The Benevolent Dictator. Empower Your Employees, Build Your Business, and Outwit the Competition

Praise for BrandED «Branding instead of being branded. Defining instead of being defined. Innovative educators must stand up for their ideas and actions instead of being judged and branded by external agencies using standardized measures. Eric Sheninger and Trish Rubin present an excellent guide for educators and education leaders to tell their stories through BrandED.» —Yong Zhao, PhD, Foundation Distinguished Professor, School of Education, University of Kansas and author of Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Dragon? «A great resource for educators who want to strengthen their connections with students, teachers, parents, and the wider community. These two innovative leaders don't just capture how to tell the story of a school—they show how to create it.» —Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Originals and Give and Take «Every day in every one of your schools, great things happen. How does your community know? Schools that are Future Ready boldly engage their community to build relationships and empower both students and families. Powerful yet practical, BrandED is the perfect resource to help your school share its story with the world.» —Thomas C. Murray, Director of Innovation, Future Ready Schools «Eric and Trish demystify what it means to brand one's school by providing eight compelling conversations that not only lead to a deeper understanding of branding, but provide relevant ways for school leaders to frame their work… . In the vast sea of information in which we currently reside, using the BrandED Leadership methods described in this book will help school leaders reach their audiences in ways that create trusting relationships and loyalty.» —Dwight Carter, Principal, New Albany High School «Disruption is the new normal. And the great disruptors of our time are shaping the culture itself in innovative ways. Eric and Trish's book BrandED sends a very compelling message to school leaders that developing and executing a smart, innovative brand strategy can disrupt the best practices' conventions of the existing school system. Like great disruptive brands from Apple to Uber, educators now have the ability to get the community engaged and immersed in the school's brand equity—and BrandED provides the roadmap for getting there.» —Scott Kerr, Executive Director of Strategy and Insights, Time Inc. A brand is built around three key elements: image, promise, and result. The power of a brand to communicate all three elements is undeniable, and in today's digitally connected, social society, schools and school districts have a lot to gain by developing and promoting their own brand identities. BrandED is the groundbreaking guidebook for educators who want to enhance communication with students, parents, and stakeholders to create a transparent record of value. You know great achievements happen at your school. Unfortunately, many of those stories stop at the school doors. This hands-on guide from two rising stars in the education field, Eric Sheninger and Trish Rubin, empowers educators at all levels to take control of how the mission, values, and vision of their schools is communicated. An engaging collection of transformative conversations lead you to discover the opportunities and benefits of designing a brand for your school and sustaining a BrandED community to evangelize it. Even if you have no marketing experience, the easy-to-use framework takes you step by step through the nuances of spreading good news about your school and building relationships around those actions. Timesaving, practical advice prepares you to begin innovating at your school right away, and convenient tips and reflections at the end of each chapter make it easy to integrate the BrandED

Crest the data wave with a deep cultural shift Winning with Data explores the cultural changes big data brings to business, and shows you how to adapt your organization to leverage data to maximum effect. Authors Tomasz Tunguz and Frank Bien draw on extensive background in big data, business intelligence, and business strategy to provide a blueprint for companies looking to move head-on into the data wave. Instrumentation is discussed in detail, but the core of the change is in the culture—this book provides sound guidance on building the type of organizational culture that creates and leverages data daily, in every aspect of the business. Real-world examples illustrate these important concepts at work: you'll learn how data helped Warby-Parker disrupt a $13 billion monopolized market, how ThredUp uses data to process more than 20 thousand items of clothing every day, how Venmo leverages data to build better products, how HubSpot empowers their salespeople to be more productive, and more. From decision making and strategy to shipping and sales, this book shows you how data makes better business. Big data has taken on buzzword status, but there is little real guidance for companies seeking everyday business data solutions. This book takes a deeper look at big data in business, and shows you how to shift internal culture ahead of the curve. Understand the changes a data culture brings to companies Instrument your company for maximum benefit Utilize data to optimize every aspect of your business Improve decision making and transform business strategy Big data is becoming the number-one topic in business, yet no one is asking the right questions. Leveraging the full power of data requires more than good IT—organization-wide buy-in is essential for long-term success. Winning with Data is the expert guide to making data work for your business, and your needs.

Stop being a well-kept secret and start being the go-to choice Your reputation is what people say about you when you're not there. It's your most powerful asset for business growth, career enhancement and freedom of choice in many aspects of life. Yet too many people leave it to chance. They are a well-kept secret – it's not enough to be the best, you have to be seen to be the best. Build Your Reputation will show you how to master the skills of brand-building to develop a powerful profile and a formidable name. You'll learn how to identify your brand and where it fits into the big picture, and then you'll learn how to become the obvious choice for whatever it is you do. Becoming known isn't a matter of chance, nor is it a matter of luck – it's a practical set of highly coachable skills that anyone can learn. Learn how to build credibility, connect with the right people and make your achievements known. Identify and build your personal brand Position yourself strategically for maximum impact Attract the right relationships and the right attention Become the go-to guru for whatever you do The highest-paid people in any company, industry or profession are not necessarily the most qualified, gifted or best. They're the most popular. They are liked, trusted, recommended, chosen, hired and introduced. Build Your Reputation gives you the inside track to the top, with practical wisdom and strategic advice for building your own brand.

If you've been let down by the undelivered promises of marketing, this book is for you. Launch reveals a new way to grow your business that involves focusing on the needs of others, giving gifts, working with outsiders, and restraining your marketing messages. These principles are precisely the opposite of traditional marketing. Yet they work. And they are the future. If you follow the formula outlined in this book, you can attract countless customers and prospects, resulting in amazing business growth. This book will show you how to: Create highly sharable content that meets people's needs Identify and work with outside experts, many of whom will gladly promote your content Attract and retain raving fans that will help your business grow Creatively market and sell to people who will gladly purchase your products and services Launch isn't like other marketing books. Rather than making keen observations about others who’ve achieved success, the ideas and principles in this book were developed, refined, and practiced by the author to great success. Pick up a copy for yourself and one for a friend.

In today's economy, maximizing the performance of every employee is critical to business survival and growth. Gen Y—sometimes called Millennials—provides an enticing opportunity for employers to increase their short-term profitability and create a long-term competitive advantage. Almost 80 million strong, Gen Y is the fastest growing segment in the US workforce—and now comprises the entire 18 to 32 demographic. Along with their ever-present cell phone and occasional backpack, Gen Y brings tremendous potential and timely skills to the workplace (just ask, they’ll tell you). However, Gen Y can be notoriously difficult to attract, retain, motivate, and develop. Gen Y's new approach to work makes them a growing challenge or strategic opportunity—depending entirely on how you choose to employ them. In Y-Size Your Business, Jason Ryan Dorsey, The Gen Y Guy, presents a step-by-step methodology for best employing Gen Y without investing a lot of time or money. A member of Gen Y himself he delivers an insider's view of his generation as well as more than fifty cost-effective, ready-to-use strategies that deliver immediate measurable results. Dorsey collected these creative strategies from the frontlines of business during his work with executives, managers, and entrepreneurs in businesses large and small around the world. He shows you exactly how to attract the best Gen Y employees, quickly develop their workplace skills, and then unlock their performance, motivation, and loyalty. Reveals creative ways to attract, retain, motivate, and develop Gen Y employees without paying them more money (or meeting their Mom) Includes a behind-the-scenes view of Gen Y from someone in Gen Y (including why they text message without vowels) Explains the primary workplace differences between the four generations and how to leverage their strengths Features funny, outrageous, and candid stories that expose the generation gap in the office (Is that a tattoo?) Helps you view the Gen Y employee life cycle and key business operations in a new way—one you can use to your business and career advantage Companies that wisely choose to embrace Gen Y today will be well positioned to navigate the global economy tomorrow. Not only will these companies benefit from the talents and ambitions of Gen Y—they’ll also benefit from Gen Y's increasing economic influence as well as their massive social networks. Based on Dorsey's work with business leaders at companies around the world, as a keynote speaker, consultant, and generational expert, Y-Size Your Business presents precisely the solutions you need to make the most of an increasingly important generation that is ready to make an impact from their first day at work (and then blog about it!).

Scaling a business is not for the faint of heart. It’s a mind-bending journey that causes millions of business owners around the globe to either throw in the towel—or avoid risk entirely and suffer from smallness and mediocrity. Most of these businesses fail because they are ill prepared to face the real challenges involved in scaling. Either they don’t have the bandwidth to keep up with the sales demand or production, miss out on major opportunities due to fear, or keep making the same mistakes over and over because systems and processes aren’t in sync with the rate of growth. To truly scale, you must upsize your strategic practices, implement new marketing strategies, find new ways to build your team, and expand your mindset to break through whatever is keeping you stuck at the same level. Then you must be willing to take the leap into the giant unknown – to make your impossible possible. In Scale or Fail, author Allison Maslan—who has successfully scaled ten companies from scratch and has guided thousands of small businesses to do the same—shares her revolutionary SCALEit Method ® for successfully growing, replicating, and expanding your business. She also shares pivotal mindset strategies she’s used to break the fear barrier as a trapeze artist so you can move past any obstacle, take strategic Big Picture risks, and fulfill your dreams of business expansion and skyrocketing profit. Featuring a wealth of real-life success stories, visual tools, and exercises that are prescriptive and inspirational, Scale or Fail offers proven scaling strategies and a proactive approach to: Create your Big Picture Vision and build a plan to achieve it Produce an ever-flowing stream of cash flow with consistent profits Establish a powerhouse team that functions well without you Become a true leader and feel like you deserve your success Improve systems and processes that facilitate scaling Get past the mental and strategic pitfalls that cause revenue bottlenecks Scale or Fail is adaptable to any type of business—manufacturing, consumer goods, a brick and mortar, a digital service, a wholesaler, a consulting service, and everything in between. Whether you’re six figures and scaling to seven. . . or in the seven figures and scaling to eight or even nine, Scale or Fail provides the roadmap to multiply your business growth—and empower you to soar in the air with the greatest of ease.

An organizational «North Star,» codifying valued behaviors for optimal performance The Culture Engine shows leaders how to create a high performing, values aligned culture through the creation of an organizational constitution. With practical step-by-step guidance, readers learn how to define their organization's culture, delineate the behaviors that contribute to greater performance and greater engagement, and draft a document that codifies those behaviors into a constitution that guides behavior towards an ideal: a safe, inspiring workplace. The discussion focuses on people, including who should be involved at the outset and how to engage employees from start to finish, while examples of effective constitutions provide guidance toward drafting a document that can actualize an organization's potential. Culture drives everything that happens in an organization day to day, including focus, priorities, and the treatment of employees and customers. A great culture drives great performance, and can help attract and retain great talent. But a great culture isn't something that evolves naturally. The Culture Engine is a guide to strategically planning a culture by compiling the company's guiding principles and behaviors into an organizational constitution. Decide which behaviors and attitudes are desired in the organization Secure leader commitment to planning, drafting, and implementing the document Learn the most effective way to socialize the draft statement and get everyone on board Model desired behaviors to boost employee engagement throughout the process Organizational culture is not an amorphous thing – it comes down from the top, inspired and exemplified by the leadership. It can steer a company up or down, keep it on mission or force it off-course. For an organization to fulfill its potential, the culture must be on-point, truly reflecting the heart of the company from leaders to team members across the company. The Culture Engine helps leaders define the playing field, pushing performance to the next level.

Ditch traditional corporate branding to create a powerful, recognizable brand Brand Against the Machine offers proven and actionable steps for companies and entrepreneurs to increase their brand visibility and credibility, and to create an indispensable brand that consumers can relate to, thus becoming life-long customers. Discover the aspirational currency that makes your brand one that people want to be or want to be friends with. Learn how to be real with your audience and make strategic associations to establish credibility. Brand Against the Machine will help you stand out, get noticed, and be remembered. Brand Against the Machine is the blueprint for how to market your brand to attract better clients and stand out from the clutter that is traditional corporate branding and marketing. Instant Positioning Method: How to instantly stand out from the crowd and position yourself as a resource, not just another service provider The 20/60/20 Rule: Why it's important to take a stand and why it's okay to have haters—because it creates a stronger bond with those who love you Ditch your traditional corporate branding and marketing, and exchange it for something memorable. Your customers will thank you for it.

A technology-enabled management philosophy to accelerate your organization Business at the Speed of Now delivers a new real-time management philosophy and system to leaders looking for better results in today's constantly changing market. Companies that inspire and equip employees and expect them to seize opportunities and solve problems in the now will enjoy a distinct competitive advantage in a world where speed matters most. Get systematic advice on how to build an integrated and transparent management system, enabled by cloud computing and internal social networks. Use this comprehensive guide to create a NOW organization where everyone boldly pursues every opportunity every time. The vast majority of businesses cling to a THEN management model and philosophy designed to prevent immediate action. In this practical handbook, you'll learn how to apply technology to the three essential types of work: Fundamentals (routine work that consumes 95 percent of all resources), Breakthroughs (initiatives that can change the game), and Problems (daily challenges and crises that occur in all organizations). Provides a wealth of real-world examples, assessments, tools, guidelines, and checklists that enable readers to apply the concepts immediately Offers practical tools for building accountability and transparency into every position, thereby eliminating the loose ends that so often cause business execution to stumble Presents the groundbreaking insights of John Bernard, an expert on management theory and practice, the use of social media inside the organization, and the modern workforce, whose company, Mass Ingenuity, consults around the world and develops Web-based tools to support real-time management Set your organization free from the old THEN management ways that no longer get the results you need. Adopt the new NOW management thinking and the state-of-the-art tools that will get your organization doing business at the speed of now.