Stay relevant, stay connected, STAY AHEAD OF THE GAME. When it comes to getting ahead today, your talent and experience matter. The problem is, someone else going for the promotion or business opportunity has a résumé that’s as good as, if not better than, yours. If you want to get ahead, you have to be different. You have to stand out from the crowd. You have to get decision makers to talk about you. No one understands what it takes to succeed in today’s business landscape better than D. A. (Debra) Benton. A globally recognized consultant, Benton has spent more than 20 years helping business professionals like you perform better and achieve more. In The CEO Difference, Benton gives you the insight and tools to make subtle changes in your presentation, attitude, and leadership style that will dramatically increase your leadership effectiveness—and, consequently, help you enjoy work and life. Learn how to differentiate yourself with tangible steps to get where you want to go: Authentically and effectively differentiate yourself in appropriate ways Inspire teams and organizations to be more productive and prosperous Understand yourself, change your mindset, and present yourself in a way that people are receptive to Create, manage, and mentor successful individuals and teams Remain intellectually curious while making meaningful contributions to your organization Competition for the top spot has never been fiercer. “Today, you have to exceed in a group of ‘exceeders,’” Benton writes. But it’s not all about improving your job performance. You are already knowledgeable, competent, and hard-working. It’s about doing typical things in atypical ways. It’s about doing things that add organizational value—without being asked. It’s about having what your competitors don’t: The CEO Difference. Praise for The CEO Difference “In our competitive world, finding a way to differentiate oneself is a key to success. Benton profiles a range of tried-and-true differentiators that can make all the difference.” —Jim Goldman, President and CEO, Godiva Chocolatier “After reading this book, you’ll understand why D. A. Benton is ranked one of the world’s Top 10 CEO coaches. She provides a succinct, real-world summary of what it takes for senior executives to differentiate themselves in an ever more competitive world.” —Daryl Brewster , CEO, CECP (Committee for Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy); former CEO, Krispy Kreme; and former President, Nabisco “Benton does it again! A great how-to book to boost you the last little way to the top (and be loved while doing it!).” —Reuben Mark , retired Chairman and CEO, Colgate-Palmolive Company “Benton offers practical advice to aspiring leaders to help them authentically and effectively differentiate themselves in the workplace. A very worthy read.” —Doug las R. Conant, Chairman, Avon Products, and former President, CEO, and Director, Campbell Soup Company “D. A. Benton is a trusted advisor for CEOs and leaders. She coaches her clients to not only be the best leader they can be, but also on how they can best create, manage, and mentor successful individuals and teams.” —Deanna Mulligan, President and CEO, The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America

4 EASY STEPS TO DRIVING EXEMPLARY COLLABORATION AND POSITIVE BUSINESS RESULTS People don't always communicate well. It's a fact of life. But you don't have to be a helpless witness or participant in a conversation that steadily unravels into misunderstandings, confusion, and even hostility. You can take charge--and you can make a difference! Breakthrough Communication provides easy-to-implement strategies for virtually any business situation, whether it's one-on-one or within a group. "Not since Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People has there been such a valuable roadmap for bringing high-impact results." -- Marshall Goldsmith, New York Times bestselling author of What Got You Here Won't Get You There and MOJO "A practical and insightful translation of cutting-edge psychological science research." -- Laura Kray, PhD, Warren E. & Carol Spieker Professor of Leadership, University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business "Destined to become a classic, Breakthrough Communication tells the truth about achieving status in and dominating your niche. If you can handle the truth, this book will change your life." -- Kevin Hogan, PsyD, author of The Science of Influence "This book is a true breakthrough itself. If you want to learn to communicate better, you must read this book!" -- Dave Kerpen, New York Times bestselling author of Likeable Social Media and Likeable Leadership "Breakthrough Communication is a smart and entertaining read for anyone who wants to be successful with people." -- Debra Benton, President, Benton Management Resources, Inc., and author of The CEO Difference

The Challenge Built to Last, the defining management study of the nineties, showed how great companies triumph over time and how long-term sustained performance can be engineered into the DNA of an enterprise from the verybeginning. But what about the company that is not born with great DNA? How can good companies, mediocre companies, even bad companies achieve enduring greatness? The Study For years, this question preyed on the mind of Jim Collins. Are there companies that defy gravity and convert long-term mediocrity or worse into long-term superiority? And if so, what are the universal distinguishing characteristics that cause a company to go from good to great? The Standards Using tough benchmarks, Collins and his research team identified a set of elite companies that made the leap to great results and sustained those results for at least fifteen years. How great? After the leap, the good-to-great companies generated cumulative stock returns that beat the general stock market by an average of seven times in fifteen years, better than twice the results delivered by a composite index of the world's greatest companies, including Coca-Cola, Intel, General Electric, and Merck. The Comparisons The research team contrasted the good-to-great companies with a carefully selected set of comparison companies that failed to make the leap from good to great. What was different? Why did one set of companies become truly great performers while the other set remained only good? Over five years, the team analyzed the histories of all twenty-eight companies in the study. After sifting through mountains of data and thousands of pages of interviews, Collins and his crew discovered the key determinants of greatness -- why some companies make the leap and others don't. The Findings The findings of the Good to Great study will surprise many readers and shed light on virtually every area of management strategy and practice. The findings include: Level 5 Leaders: The research team was shocked to discover the type of leadership required to achieve greatness. The Hedgehog Concept (Simplicity within the Three Circles): To go from good to great requires transcending the curse of competence. A Culture of Discipline: When you combine a culture of discipline with an ethic of entrepreneurship, you get the magical alchemy of great results. Technology Accelerators: Good-to-great companies think differently about the role of technology. The Flywheel and the Doom Loop: Those who launch radical change programs and wrenching restructurings will almost certainly fail to make the leap. “Some of the key concepts discerned in the study,” comments Jim Collins, "fly in the face of our modern business culture and will, quite frankly, upset some people.” Perhaps, but who can afford to ignore these findings?

There are a few key secrets that women who have made it to the top know that you need to find out about and adopt. The 'Rock Your Moxie: Power Moves for Women Leading the Way' series is a no-holds-barred guide to success and leadership for women. The author, The Moxie Exchange Movement founder Maureen Berkner Boyt, shares stories and insights from her years of interviewing and interacting with women who are at the top of their game, yet still want more. The series' personal stories, related insights and Power Move action plans pack a punch and are an achievement-inducing road map for to up your leadership game and level of success. The series uncovers and demystifies the fundamentals that generate powerful forward momentum for women leading the way. Roll up your sleeves and get ready to rock your moxie, because these books are about learning and then taking action. What readers have to say: Maureen's insights have powerful paybacks. She not only knows how women succeed; she equips you to do it for yourself. --Debra Benton, author The CEO Difference: How to Climb, Crawl, and Leap Your Way to the Next Level of Your Career This series helps women to discover the most important truth in advancing their leadership: You are the most powerful change agent in your own journey. A must read for anyone committed to unleashing the ingenuity and talent of half our population in order to create innovative solutions for all of us. --Tiffany Dufu, Chief Learning Officer, Levo League Do you want to talk about growth or do you want to grow? If you want to grow, start here. Accessible and practical, Maureen Berkner Boyt's books give you advice that will propel you straight out of your comfort zone into a whole new world. Just do it! --Jodi Detjen, Suffolk University Professor and co-author, The Orange Line: A Woman's Guide to Integrating Career, Family and Life Make no mistake-mentors do matter. When you need real world advice to gain and retain your seat at the leadership table, look no further. This highly readable book series stands in as your personal sponsor, showing you actionable steps and providing that pat on the back and gentle shove forward we all need from time to time. So, Rock Your Moxie --take action, take risk, and take charge. --Connie Duckworth, Founder/CEO, ARZU STUDIO HOPE and author of The Old Girls' Network: Insider Advice to Women Building Businesses in a Man's World Finally a book series for women that connects all the dots! Whether you're a senior executive or emerging leader, Maureen's Power Moves will get you in winning shape and stretching beyond boundaries. --Linda Bernier, Senior Vice President, Trizetto Corporation Maureen's core message-"Get off your tush and do it!"-- is energizing and her moxie is contagious. Readers will inhale the books and race to start implementing Maureen's sensible and concrete leadership advice. --Meg Cadoux Hirshberg, author, For Better or For Work: A Survival Guide for Entrepreneurs and Their Families Maureen Berkner Boyt is refreshingly candid, insightful, and even a bit edgy as she delivers real world advice and strategies all women can use. Made for any woman wanting to achieve more or be more, this series is a guidebook for making it happen. -Alison Martin-Books, CEO of Mentoring Women's Network Maureen Berkner Boyt is a high performance leader who shares her top notch formula for women to win in the new world of work. In her Rock Your Moxie series, she focuses on straight talk and best practices that elevate effectiveness that takes women to the next level. Whether you're on the corporate ladder or building your own business, the insights and information in this series is relevant, actionable and just what women leaders need to hear right now. -Lisa Hendrickson, President, Spark City

Award-winning Bloomberg television host Betty Liu compiles the wisdom of the world's best CEOs into a fun, insightful, and practical guide for success. Betty Liu is famous the world over for asking the tough questions of today’s most successful people—and for her uncanny ability to get straight answers where others have failed. As an award-winning financial journalist and Bloomberg Television anchor, Betty has sat down with billionaires, CEOs, politicians, and celebrities to get their views from the top. Now, in Work Smarts, Betty helps you get to the top by distilling the wisdom of some of the most prominent CEOs in the country. Warren Buffett, Jamie Dimon, Elon Musk, Sam Zell, John Chambers, Anne Mulcahy, and many more spill the beans on what it really takes to be successful, giving practical, “from the street” advice on how to get ahead in your career. Packed with candid, often humorous, revelations from leaders in the world of finance, technology, retail, telecom, entertainment, and more, Work Smarts delivers priceless guidance on: How to really network The importance of being likable What your boss is thinking when you ask for a raise Winning every negotiation Bouncing back from a firing or layoff Thinking like a true entrepreneur The secret skill every successful person needs Overcoming fear Being a standout job candidate Knowing what’s holding you back Knowing what can propel you forward Why sometimes being good at your job just isn’t enough Combining the trademark, hands-on approach of one of today’s most respected financial journalists with the wisdom of the world’s most successful business leaders, Work Smarts is a gold mine of real-world insight and advice on how to get ahead in business and forge a career that maximizes all your best talents and skills.