PreparedU. How Innovative Colleges Drive Student Success

We’ve entered a new era. Call it the age of imagination, ideation, conceptualization, creativity, innovation—take your pick. Creativity, mental flexibility, and collaboration have displaced one-dimensional intelligence and isolated determination as core ingredients of competitive advantage. But these 21st century methods and mindsets needed to drive innovation are only found by tapping into the discretionary levels of passion and initiative within us. This is where Out Think leadership comes in. Out Think presents big ideas along with actionable advice to drive unique value and innovation in today’s chaotic marketplace. In each chapter a key idea, behavior, or mindset shift is discussed. The shift is illustrated through proprietary interviews with business leaders conducted by the author. Techniques are described to show how the shift or idea can be implemented, with real-world examples. Assessments, exercises, and actionable messaging are highlighted throughout the book. While some books address the changing economic landscape and the challenges of the creative age, Out Think is unique in the author’s unparalleled access, spanning more than a decade, to executives and thought-leaders who are, in fact, making a measurable difference. Through interviews and collaboration with these individuals, Hunter has assembled insights, stories, and actionable take-aways, with an emphasis on results that can drive the change that leaders want and need in their organizations.

Your business success is now forever linked to the success of your customers Customer Success is the groundbreaking guide to the exciting new model of customer management. Business relationships are fundamentally changing. In the world B.C. (Before Cloud), companies could focus totally on sales and marketing because customers were often 'stuck' after purchasing. Therefore, all of the 'post-sale' experience was a cost center in most companies. In the world A.B. (After Benioff), with granular per-year, per-month or per-use pricing models, cloud deployments and many competitive options, customers now have the power. As such, B2B vendors must deliver success for their clients to achieve success for their own businesses. Customer success teams are being created in companies to quarterback the customer lifecycle and drive adoption, renewals, up-sell and advocacy. The Customer Success philosophy is invading the boardroom and impacting the way CEOs think about their business. Today, Customer Success is the hottest B2B movement since the advent of the subscription business model, and this book is the one-of-a-kind guide that shows you how to make it work in your company. From the initial planning stages through execution, you'll have expert guidance to help you: Understand the context that led to the start of the Customer Success movement Build a Customer Success strategy proven by the most competitive companies in the world Implement an action plan for structuring the Customer Success organization, tiering your customers, and developing the right cross-functional playbooks Customers want products that help them achieve their own business outcomes. By enabling your customers to realize value in your products, you're protecting recurring revenue and creating a customer for life. Customer Success shows you how to kick start your customer-centric revolution, and make it stick for the long term.

Real-world strategies for uncovering potential and capitalizing on opportunity Innovation is worth little unless it generates lasting success, and gaining measurable results from new ideas requires more than creative risk-taking. Successful innovation demands a tactical approach, and Getting Innovation Right reveals how your company can secure real traction and growth in the marketplace. With Seth Kahan's outcome-based approach, based on his experience leading innovation initiatives at a diverse range of organizations, you will identify the inflection points that generate market opportunities for your company and leverage the best techniques for securing a foothold in a lucrative new space. Offers a framework of 7 key activities for results-driven innovation, from intelligence-gathering through execution Goes beyond abstract advice to offer hands-on approaches that are relevant and applicable in any organization The companion and follow-up to Seth Kahan's bestselling first book,Getting Change Right and FastCompany.com blog Leading Change Grounded in market-based reality, Getting Innovation Right is an indispensable resource for leaders looking to drive results and move in fresh directions.

Develop powerful study skills that will last a lifetime! When you have strong study habits, you learn more in class, get more out of your homework, and, best of all, have a much easier time completing any type of assignment. How to Study for Success lets you build those habits and master essential study skills that will help you become a better student. Filled with easy-to-follow advice, this hands-on guide includes 7 Keys to Success that will help you improve your school performance: * Get Ready to Study Now * Get Organized * Make the Most of Class Time * Make the Most of Home Study Time * Make the Most of Homework * Put Your Computer to Good Use * Go the Extra Mile So get ready to improve your school performance-and study for success!

Creating the conditions that foster student success in college has never been more important. As many as four-fifths of high school graduates need some form of postsecondary education to be economically self-sufficient and manage the increasingly complex social, political, and cultural issues of the 21st century. But about 40 percent of those who start college fail to earn a degree within 6 or 8 years, an unacceptably low number. This report examines the complicated array of social, economic, cultural and educational factors related to student success in college, defined as academic achievement, engagement in educationally purposeful activities, satisfaction, acquisition of desired knowledge, skills and competencies, persistence, and attainment of educational objectives. Although the trajectory for academic success in college is established long before students matriculate, most institutions can do more than they are at present to shape how students prepared for college and they they engage in productive activities after they arrive. This is the 5th issue of the 32nd volume of the Jossey-Bass series ASHE Higher Education Report. Each monograph is the definitive analysis of a tough higher education problem, based on thorough research of pertinent literature and institutional experiences. Topics are identified by a national survey. Noted practitioners and scholars are then commissioned to write the reports, with experts providing critical reviews of each manuscript before publication.

An inspiring business book that shows leaders and businesspeople how to turn adversity into innovation, productivity, and profitability When he was just twenty-six years old, Sam Cawthorn's life changed forever. A terrible car accident cost him his arm, left him in a coma, and put him in a wheelchair for the rest of his life—or so he thought. Today, Sam is one of the most successful motivational and inspirational speakers around, addressing some 100,000 people around the world each year, from some of the world’s biggest companies. Sam’s recovery was more than just a bounce back to where he had been before the accident. Instead, he used his accident as a launching pad to bounce forward to reach even greater heights than before. Now, Sam uses his own story to share the secrets of both personal and corporate turnarounds, how to use adversity as a springboard to greater heights not just for individuals, but also for companies and teams. Sam speaks to bankers, salespeople, leaders, corporate executives, government workers, students, and anyone else who faces challenges and setbacks every day. In Bounce Forward, Sam shares the tools, strategies, and psychology that anyone can use to overcome any obstacle. If Sam can bounce forward from the accident that nearly took his life, there's almost nothing that you can't overcome. An inspiring and motivational guide to overcoming challenges in life and in business Ideal for corporate leaders and employees, business managers, and anyone else who needs to motivate themselves or their teams Packed with the tools, strategies, and secret formulas it takes to turn adversity into success No matter what kind of challenge you face—in the office, at home, or even in your own heart—Bounce Forward gives you the insight you need to climb higher than ever before, in business or in life.

Praise for PERSONALIZING 21ST CENTURY EDUCATION «A passionate call-to-action, an inspiring vision, and a practical guide…three seasoned education leaders in the 'establishment' lay out a compelling case for systemic changes to enable personalized education.» —Yong Zhao, PhD, Professor, University of Oregon; author of Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Dragon? Why China has the Best (and Worst) Education System in the World «Creating school environments where students are 'leading their own learning' is a powerful focus of Personalizing 21st Century Education. This compelling yet practical book provides readers with the foundation and motivation to move personalized learning to the top of the agenda!» —Mark Edwards, EdD, Superintendent, Mooresville Graded School District «Personalizing 21st Century Education highlights the need to move from differentiation to personalization in today's classrooms. Equitable opportunities to learn can be realized if we have the courage to dramatically reimagine teaching, assessment, and accountability. This book is a call to action for the dramatic paradigm shift we need in order to serve all learners well.» —Dr. Valerie Truesdale, Chief Technology, Personalization and Engagement Officer, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

Reinvent your company to deliver sustained profitable growth. As performance lags in the midst of economic cycles, many companies turn to magic bullets such as EVA, Kaizen, or Six Sigma. Unfortunately, these initiatives-along with how they're implemented-often deliver only short-term positive impact or cause more pain than the preexisting condition. Returning to competitive health and profitability in the face of economic downturns requires a dynamic realignment of business strategies, organizational design, and talent management. Based on timely research conducted by Axiom Consulting Partners, Shockproof empowers and enables business leaders, owners and managers to make and maintain the necessary connection between strategies and organization to achieve sustainable performance. Create an agile business that can rapidly reinvent itself as business conditions change Foster leadership that knows how to mobilize people to execute and deliver results Build a workforce that is adaptive, inherently innovative, and energized by the rewards of success As priorities change and challenges arise throughout the ebbs and flows of the economic cycle, let Shockproof guide you to reinvent your company and deliver sustained profitable growth in good times and bad.

Drive marketing ROI with an investor's mindset and a proven toolkit Top marketers today don't shy away from financial accountability. In fact, they actively seek to account for the return on their companies' investments in marketing – because they want their budget to make a difference for their brands and for their business: more relevant messages, more effective campaigns, more satisfied customers, more profitable promotions, higher returns to shareholders. If this is how you think about marketing, this book is for you. It is a book for CMOs who adopt an investor's mindset, and it deals with the most pressing marketing performance questions. This isn't a work of theory. This is a hands-on guide to better marketing for top managers, neatly packaged into ten concise chapters that are just right for a short-haul flight. Learn how to: Increase sales with smarter fund allocation Reduce marketing costs without sacrificing effectiveness Strengthen the role of marketing with quantified ROI Build capabilities for sustainable performance improvements Marketing Performance delivers expert insight, a wealth of proven success factors, and real-life case studies that will help you drive marketing performance and grow your business.

Develop the Scaramucci mindset that drives entrepreneurial success Hopping over the Rabbit Hole chronicles the rise, fall, and resurgence of SkyBridge Capital founder Anthony Scaramucci, giving you a primer on how to thrive in an unpredictable business environment. The sheer number of American success stories has created a false impression that becoming an entrepreneur is a can't-miss endeavor—but nothing could be further from the truth. In the real world, an entrepreneur batting .150 goes directly to the Hall of Fame. Things happen. You make a bad hire, a bad strategic decision, or suffer the consequences of an unforeseen market crash. You can't control what happens to your business, but you can absolutely control how you react, and how you turn bumps in the road into ramps to the sky. Anthony Scaramucci has been there and done that, again and again, and has ultimately come out on top; in this book, he shares what he wishes he knew then. Your chances of becoming an overnight billionaire are approximately the same as your chances of being signed to the NBA. Success is hard work, and anxiety, and tiny hiccups that can turn into disaster with a single misstep. This book shows you how to use adversity to your ultimate advantage, and build the skills you need to respond effectively to the unexpected. Learn how to deal with unforeseen events Map a strategic backup plan, and then a backup-backup plan Train yourself to react in the most productive way Internalize the lessons learned by a leader in entrepreneurship For every 23-year-old billionaire who just created a new way to send a picture on a phone, there are countless others who have failed, and failed miserably. Hopping over the Rabbit Hole gives you the skills, insight, and mindset you need to be one of the winners.