuss one remaining issue. Sydney, at the meeting, stated. “At this point in my life, I want first position producer credit myself.” Well, I thought, “I’m in that position, too.” I knew if I left the office without resolving this problem, Sydney might walk. But, surrender wasn’t part of my goal. I asked Sydney if he was willing to let fate decide. He said, “Sure.” So, I pulled out a dime. “Heads, you get first producer’s credit, tails, I get first producer’s credit,” “Ok,” he said. I won. One week later, Sydney withdrew from the project. I guess I lost. But, I didn’t give up.

What changed on a dime was not the producer credit, but my mission to get the movie made. It turned on one flip of the coin! The epilogue is I got Barry Levinson to direct the movie who brought in his own line producer. There was no time for flipping coins. I agreed to his request for a credit change. The epilogue to the epilogue is that Rain Man won the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director and Best Screenplay. At the Academy Awards, Sydney was seated a few rows behind me. When we won the Oscar for Best Picture, I reached in my pocket and held up to him the same dime which I was determined to make into my lucky charm. Perhaps if I hadn’t been willing to turn on a dime that day, Rain Man would never have won Best Picture honors. To Sydney’s credit, he gave me a thumbs up as we received the award.

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For more information about Peter Guber and his motivational keynote presentations, please view his speaker profile page at http://www.thespeakersgroup.com/Peter_Guber or contact The Speakers Group at (615) 866-1062.

Posted under In the Spotlight, Leadership Development, Motivational Speakers, Organizational Excellence, Sales Management