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Thought leader, renowned business strategist, leadership and motivational expert, and author of the brilliant and thought provoking book Defy Gravity: Propel Your Business to High-Velocity Growth, Rebel Brown, delivers her no nonsense approach to challenging the status quo in any business. Rebel shares her technique for getting your business into flight and avoiding the drag and weight that hold your company back. She shows business people how to avoid the gravity that works against moving a company forward and higher, and for preventing the crash and burn results that can set a business back or even destroy it. Learn how to spot opportunities to take flight and to add value that will drive growth. Learn Rebel's proven approach to strategy and market analysis to become a leader in any industry.

Rebel Brown is my internet radio show guest on Blog Business Success; hosted live on BlogTalkRadio.

The show airs live on Tuesday, December 28, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time; 5:00 pm Pacific Time.

Thought leader, renowned business strategist, leadership and motivational expert, and author of the brilliant and thought provoking book Defy Gravity: Propel Your Business to High-Velocity Growth, Rebel Brown, delivers her no nonsense approach to challenging the status quo in any business. You will learn:

* Why growth is so critical to business success

* Why it's important to have a forward focus

* Why the status quo is the real competition for a company

* How to create a strategic plan that is flexible and powerful



Rebel Brown (photo left) consistently challenges the status quo to deliver optimum solutions and high velocity growth for her clients. She combines the strategic expertise and tactical savvy of a global Corporate Strategy, Launch and Turnaround Expert, along with the leadership and motivational skills needed to get the job done. As an international consultant, Rebel has worked with over 100 clients – from larger companies to smaller, more entrepreneurial concerns - in start up, growth and turnaround situations in both the B2B and B2C markets.

* Ramp-Up and Roar - Rebel has helped dozens of start-up and pre-IPO international companies gain a foothold in the right markets – where they have the strongest opportunities for significant revenue and leadership. During this time, she has developed proprietary, customizable launch systems to gain immediate market share in a variety of industries.

* Rescue and Restore - Because of her ability to rapidly identify and improve areas of high leverage potential, Rebel is the consultant of choice for many venture capital and investment firms seeking turnaround solutions for their new acquisitions.

* Redefine and Rejuvenate - Rebel has spent half of her career specializing in 'start-around' companies with great value - which have needed to reinvent themselves to get past stagnation and grow in a rapidly changing environment.

Armed with diverse experiences and skill sets, Rebel Brown is uniquely qualified to quickly and accurately assess needs in a broad range of business types and situations to provide dynamic, effective solutions for high velocity growth.

When she's not busy powering up corporate growth, Rebel enjoys her pursuits as an avid horsewoman, expert skier and outdoorswoman who tends an orchid greenhouse, hikes coastal mountains and kayaks the Pacific Ocean.

My book review of Defy Gravity: Propel Your Business to High-Velocity Growth by Rebel Brown.

Listen live on Tuesday at 8:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm Pacific time.



If you miss this very informative show, it will be available for free download as a podcast for iPod, iTunes, and MP3 players; or play it right on your computer. To download this, or any other of my guest interviews, go to the Blog Business Success host page and click on Archived Segments. Once there, click on the podcast icon at the end of the episode description, to download the show free of charge for your listening enjoyment. You can also subscribe to the show feed.



To call in questions for my guest, the number is: (347) 996-5832

Let's talk with thought leader, renowned business strategist, leadership and motivational expert, and author of the brilliant and thought provoking book Defy Gravity: Propel Your Business to High-Velocity Growth, Rebel Brown, as she delivers her no nonsense approach to challenging the status quo in any business. Rebel shares her technique for getting your business into flight and avoiding the drag and weight that hold your company back. She shows business people how to avoid the gravity that works against moving a company forward and higher, and for preventing the crash and burn results that can set a business back or even destroy it. Learn how to spot opportunities to take flight and to add value that will drive growth. Learn Rebel's proven approach to strategy and market analysis to become a leader in any industry on Blog Business Success Radio.

Tags: Defy Gravity: Propel Your Business to High-Velocity Growth, Rebel Brown, corporate strategy, Blog Business Success, Blog Talk Radio.

READ MORE - Rebel Brown: Defy Gravity - Blog Business Success Radio

Defy Gravity

Propel Your Business to High-Velocity Growth

By: Rebel Brown

Published: September 14, 2010
Format: Hardcover, 221 pages
ISBN-10: 1608320545
ISBN-13: 978-1608320547
Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group Press






"Either we're growing our business or we're losing market share. There is no middle ground in today's market", writes corporate strategy, leadership, and motivational expert Rebel Brown in her brilliant and thought provoking book Defy Gravity: Propel Your Business to High-Velocity Growth. the author describes the fundamental change in thought that must take place to move a business forward from a dangerous and company stagnating status quo.

Rebel Brown recognizes the critical importance of growth to a company's continuing success. Unfortunately, for many companies, forecasting growth is all too often simply extrapolating past performance numbers into the future. As Rebel Brown points out so well, past performance is not a reliable predictor of future success. Indeed, the numbers from the past where different market and economic conditions existed, may lead a company to miss profitable business opportunities. As a result, Rebel Brown reminds business leaders to look forward instead of into the past. With a forward focus, companies are better equipped to make necessary course changes, should there be unexpected events taking place in the marketplace, or in the economy. Rebel Brown guides business people to accept that change to a plan is often essential, despite the reluctance to make alterations to the existing plan.



Rebel Brown (photo left) applies the analogy of flight to build a deeper and richer understanding of her guiding business growth principles. To achieve full powered flight, Rebel Brown reminds leaders that today's rapidly changing market no longer resembles or behaves like the slow moving, established markets of the past. As a result, companies must be more flexible, nimble, and not weighted down with excess baggage. Because today's markets are so dynamic, opportunities exist everywhere in the marketplace. These profitable markets are often missed or overlooked due to tunnel vision, group think, or a focus on the past rather than the future. By thinking and acting in a dynamic manner, business leaders are able to not only see opportunities in advance, but to capture them as well. By letting go of the status quo, as Rebel advises, limits to a company's growth potential can be removed successfully. A forward focus that includes the company's core values will provide a road map to uncovering opportunities for growth. With a forward focus, a business is better equipped to make dramatic course corrections to better position itself for adding value and growth.

For me, the power of the book is how Rebel Brown combines the theory of high powered growth with practical steps to achieve unprecedented success. The author presents a very effective analogy of flight to illustrate her critical points. Because her concepts are revolutionary, the use of the airplane metaphor provides richer understanding of her principles. Along with the illuminating airborne metaphors, Rebel Brown enhances here concepts with real world case studies of the gravity defying principles in action. Rebel Brown is a leading corporate strategist and that background is evident in her thought leadership presented in this fine book.

Rebel Brown emphasizes seeking and capitalizing on value opportunities through maintaining a forward focus, a dynamic ability to change course when necessary, and constant eye to value. With these concepts in mind, Rebel Brown demonstrates how to create business strategy that takes each element into consideration, in a holistic approach to strategy formulation. Overall, this powerful book will transform even the most moribund, status quo oriented company into a jet powered company, capable of seizing opportunities as they arise, and continuing their important growth plans.

I highly recommend the essential and empowering book Defy Gravity: Propel Your Business to High-Velocity Growth by Rebel Brown, to any business leaders who seek to maximize their growth potential through the application of these game changing concepts to their companies. Every chapter contains critical, value multiplying information that is both practical and results oriented. The principles in this book are a valuable addition to the field of corporate strategy.

Read the obstacle clearing and mind changing book Defy Gravity: Propel Your Business to High-Velocity Growth by Rebel Brown, and put the gravity defying principles to work for your company. With the status quo removed as a competitor, the entire focus can be on achieving success through growth. The competition in the marketplace will be left looking up from the runway.

Tags: Defy Gravity: Propel Your Business to High-Velocity Growth, Rebel Brown, corporate strategy, business book reviews.

READ MORE - Defy Gravity by Rebel Brown - Book review

Financial news dominated the headlines of 2010. All next week, (December 27 – 31, 2010) PBS NewsHour presents a 5-part series of encore reports by Paul Solman on the housing crisis, its impact on individuals throughout the nation, and the response of both the government and the private sector. It’s all part of his ongoing coverage, “Making Sen$e” of financial news.

Winners and Losers of Florida’s Foreclosure Crisis:

Paul Solman explores how the economic crisis has affected attitudes toward government with a report from Florida on people who lost homes to foreclosures and the buyers who are snapping up the properties.

Watch the video of Winners and Losers of Florida's Foreclosure Crisis

Homeowners Express Frustration with Government Loan Modifications:

Many struggling homeowners rely on loan modifications from government programs to keep afloat on their mortgages. Paul Solman speaks with homeowners who say they are running into problems with these services.

Faulty Paperwork Prompts Deepening Foreclosure Problem:

As foreclosures mount, Paul Solman reports on attorneys general who have launched an investigation into claims of faulty lender paperwork.

Boston Firm Offers Homeowners a Second Chance After Foreclosure:

For those who have lost a home they could have afforded at market rate, Boston Community Capital offers an avenue to regain ownership. BCC imposes strict regulations, but none of the 90 properties they have financed have defaulted so far. Paul Solman reports.

Winners and Losers in Home Mortgage Modification:

Paul Solman follows up with questions and viewer reaction surrounding mortgage modifications as part of his reporting on Making Sense or Financial News.



Paul Solman (photo left)

Coverage Continues Online

Dec 27 – Dec 31:

* Alyssa Katz: How Government Is Failing the Homeowner

New thoughts from author and journalist Alyssa Katz, who has covered the financial and housing crises

* The American Dream Deferred: What Befell our Strategic Defaulters?

Strategic Defaulters Update: Jason Welsh and Josh Barlett from April 2010 piece

* The Loan Mod Squad: A Request to Business Desk Readers

Business Desk viewer Q&A

* Foreclosure Fight? Bankruptcy Is Best, Says the Dean

Business Desk viewer Q&A

Jan. 3 – Jan. 5

* Monday, Jan 3: Should You Swim Away From an Underwater Mortgage?

A KQED ‘You Decide’ widget asks the question: Should you walk away from an underwater mortgage?

* Tuesday, Jan. 4: A Mortgage-Backed Security Map: The Fantastic Fate of One Man's Loan

One person mapped the history of his mortgage, including who owns it. The process took him more than a year.

* Wednesday, Jan. 5: Strategic Default: Right or Wrong?

Paul Solman talks with Brent White, Luigi Zingales and Bill Valenti in three separate web chats.

Tags: PBS NewsHour, Paul Solman, Housing foreclosure crisis, “Making Sen$e” of financial news..

READ MORE - PBS NewsHour: Making Sen$e of the Foreclosure Crisis

Leading authority on change management, and founder and principal of the Axelrod Group, Inc., Richard H. Axelrod, was kind enough to take the time to answer a few questions about the second edition of his seminal classic book Terms of Engagement, Second Edition: New Ways of Leading and Changing Organizations.

Richard H. Axelrod describes the problems associated with traditional change management techniques, and offers a fresh alternative approach that is inclusive, engaging, and effective.

Thanks to Richard H. Axelrod for his time, and for his thoughtful and informative responses to the questions. They are greatly appreciated.

What was the background to writing this book Terms of Engagement?

Richard H. Axelrod: I interviewed dozens of leaders, OD and HR Professionals, in for profit and not for profit organizations along with experts in the field of organizational change. I combined that information with more than 30 years of teaching and consulting experience.

What do you mean by employee engagement within companies?

Richard H. Axelrod: Engaged people put their wholehearted self behind the task at hand. Engaged organizations are those where the majority of people put their energy and commitment into the work.

Why is it so critical today for companies to engage their employees?

Richard H. Axelrod: Engaged employees are more productive, provide better customer service, develop customer loyalty, have fewer accidents, the list goes on and on. In today’s world your employees are the key differentiator between you and your competition.

How does engagement differ from other concepts of change management?

Richard H. Axelrod: You can have change management that ignores engagement. This is what I call the Old Change Management. You can have change management where engagement is the cornerstone. I call this the New Change Management. The New Change Management involves significant numbers of people in the change process early and often. In these processes people know their voice counts, they are connected to the purpose, and they work together to get things done.



Dick Axelrod (photo left)

You describe in the book how breakthrough research into neuroscience supports the concept of engagement?

Richard H. Axelrod: Author David Rock, Your Brain at Work, identifies two basic human responses, we move away from threats and toward rewards. When threatened the collaborative, innovative part of the brain shuts down, when we are in the reward state the collaborative innovative part of the brain lights up. Rock considers engagement as a reward state. This reward state occurs as you are included in the decision making process, when have a sense of where things are headed, where you have the autonomy to make decisions, where you are connected to others, and when you perceive what is happening as fair. Interestingly these are all factors in a high engagement change process.

If the research and business evidence demonstrates the productive and quality aspects of engagement, why are some companies so reluctant to embrace engagement?

Richard H. Axelrod: There are many myths that surround engagement. Some are; it takes too long, only the experts have the knowledge to create solutions, leaders will lose control, productivity will go down instead of up, and self-interest will take over. These are myths and are not true, but the extent to which leaders believes these myths they are reluctant to embrace engagement. For others it’s just a value system. They do not believe that engagement works, is helpful, or the way they want to lead, despite the evidence. .

How can organizational leaders begin the transformation of the company to one based on engagement?

Richard H. Axelrod: There are lots of places to start. You can start with what we call every day engagement conversations and find out what is important to people in your organization and then help to make that happen. You can focus on your meetings and stop having dull, boring, time wasting meetings and begin to have meetings that are so engaging that no one looks at their Blackberry. You can find an important business issue that if people were engaged in its success would make a difference. You can design jobs based on autonomy, feedback and challenge. Any one of these strategies will work; you have to figure out which one makes sense for your company.

You describe four key activities for managers to consider with engagement. What are those four key elements and why are they so important?

Richard H. Axelrod: There are four principles to consider when it comes to engagement. Widen the Circle of Involvement, Connect People to Each Other, Create Communities for Action, and Promote Fairness. These principles are important because they create a way of working that builds a foundation for engagement. When you Widen the Circle, you not only get support you get better solutions as diverse opinions are added to the conversation. When you connect people to each other you build relationships in the organization that help the work go smoothly. When people connect to each other and to the task at hand, they put energy behind what needs to be done. When you build Communities For Action, you have a group of people who have the will to make something happen, and promoting fairness provides a sense of safety and wellbeing.

What happens should engagement fail and what could cause engagement initiatives to derail?

Richard H. Axelrod: When engagement fails you create a lot of organizational damage. People’s hopes are dashed and cynicism prevails. Engagement fails, when leadership administers engagement surveys and fails to involve employees in addressing the issues identified in the survey, It fails when company statements talk about the importance of people, and you are devalued on a daily basis.

How can an organization be designed from day one to include engagement as a core value?

Richard H. Axelrod: You can begin by designing work with engagement in mind, creating jobs that have meaning, autonomy, feedback, and challenge built it. You can create a compelling purpose for your organization, one that everyone wants to support. Companies that have a purpose of giving back to the communities in which they work, or doing good in the world, will do better than companies whose purpose is just to produce product. You can make sure that people have a voice in issues that impact them. You can choose leaders who are honest, who believe in transparency, and who are willing to trust their employees.

What is the first step a leader should take in a company toward engagement throughout the organization?

Richard H. Axelrod: There are several places you can start. It is important to find out what works for you and your organization. The first thing to remember is the engagement is a choice. You choose to engage with others and they choose to engage with you. Engagement is not a plug and play activity. You can start by eliminating time wasting, energy draining meetings and begin to think of meetings of engagement opportunities. When you have an important change initiative, involve people early and often, and make sure their voice counts. You can conduct dialogues to find out what people care about in your organization and why. Then, put those goals on a par with your regular business goals. You can talk about what is important to you and why you are willing to put your own time and energy behind what needs to be done.

What is next for Dick Axelrod?

Richard H. Axelrod: I feel another book coming on.

*******************

My book review of Terms of Engagement, Second Edition: New Ways of Leading and Changing Organizations by Richard H. Axelrod.

Tags: Terms of Engagement, Second Edition: New Ways of Leading and Changing Organizations, Richard H, Axelrod, change management strategies, business author interviews.

READ MORE - Richard H. Axelrod: Terms of Engagement - Author interview

Terms of Engagement, Second Edition

New Ways of Leading and Changing Organizations

By: Richard H. Axelrod

Published: October 11, 2010
Format: Paperback, 228 pages
ISBN-10: 1605094471
ISBN-13: 978-1605094472
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers






"Change management needed changing", writes leading authority on change management and founder and principal of the Axelrod Group, Inc., Richard H. Axelrod, in the second edition of his seminal classic book Terms of Engagement, Second Edition: New Ways of Leading and Changing Organizations. The author describes the problems associated with traditional change management techniques, and offers a fresh alternative approach that is inclusive, engaging, and effective.

Richard Axelrod recognizes that any change management process that fails to include the real needs and desires of the people involved, is destined for failure. The author cites the startling statistic that over 70 percent of change management initiatives fail. With that very troubling number in mind, Richard Axelrod makes it very clear that the current models of change management are both flawed and ineffective. While it would appear that the need for engaging employees in the change is obvious, the techniques for accommodating people in the process have been difficult to ascertain and put into practice. Dick Axelrod provides the tools for effective and engaging change management, with his revolutionary but common sense ideas. In effect, the author is creating an entirely new form of change management that is a complete departure from the failed models of the past; and are very often still in use in many organizations.



Dick Axelrod (photo left) understands that definitions of what constitutes change management are very often poorly understood, or even counter-productive. With so much uncertainty in organizations about what change management is, and how to initiate it effectively, it is no surprise that most efforts fail to achieve even their most modest objectives. To provide a solid framework for creating engaging and effective change management, Richard Axelrod offers the following principles:

* Widen the circle of involvement
* Connect people to each other
* Create communities for action
* promote fairness

Dick Axelrod also shares the following practices for the new change management:

* Honesty
* Transparency
* Trust

For me, the power of the book is how Richard Axelrod describes the problems that confound current change management efforts, and then provides a viable and effective alternative set of principles and practices. The author effectively combines the theory of the new change management with the practical tools that are critical for creating an atmosphere conducive to positive change. The key to change management achieving its stated goals is to include and engage everyone in the process from the very beginning. With everyone in the organization understanding why change is necessary, it is then possible to move along to the next stage of the process. The author shares his proven strategies and techniques for moving the process forward, while ensuring that the real human needs of the employees are considered and taken into account.

Dick Axelrod also includes valuable and illustrative case studies of effective change management, where the book's principles and practices are used to achieve the desired results. Because change management is such a sweeping and holistic function, the need to have everyone included in the process is essential. When all stakeholders understand the larger picture, and see both the challenges and opportunities involved, the change process goes much more smoothly. Through wider participation, more creative ideas are generated, and the level of accountability increases. Dick Axelrod recognizes the core value of positive and fair change, and demonstrates that work and organizations can be developed with change and engagement as central components.

I highly recommend the revolutionary and transformational book Terms of Engagement, Second Edition: New Ways of Leading and Changing Organizations by Richard H. Axelrod, to anyone seeking a better and more effective concept of change management. This book not only points the way to more successful change management, but also provides insights into how to create a more fair process and outcome for everyone involved. The author doesn't simply talk about engagement, but shares a blueprint for turning the idea into a reality and core value in any organization.

Read the essential and important book Terms of Engagement, Second Edition: New Ways of Leading and Changing Organizations by Richard H, Axelrod, and put the concepts of the new change management into effect in your own organization. Instead of change being a source of employee resentment and ultimate organizational failure, this book guides leaders toward a better and more engaged process and future for everyone.

Tags: Terms of Engagement, Second Edition: New Ways of Leading and Changing Organizations, Richard H, Axelrod, change management strategies, business book reviews.

READ MORE - Terms of Engagement, Second Edition by Richard H. Axelrod - Book review