AMA Edgewise » AMA Edgewise

Dr. Betsy Kruger, author of the book Top Market Strategy: Applying the 80/20 Rule, explains how businesses can use this system to quadruple their profits. She also discusses a commonly overlooked but, key factor in increasing profit, customer loyalty. She stresses the importance of gaining quality customer relations as opposed to mere mass. Dr. Kruger explains how to identify the customers in the top 20% and how to specifically target them with your marketing strategy. She shares insight on how companies such as Subway and Harley Davidson have used this method to create a win-win scenario for the brand and consumer. Dr. Betsy Kruger is a widely recognized expert in marketing strategy. Professors are adopting her book, Top Market Strategy: Applying the 80/20 Rule. She writes, speaks, and consults on 80/20 topics. The Better Business Bureau has accredited her company, Strategic Power. Starting with the University of Chicago, Dr. Kruger has managed many marketing projects for leading corporations in consumer industries. She developed and sold analytical software in over forty countries. Her mission is to empower prosperity, one business at a time. Dr. Kruger has taught thousands of managers how to be more successful in business. For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars: *Fundamentals of Marketing: Your Action Plan for Success *Strtegic Agility and Resilience: Embracing Change to Drive Growth *AMArsquo;s Advanced Course in Strategic Marketing To learn more, read these AMACOM Books: *Pricing for Profit, by Dale Furtwengler *Exceptional Service, Exceptional Profit, by Leonardo Inghilleri, Micah Solomon *Now, Build a Great Business!, by Mark Thompson, Brian Tracy

Jane Jordan, author of the book The Four Stages of Highly Effective Crisis Management says that every company should have a crisis communication plan. With the development of social media and new forms of immediate communication, it is even more important than ever. What was once the province of professional reporters is now free and available to everyone. Regardless of a companyrsquo;s preferred talking points, anyone can hit ldquo;postrdquo; instantly, as there are fewer and fewer communication boundaries. However, if you have a plan, Jane says itrsquo;s possible to be prepared and successfully manage a communication crisis as in the cases involving the Red Cross or BP. A former journalist with Australian Consolidated Press in Sydney, Jane Jordan has been at the forefront of media training and crisis management for over two decades. She developed a unique four-stage methodology for crisis management whilst at the helm of Australia's leading media training consultancy, Media Skills. The methodology has been used around the world by hundreds of organizations and thousands of executives. For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars: *How to Create an ITIL Service Desk and Incident Management Process *AMArsquo;s Insurance and Risk Management Workshop *Making Sense of Web 2.0: Leveraging Social Media in Your Organization To learn more, read these AMACOM Books: *Why Some Companies Emerge Stronger and Better from a Crisis, by Ian I. Mitroff *Managing Crisis Before They Happen, by Ian I. Mitroff, Gus Anagnos *Chaotics, by Philip Kotler, John A. Caslione

Alexandra Levit, author of the book Blind Spots: Ten Business Myths You Canrsquo;t Afford To Believe On Your New Path To Success discusses her book which points out the biggest myths of business success; the things people believe that donrsquo;t work for most of the truly successful. In this edition of Edgewise, Alexandra touches on how the recession has transformed our ideas about how business works and why these myths are more dangerous than ever in a compromised economy. She also stresses the importance of self-promotion in the workplace and the pitfalls to climbing the ladder too quickly, as well as the greatest obstacles facing employees and entrepreneurs in the coming years. You will learn her take on personal censorship and online transparency, and why itrsquo;s important to be aware of what you disclose publically. Alexandra Levitis a nationally recognized business and workplace author and speaker. A syndicated columnist for the Wall Street Journal and a blogger for HuffingtonPost.com, Alexandra has authored several books, including the popular They Don't Teach Corporate in College, How'd You Score That Gig? and Success for Hire. Alexandra is also a member of the Business Roundtable's Springboard Project, which is advising the Obama administration on current workplace issues. For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars: *Decoding the Unwritten Rules of Executive Career Advancement *Coaching and Counseling for Outstanding Job Performance *What Got You Here Wonrsquo;t Get You There To learn more, read these AMACOM Books: *How to Land a Top-Paying Federal Job, by Lily Whiteman *The Career Clinic, by Maureen Anderson *Reinvention, by Brian Tracy

In this edition of Edgewise Anders Dahlvig chronicles his rise from store manager to president CEO of IKEA. Anders discusses his book, The IKEA Edge: Building Global Work, the affect globalization has had a on the retail business and how important it is for companies to adapt this new market culture. Anders also reveals his thoughts on corporate culture versus national culture and the difficulties in keeping out bureaucracy, complacency in a steadily growing corporation. Listen as Anders shares the unique vision he relied on to lead IKEA through its best and worst times. Anders Dahlvig is the Former Group President and CEO of IKEA, a leading international retailer of home furnishing products. Anders is also a member of European Retail Round Table. He is a director of Oriflame Cosmetics AB, HM Hennes Mauritz AB and Axel Johnson AB; Kingfisher Plc and is Chairman of The New Wave Group and a member of the Advisory Board of Lund University Business School. He received received the Swedish award for Good Environmental Leadership in 2002 for his independent and persistent work with environmental sustainability issues. In 2006, he also received the U.S. Foreign Policy Associationrsquo;s Global Social Responsibility award. For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars: *Strategic Agility and Resilience: Embracing Change to Drive Growth *Management Skills for New Supervisors *Corporate Cash Management To learn more, read these AMACOM Books: *Now, Build a Great Business!, by Mark Thompson, Brian Tracy *Investing in a Sustainable World, by Matthew J. Kiernan *Secrets of the Marketing Masters, by Dick Martin

In this edition of Edgewise Robert Kaplan, author of What to Ask the Person in the Mirror: Critical Questions for Becoming a More Effective Leader and Reaching Your Potential, describes the importance of self-management in creating a superb work culture. Robert explains the role of giving and taking honest feedback and which questions you need to ask yourself and which to ask colleagues across all levels of management. Tune in and also learn tips from Robertrsquo;s leadership roadmap, including determining when it is ok to say ldquo;nordquo; and how to take ownership of your leadership pipeline. Robert Kaplan is a professor of management practice at Harvard Business School, as well as a co-chairman of Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, a global venture philanthropy firm. He advises numerous companies around the world. Prior to joining Harvard in 2005, Robert was vice chairman of the Goldman Sachs Group. For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars: *Stepping Up to Leadership: A Course for Administrative Professionals *Leadership and Team Development for Managerial Success *Preparing for Leadership: What it Takes to Take the Lead To learn more, read these AMACOM Books: *The Little Book of Leadership Development, by Scott J. Allen, Mitchell Kusy *The AMA Handbook of Leadership, by Marshall Goldsmith, John Baldoni, Sarah McArthur *The Bible on Leadership, by Lorin Woolfe

Scott Keller coauthor of Beyond Performance, discusses the extensive research he conducted in the field of organizational effectiveness. With performance and health managed with equal emphasis being the main takeaway, Scott elaborates on what he means by organizational health and how that directly links to an organizationrsquo;s performance. Listen as Scott explains how to assess and revive your campanies health. Scott Keller is a director in the Southern California office of McKinsey Company, and leads its transformational change practice in the Americas. He has published several articles on change management and organizational behavior, as well as a book for colleagues and clients. He holds an MBA and a BS in mechanical engineering from the University of Notre Dame and has worked as a manufacturing manager with Procter Gamble and a photovoltaic engineer for the U.S. Department of Energy. Outside McKinsey, Scott is a cofounder of Digital Divide Data, an award-winning social enterprise that utilizes a sustainable IT service model to benefit some of the world's most disadvantaged people. For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars: *The Project Performance Management Workshop: Time, Cost and Budget *Strategy Execution: Getting It Done *Create a Respectful Workplace: Improve Morale, Increase Productivity and Achieve Business Goals To learn more, read these AMACOM Books: *2600 Phrases for Setting Effective Performance Goals, by Paul Falcone *Transforming Performance Measurement, by Dean R. Spitzer, Ph.D. *The Program Management Office Advantage, by Lia Tjahjana, Paul Dwyer, PMP

In the episode of Edgewise, Betty Shotton shares her experience as a serial entrepreneur, having founded and lead 6 companies. Betty recently authored Liftoff Leadership, in which she pinpoints the key qualities and attributes necessary to kick-start your leadership trajectory. Betty stresses her ldquo;pre-flight checklist,rdquo; and a series of assessments and questions, which she says allows leaders to identify their guiding principles. Listen as she shares a few of the ten principles noted in her book, including: altruism, balance, and possibility. Betty Shotton has over 35 years experience as a CEO, Entrepreneur, and Leadership Consultant. Today she is the CEO Founder of Liftoff Leadership LLC and a partner with Berkana Consulting Group. She has founded and led six companies in vacation rentals and aviation. One of these companies known today as ResortQuest International, a part of Wyndham Worldwide went public in 1998 (NYSE). She developed and led two regional airlines, SouthEast Air and SeaAir in her commitment to commercial air service for the OuterBanks of North Carolina and served on the Board Directors of Cape Air.

What changes should your organization consider in order to get the most out of the recruitment process? New York Times bestselling author, George Anders, discusses this in his new book entitled, The Rare Find: Spotting Exceptional Talent Before Everyone Else. George emphasizes the importance of new technologies and social networking and how they play a critical role in finding all stars for your organization. In addition, George explains why testing and assessments are key elements of the recruiting process to build a strong team and corporate culture. Listen and learn as George shares how highly successful organizations such as GE, Facebook, and the U.S. Army identifying, recruit, and cultivate top performers. George Anders is a New York Times-bestselling author and a journalist with three decades of experience writing for national publications. He started his career at The Wall Street Journal, where he became a top feature writer specializing in in-depth profiles. He was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 1997 for national reporting. He also has served as West Coast bureau chief for Fast Company magazine and as a founding member of the Bloomberg View board of editors. His work has appeared in leading publications worldwide, including The New York Times, Business Week, The Guardian and the Harvard Business Review. For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars: *Recruiting, Interviewing and Selecting Employees *Fundamentals of Human Resources Management *Fundamentals of Sales Management for the Newly Appointed Sales Manager To learn more, read these AMACOM Books: *Recruiting, Interviewing, Selecting Orienting New Employees, by Diane Arthur *101 Strategies for Recruiting Success, by Christopher W. Pritchard

Organizations are always looking to get the best out of employees but the traditional means of doing so may be all wrong. Mark Royal and Tom Agnew, authors of the book, Enemy of Engagement, think that strong and forward-looking managers enable their employees to channel their extra or discretionary efforts productively. They talk about how to feed your teamrsquo;s desire to feel accomplished, create better support levels, and combat the common causes that lead to lack of employee engagement. Mark Royal and Tom Agnew are leaders at the Hayes Groups, Employee Research Division. Mark holds a Ph. D. and MA degrees in sociology from Stanford University, and Tom received his Ph. D. in management from Vanderbilt University and MBA from the University of Saskatchewan. For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars: *Win! How to Engage and Energize Your Employees *Successfully Managing People *Building Better Work Relationships: New Techniques for Results-oriented Communication To learn more, read these AMACOM Books: *Finding Keeping Great Employees, by Jim Harris, Ph.D. and Joan Brannick, Ph.D. *Full Engagement!, by Brian Tracy *The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave, by Leigh Branham

For our last podcast of 2011 we talked to Tim Philips, author of Talk Normal, about the best way to speak professionally. While an evolving and agile language is generally a good thing, it can lead to misunderstandings, highly detrimental in the workplace, especially in a global world where English is mostly spoken as a second language. Tim stresses that perfect grammar and sounding smart is less important than clarity and understanding. Tim Phillips is a freelance journalist whorsquo;s written for the Wall Street Journal Europe, the International Herald Tribune, The Guardian, The Observer, the Daily Telegraph, The Independent, and the Daily Express, among others. He is a frequent guest on BBC television and radio and Sky News, as well as a regular conference speaker. Hersquo;s also author of Fit To Bust: How Great Companies Fail, Knockoff: The Deadly Trade In Counterfeit Goods, and hersquo;s co-author with Terry Hunt and Clive Humby of the bestselling Scoring Points. He's most recently the author of Talk Normal: Stop the Business Speak, Jargon, and Waffle.. For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars: *Communicating Up, Down and Across the Organization *How to Sharpen Your Business Writing Skills *Effective Executive Speaking To learn more, read these AMACOM Books: *The Art of Connecting, by Claire Raines Lara Ewing *Corporate Conversations, by Shel Holtz *11 Laws of Likability, by Michelle Tillis Lederman

Good leaders aren't developed overnight, as soon as they get the promotion. Leadership is an ongoing process; even the greats like Jack Welch are constantly honing their skills and abilities. Today's guest, John C. Maxwell, has developed a system that delineates the steps on the road to influential leadership in his new book, The Five Levels of Leadership. Whether you're a Level One that seeks to improve or a Level Five who wants to expand your influence, identifying which level you currently are will show you the steps needed to get to the next opportunity in your career. John C. Maxwell is an internationally recognized leadership expert, speaker, coach, and author who has sold over 19 million books. Dr. Maxwell is the founder of EQUIP and The John Maxwell Company, organizations that have trained more than 5 million leaders worldwide. Every year he speaks to Fortune 500 companies, international government leaders, and organizations as diverse as the United States Military Academy at West Point, the National Football League, and the United Nations. He's the author of The Five Levels of Leadership: Proven Steps to Maximize Your Potential. For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars: *Developing Executive Leadership *Expanding Your Influence: Understanding the Psychology of Persuasion *The Voice of Leadership: How Leaders Inspire, Influence and Achieve Results To learn more, read these AMACOM Books: *Lead by Example, by John Baldoni *Preparing for Leadership, by Donna J. Dennis Ph.D., Debbie Meola *The 108 Skills of Natural Born Leaders, by Warren Blank

Dr. Michael Beer, co-author of Higher Ambition: How Great Leaders Create Economic and Social Value, challenges the convention of business leaders to be driven primarily by profit. In this episode of Edgewise, Michael explains how todayrsquo;s most prosperous leaders are investing in their employees as social capital, encouraging them to think of customers outside of a transactional context and build valuable relationships. He discusses the importance of defining the direction of an organization in alignment with specific core beliefs , inspiring managers, employees, and customers to work towards a greater good. Dr. Michael Beer is Cahners-Rabb Professor of Business Administration, Emeritus at Harvard Business School. He is also Chairman of TruePoint Partners, a research based consultancy, and the TruePoint Center For High Performance and High Commitment. In addition to writing for numerous academic and business journals, Dr. Beer is the author of nine books such as Breaking the Code of Change and The Critical Path to Corporate Renewal. For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars: *The Voice of Leadership: How Leaders Inspire, Influence and Achieve Results *Achieving Leadership Success Through People *Stepping Up to Leadership: A Course for Administrative Professionals To learn more, read these AMACOM Books: *You've Gotta Have Heart, by Cass Wheeler *The Leadership Advantage, by Jared L. Bleak and Robert M. Fulmer *True Greatness, by Bill Beausay and Kevin Elko

Marcus Buckingham, author of the new book, Stand Out: The Groundbreaking New Strengths Assessment from the Leader of the Strengths Revolution, believes managers need a cheat sheet to help them identify their key strengths. Using this innovative self-assessment, find out whether your most defining traits characterize you as a pioneer, a teacher, a connector, or any of the other 9 strength roles Marcus identifies. Not only will he point out the consequences of mishandling your strengths, he will help you realize what career is best for you. Marcus Buckingham is a best-selling author, public speaker, researcher and business consultant. He is also the founder of The Marcus Buckingham Company, which creates training programs and management tools based around his principles of ldquo;Strengthrdquo;. His previous books include, First, Break All the Rules, The Truth About You, and Find Your Strongest Life. For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars: *Play to Your Strengths: Harnessing the Power of Your Personality *Improving Your Managerial Effectiveness *The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Peoplereg; 3-Day Signature Program To learn more, read these AMACOM Books: *The Elements of Power, by Terry R. Bacon *Preparing for Leadership, by Donna J. Dennis, Ph.D. and Debbie Meola *Managing Brand You, by Jerry S. Wilson and Ira Blumenthal

You may not realize that you can channel your life experience into valuable advice people will pay to receive. In this episode of Edgewise, Brendon Burchard, author of The Millionaire Messenger: Make a Difference and a Fortune Sharing Your Advice, explains the ten steps necessary to break into the lucrative Experts Industry. Listen as Brendon conveys how to leverage inexpensive tools to increase awareness and develop compelling products around your personal expertise. Brendon Burchard is the founder of the Experts Industry Association, which brings together the top names in the advice industry to share how they built their brands and business. He is also the bestselling author of The Millionaire Messenger and Lifersquo;s Golden Ticket. Brendon is one of the top business and motivational trainers in the world working with clients such as Accenture, JC Penney, eBay, Levi's, and Walgreens, in addition to the thousands of entrepreneurs and executives from around the world who attend his seminars. For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars: *Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins *The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Peoplereg; 3-Day Signature Program *Leveraging Social Media to Engage Customers and Build Your Brand To learn more, read these AMACOM Books: *Reinvention, by Brian Tracy *The Power of a Positive Attitude, by Roger Fritz *Speak to Win, by Brian Tracy

According to Davia Temin, companies cannot be hesitant about expanding their online presence, but it is important they avoid the social media pitfalls that have spelled disaster for numerous firms. In this episode of Edgewise, Davia shares her ldquo;10 Donrsquo;ts of Corporate Social Media,rdquo; which explain the dangers of over marketing, automated messages, and abandoning unsuccessful initiatives in cyberspace. Listen and learn how to develop authentic and responsible communication that engages customers and keeps them coming back for more. Davia Temin is Founder and CEO of Temin and Company which advises global companiesrsquo; boards, CEOs, and leadership teams on reputation of crisis management, marketing and media strategy, leadership communications and thought leadership. She is also a first Vice Chair of the Board of Girl Scouts of the U.S.A., Chair of the Board of Video Volunteers, and serves on the advisory boards of the Knight-Bagehot Fellowship at Columbia Journalism School, and ProPublica in Harvard Kennedy Schoolrsquo;s Womenrsquo;s Leadership Board. For additional training on this topic, consider these AMA seminars: *Social Media for Managers: New Tools for Communication, Innovation and Collaboration *Making Sense of Web 2.0: Leveraging Social Media in Your Organization *Leveraging Social Media to Engage Customers and Build Your Brand To learn more, read these AMACOM Books: *The On-Demand Brand, by Rick Mathieson *Digital Engagement, by Leland Harden and Bob Heyman *Web Copy That Sells, by Maria Veloso