Renowned business gurus Al and Laura Ries give a blow-by-blow account of the battle between management and marketing—and argue that the solution lies not in what we think but in how we think There's a reason why the marketing programs of the auto industry, the airline industry, and many other industries are not only ineffective, but bogged down by chaos and confusion. Management minds are not on the same wavelength as marketing minds. What makes a good chief executive? A person who is highly verbal, logical, and analytical. Typical characteristics of a left brainer. What makes a good marketing executive? A person who is highly visual, intuitive, and holistic. Typical characteristics of a right brainer. These different mind-sets often result in conflicting approaches to branding, and the Ries' thought-provoking observations—culled from years on the front lines—support this conclusion, including: Management deals in reality. Marketing deals in perception. Management demands better products. Marketing demands different products. Management deals in verbal abstractions. Marketing deals in visual hammers. Using some of the world's most famous brands and products to illustrate their argument, the authors convincingly show why some brands succeed (Nokia, Nintendo, and Red Bull) while others decline (Saturn, Sony, and Motorola). In doing so, they sound a clarion call: to survive in today's media-saturated society, managers must understand how to think like marketers—and vice versa. Featuring the engaging, no-holds-barred writing that readers have come to expect from Al and Laura Ries, War in the Boardroom offers a fresh look at a perennial problem and provides a game plan for companies that want to break through the deadlock and start reaping the rewards.

If you had the opportunity to probe the future, make strategic choices, and view their consequences before making expensive and irretrievable decisions, wouldn't you take advantage of it? Of course you would. And in a world of asymmetrical conflict, security threats, intense global competition, and economic uncertainty, there is an even higher premium on road-testing plans and strategies--whether they're spearheaded by government organizations, transnational corporations, or emerging megacommunities. Wargaming for Leaders provides a methodology to get at the issues that one leader, no matter how visionary, cannot grasp on his or her own. How? By bringing together the real experts on the topic at hand to wage “cognitive warfare.” Through tapping the collective wisdom surrounding an issue, experts can experience the future in a risk-free environment and find answers to questions that had not been on their radar--often with unexpected and startling results. With examples from the fields of military, corporate, and public policy, three wargaming developers from Booz Allen Hamilton deliver compelling insights on this problem-solving method, including fascinating details on how A large equipment manufacturer determined whether making a merger was strategically right for its business growth, as well as which technology investments it needed to drop A four-star U.S. general tested his war plan for Iraq and uncovered specific fixes that might have prevented a prolonged conflict An increasingly clogged air-traffic system faced a security-versus-convenience issue determined whether military airspace could be used during peak demand periods Wargaming allows organizations of every type and every size to organize information, plot out scenarios, and tap into the collective expertise of participants. The results allow everyone to identify and tackle obstacles, solve problems, and find new ways to innovate and further performance goals. Get ready for the battle of your organizational life--and prepare to reap the spoils of victory.

Juggling motherhood and her job as a real-estate agent, Elizabeth Jordan wishes her husband could help more around the house. But Tony’s rising career as a pharmaceutical salesman demands more and more of his time. With a nice home in the suburbs and a lovely young daughter, they appear to have it all—yet they can’t seem to spend time together without fighting. Hoping for a new listing, Elizabeth visits the home of Clara Williams, an elderly widow, and is both amused and uncomfortable when Clara starts asking pointed questions about her marriage and faith. But it’s Clara’s secret prayer room, with its walls covered in requests and answers, that has Elizabeth most intrigued . . . even if she’s not ready to take Clara’s suggestion that she create a prayer room of her own. As tensions at home escalate, though, Elizabeth begins to realize that her family is worth fighting for, and she can’t win this battle on her own. Stepping out in blind faith, putting her prayers for her family and their future in God’s hands, might be her only chance at regaining the life she was meant for.

Capitalize on Your Company's Intangible Assets... Leading Companies Show You How "Einstein in the Boardroom makes a great sequel to Edison in the Boardroom. Those readers who found the examples and war stories of Edison to be useful in their own IP-management activities will find the same qualities in Einstein. This resource will help anyone in the intangibles management community who seeks to go beyond intellectual property and understand and capitalize on the full range of a firm's intellectual capital." --Julie Davis, coauthor, Edison in the Boardroom "Harrison and Sullivan continue to elevate understanding of the value of intellectual assets and, more importantly, provide a 'clinic' on the practical steps necessary to turn theory into bottom-line results." --Jeff Weedman, Vice President, External Business Development The Procter & Gamble Company "Einstein in the Boardroom is a valuable guide for business managers considering how to leverage intangible assets for profit." --Joe Beyers, Vice President, Intellectual Property Licensing, Hewlett-Packard Company "Going deeper into value creation for companies, Einstein in the Boardroom describes new ways to extract value from 'I-stuff' on knowledge, a tremendous asset that is too rarely exploited and could be leveraged by all readers of this great book." --Beatrix de Russe, Executive Vice President, Licensing and Intellectual Property, Thomson "Einstein in the Boardroom is a must-read for CEOs, CFOs, and board chairs facing the financial governance issues of share price, wealth creation, and value realization. When today's financial management systems may only deal with 20 percent of the value of the firm, Harrison and Sullivan offer a look at what a company can do to successfully create and extract value from the 'other' 80 percent, and they show you how other companies have done it!" --Bill Swirsky, Vice President, Knowledge Development The Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants "Identifying, managing, and leveraging knowledge and intangible assets has enabled Cargill to differentiate itself from its competitors and increase its profitability. Harrison and Sullivan provide a clear perspective on how intangible assets fit within the corporate landscape and how to manage them to increase value for the organization." --Harry J. Gwinnell, Vice President and Chief IP Counsel, Cargill

A renowned meeting mentor and author offes a proactive guide to preventing conflict in even the toughest boardroom situations.

The CEO’s Boss, originally published in 2010, is the definitive guide to a productive working relationship between corporate boards and CEOs. Speaking to an era when company directors must monitor the actions and day-to-day operations of their CEO, William M. Klepper offers eight essential lessons to help boards operate more effectively in this bold and independent role. Since the publication of the first edition, Klepper has continued to develop and apply its lessons for a variety of businesses and settings. In this second edition, Klepper renews the paradigm set forth in the first, with new case studies of companies such as Wells Fargo, BP, Hewlett-Packard, and Proctor & Gamble. Giving directors, executives, investors, and stakeholders the tools to make crucial relationships work, Klepper details the best techniques for selecting the right CEO, establishing a working relationship, and giving effective feedback. He affirms the importance of the social contract between directors and their CEOs, encourages directors to embrace their independence, and teaches executives to value tough love. He revisits the first edition’s case studies and derives new insights from how these companies followed—or failed to heed—the book’s precepts. He also takes a close look at the predictions he made almost ten years ago, providing new forecasts and integrating core knowledge to ensure that The CEO’s Boss remains essential in our ever-changing business landscape.

Steve Jobs, Richard Branson, and Ben and Jerry may think they were the first guerrilla marketers, but Mao beat them to the punch years ago. Get ready for the lessons of success from the original "Chairman" of the board. Mao in the Boardroom is the new Little Red Book for a capitalist world. "A curious amalgam of humor and business advice, Stricker's book should appeal to little guys thinking about going up against the big dogs." - Publishers Weekly