Ken Blanchard and company have been inspiring business leaders for 30 years. This month they have three new must-read books on organizational change, partnering for performance, and how to run effective meetings (and each is supported with keynote and workshop presentations for your events):

Who Killed Change?
Solving the Mystery of Leading People Through Change

Every day, organizations around the world launch change initiatives-often big, expensive ones-designed to improve the status quo. Yet 50 to 70 percent of these change efforts fail. Find out who or what is killing change!

“Who Killed Change?” keynote available from Ken Blanchard and Pat Zigarmi

Helping People Win at Work
A Business Philosophy Called “Don’t Mark My Paper, Help Me Get an ‘A’”

In the first book of Ken Blanchard’s Leading at a Higher Level series, Blanchard and WD-40 President/CEO Garry Ridge reveal exactly how WD-40 is “Partnering for Performance” with every single employee-and achieving unprecedented levels of engagement and commitment.

“Helping People Win at Work” keynote available from Ken Blanchard

The Hamster Revolution for Meetings
How to Meet Less and Get More Done

The Hamster Revolution for Meetings is a quick and entertaining read that gives you a number of tools you can use immediately, including a Meeting Quality Wheel that can be used to diagnose and treat 12 key meeting challenges.

“The Hamster Revolution” keynote available from Vicki Halsey

Learn more about the books on Amazon.com:

 

Posted under Leadership Development, Motivational Speakers, Organizational Excellence, Speaker News

In our ongoing effort to help meeting planners and business leaders create the most exciting, results-oriented meeting agendas, we’re excited to introduce the 10 newest additions to our roster of speakers (in alphabetical order):

 

• Stew Friedman – Stew is the Director of the Wharton Work/Life Integration Project and author of the 2008 national bestseller, Total Leadership: Be a Better Leader, Have a Richer Life. Invite Stew to your group or organization to improve performance at work, at home, in the community, and for the private self, and learn how to score four-way wins with Total Leadership, benefiting you and the most important people in your life.

 

• Bear Grylls – Bear is best known as host of The Discovery Channel’s Man vs. Wild, but did you know he’s also the youngest Briton to climb Mt. Everest – at age 23? Two years before the climb, he had suffered a near fatal parachuting accident and narrowly escaped being paralyzed for life – requiring a year of rehab. He is one of the youngest motivational speakers on the international business circuit and has won over even the toughest of audiences.

 

• Vicki Halsey – Dr. Victoria Halsey is a spirited, inspirational speaker, author and trainer who energizes audiences worldwide by engaging their hearts well as their minds. As Vice President of Applied Learning for the Ken Blanchard Companies, Vicki specializes in partnering with organizations to inspire people to be in touch with and unleash their greatness.

 

• Terry Hawkins – One of the most sought after speakers in Australia, Terry is relatively new on the speaker circuit in the US. Her high-impact, hilarious and thought-provoking presentations leave audiences inspired and motivated, equipped with new tools to create outstanding results in their personal and professional lives.

 

• Dave Horsager – Through Dave’s book and program, “The Trust Edge,” he shares the secrets of using trust to impact the bottom line. Combining humor, illusions and memorable stories with research and insight, Dave sheds light on the confusion and misconceptions surrounding the cornerstone of personal and professional success. He offers tangible steps that audiences can incorporate into their own lives right away.

 

• Mark Jeffries – As an economist, former stockbroker and TV host, Mark brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the events he speaks at and facilitates. He has the unique ability to serve as an entertaining emcee, an incisive and knowledgeable facilitator, and a popular speaker with a ‘hugely entertaining’ and ‘immensely practical’ keynote presentation entitled “Using Soft Skills to Gain the Business Advantage.”

 

• David Kralik – Called one of the “Top Ten Changing the World of Internet and Politics,” David is the Director of Internet Strategy at American Solutions, founded by former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich. Based in Silicon Valley, he is constantly scouting new technology and finding ways technology can migrate government and politics into the 21st century. For both political and non-political organizations, he offers great insights into how to leverage technology to tell your story online and mobilize supporters (and customers).

 

• Jason Lezak – We would not be hearing about Michael Phelps winning a world-record eight gold medals at the 2008 Olympics if not for Jason Lezak. As team captain, Jason swam the fastest split in 4X100M freestyle relay history to keep Phelps’ hope of winning eight golds alive. Your audience will be inspired by Jason’s competitive nature and will to succeed.

 

• David Nour – David Nour is a social networking strategist and one of the foremost thought leaders on the quantifiable value of business relationships. His “Relationship Economics” presentation, based on his book by the same title, teaches individuals how to exchange Relationship Currency, accumulate Reputation Capital and build Professional Net Worth. It’s about learning the art and science of relationships.

 

• Pat Zigarmi – Dr. Zigarmi currently serves as Vice President of Business Development for The Ken Blanchard Companies. She is an expert in the areas of leadership and change management and is coauthor of Leadership and the One Minute Manager, the third book in Ken Blanchard’s best-selling One Minute Manager Library, and Leading at a Higher Level. On the speaker’s platform, she is engaging and passionate with the ability to blend power and warmth, as well as knowledge and instinct.

 

Contact The Speakers Group today to inquire about these and other dynamic speakers for your upcoming events.

Posted under Event Management, Leadership Development, Motivational Speakers, Organizational Excellence, Planner Tips, Speaker Recommendations, inspirational speakers

Steve Farber, author of the national bestseller, The Radical Leap, has a highly anticipated new release due on bookshelves from Doubleday Business a week from today (Tuesday, March 3, 2009), titled Greater Than Yourself: The Ultimate Lesson of True Leadership. Patrick Lencioni and Matthew Kelly co-wrote the foreword of the book. Pat, author of bestsellers such as The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, says:

“I encourage you to set aside your pre-conceived notions of success and accomplishment and throw yourself whole-heartedly into the GTY [Greater Than Yourself] endeavor.”

And the endorsements continue from a “Who’s Who” of leading business authorities:

“GREATER THAN YOURSELF is a terrific – no, wonderful – idea. Steve is a tremendous writer and an original thinker.” – Tom Peters

“Raising someone up does not reduce your stature – in fact, it exalts you in ways you have to experience to believe. GREATER THAN YOURSELF shows how you can begin improving the world by giving of yourself. It’s a wonderful message wrapped in a highly entertaining, well-written story.” – Ken Blanchard, coauthor of The One Minute Manager and Leading at a Higher Level

“GREATER THAN YOURSELF is more than a good tale well told. It’s a path-breaking book that brings to life the ultimate leadership lesson – that the highest purpose of our work is the development of other leaders. It’s a gift for your mind and your spirit. I enthusiastically recommend it.”
- Jim Kouzes, coauthor of the bestselling book The Leadership Challenge, Dean’s Executive Professor of Leadership, Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University

You’re likely familiar with the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” It’s a concept that can be found in almost every religion, society and as a basic tenet of personal relationships around the world. It’s timeless and universal. Yet, too often it’s checked at the door Monday through Friday, from 9:00am to 5:00pm.

With GREATER THAN YOURSELF, Farber brings the age old principle to the forefront of our every day working lives and careers. A leadership guru, Farber argues that it’s not enough for a leader to be a coach, mentor, talent scout, or cheerleader:

“Real leadership is an extreme act rooted in love and motivated by a desire to create a better world…Truly great leaders in life become so because they cause others to be greater than themselves.”

GREATER THAN YOURSELF is a powerful parable about how the best leaders help others to be more capable and successful than they are themselves. Farber illustrates the three principles of GREATER THAN YOURSELF and instructs how to put them into action. They include:

• Expand Yourself: Before you can improve others you must be able to improve yourself; it’s about broadening your competence, knowledge, experience and connection with people to help them do the same.

• Give Yourself: Knowledge is Power, but only if you’re willing to share it freely and generously

• Replicate Yourself: Teaching others to do exactly what you’ve done for them.

In conjunction with the book release, Farber has a new keynote presentation built on these same three principles, titled, “Greater Than Yourself: 3 Steps to Attaining the New Gold Standard of Leadership.” Ideal for current, next generation, and high-potential managers and leaders at all organizational levels, you can learn more about the presentation here, or contact us at The Speakers Group to discuss how you can maximize the impact of this relevant, empowering message by utilizing “Greater Than Yourself” as the theme for your next annual meeting or event.

Posted under Book Review, Leadership Development, Motivational Speakers, Organizational Excellence, Planner Tips, Sales Management, Speaker News, Speaker Recommendations