Six Disciplines Execution Revolution Takes The Bronze

Six Disciplines Execution Revolution, by CEO and best-selling author Gary Harpst, has received the Bronze in the Entrepreneurship category of the 2009 Axiom Business Book Awards, designed to honor the year's best business books and their authors and publishers.

The Axiom Business Book Awards, sponsored by The Jenkins Group, are intended to bring increased recognition to exemplary business books and their creators, with the understanding that business people are an information-hungry segment of the population, eager to learn about great new books that will inspire them and help them improve their careers and businesses.

Six Disciplines Execution Revolution was also named a Finalist in the Entrepreneur & Small Business category of the National “Best Book” 2008 Award from USABookNews.com.

The book, published by Six Disciplines Publishing in 2008, is listed as a best-seller on The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today and BusinessWeek. Amazon customers ranked it in the Top 10 of all Business Books for 2008, and, it was named a top best-seller for 2008 by business book specialist, 800-CEO-READ.

See the entire list of all 2008 Axiom Business Book Award winners here.

Nothing Changes if Nothing Changes

"Nothing changes if nothing changes."

Sounds obvious. Even Einstein's definition of insanity was:

"Doing the same things over and over but expecting different results."

But the truth is that nothing changes... if nothing changes.

Here's Dan Bobinski's (Center for Workplace Excellence) take on change:

• People willingly engage in change if they have genuine input to the process.
• What people don't like is having change forced upon them with little advanced notice. Or worse yet, no notice at all.

So we need to try something different.

• According to researchers at Harvard University studying change practices in business, getting people to change is best accomplished by including an emotional connection.
• When communicating change, "the story must be simple, easy to identify with, emotionally resonant, and evocative of positive experiences."
• Behavior change happens mostly by speaking to people's feelings (even in organizations that are very focused on analysis and quantitative measurement.)

BOTTOMLINE: "The fact is that nothing changes if nothing changes. And maybe, if we want a successful change effort, we need to change how we implement (execute) change."

Economic Acceleration Tour Continues Into Tennessee

After successful stops in Columbus, Austin, San Antonio, (and later this month, Houston and Dallas), veteran CEO and best-selling author Gary Harpst will be continuing his 50-city speaking tour “Economic Acceleration: Breaking the 3% Speed Limit” in Tennessee.

Gary will be speaking in Memphis, TN on March 17, Nashville, TN on March 18, and Knoxville, TN on March 19.

Here's the issues that frustrate Gary, but he has a plan, and wants to share it with you:

• Why is it that every business – even the best ones - struggle so much to sustain growth and profitability?
• Why is that only 3% of businesses drive the overwhelming majority of economic growth and job creation in any given community?
• Why does it have to be only 3%? Can’t we do any better?
• Perhaps more importantly, what are we going to do about accelerating growth for the other 97% of businesses?

In attendance at the Tennessee Economic Acceleration events will be CEOs of small and midsized businesses, chamber of commerce executives, economic development executives, civic leaders, business incubator professionals, college and university business program chairs and faculty, quality program professionals, venture capitalists, private equity and angel investors, business coaches, management consultants, and professional service firm partners.

To review the agenda and to register for these events, visit:

• www.GaryHarpst.com/tour/Memphis


• www.GaryHarpst.com/tour/Nashville


• www.GaryHarpst.com/tour/Knoxville

Gary Harpst - On Execution (Podcast)

Dan Mulhern, the First Gentleman of Michigan, hosts Everyday Leadership: Making Work Work, a weekly look at leadership in business and the issues that impact the workplace.

In the first hour, Dan talks with CEO and best-selling author Gary Harpst (author - “Execution Revolution"), Jim Epolito (President/CEO - Michigan Economic Development Corporation), and Bill Emmerson (CEO - Quicken Loans).

Listen to the podcast here.

Growing Your Business Methodically - Video

In this video, published on Thrive America, angel investor Alan Urech, from Stoney River Capital Partners in Roswell, GA, talks about the importance of growing your business methodically.

At the beginning of the video, Alan references Six Disciplines for Excellence, by Gary Harpst .

Take a look at this 8:00 minute video here.

Game-Changing Small Business Intelligence

In the Winter issue of Chamber Executive magazine, the official journal of the American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE), veteran CEO and best-selling author Gary Harpst published an article, "Game-Changing Small Business Intelligence" in which he begins by saying:

"...Even during the tough times we're confronted with now, there's actually good things that come from crises: they force us to make choices, sometimes tough choices. Crises force us to make a choice between vacilating among options, and taking action."

Read the entire article online here.

The Quality Most Valued in Leaders? Execution

The 2008 Best Companies for Leaders survey—conducted by management consultancy Hay Group and Chief Executive Magazine—identifies the top 20 best-in class companies as well as the attributes that make these companies known for great leadership.

Key findings of the Hay Group's research:

• When asked what organizations value the most in leaders, 83 percent of the best in class organizations as compared to others said “execution.”
• Organizations value leaders who can achieve results through others.
• In tough economic times, employees’ desire more communication and clarity around goals. They want their leaders to become more visible and to be leading from the front.
• During tough economic times, best-in-class companies create clarity, encourage development, drive accountability and recognize successful leaders.
• The top 20 best companies for leaders make leadership development a priority

Executive Coaching - Worth The Price?

In a January 2009 article "What Can Coaches Do for You?" published in the Harvard Business Review, HBR conducted a survey of 140 leading coaches and invited five experts to comment on the findings.

Some of the more interesting findings:

• The reasons companies engage coaches have changed.
• Ten years ago, most companies engaged a coach to help fix toxic behavior at the top.
• Today, most coaching is about developing the capabilities of high-potential performers.

Do companies and executives get value from their coaches? When HBR asked coaches to explain the healthy growth of their industry, they said that clients keep coming back because “coaching works.”

BOTTOMLINE: "Coaching as a business tool continues to gain legitimacy, but the fundamentals of the industry are still in flux. In this market, as in so many others today, the old saw still applies: Buyer beware."

Strategy and Execution At Its Best - A Picture of Excellence

Congratulations to Ben, and the Pittsburgh Steelers, on winning SuperBowl XLIII.

From all your friends and fans at Six Disciplines (a Findlay, Ohio-based company - hometown of Pittsburgh Steelers QB, Ben Roethlisberger...)

(Source: Simon Bruty, Sports Illustrated)