great business speakers

The World’s 50 Greatest Leaders issue from Fortune just hit the newsstands this week. Senior editor-at-large GEOFF COLVIN again spearheaded the annual effort.

“You know how to ‘take’ the reservation – but you don’t know how to ‘hold’ the reservation – and that’s really the most important part of the reservation.” – Jerry Seinfeld If you are a Seinfeld fan, you might remember this great scene from the episode where a car rental agent tells Jerry that she doesn’t have a car for him, even though he has a reservation. (here’s a link to the 36-second excerpt that says it all)

This story is so good I had to share.

My new year started with an email from my bank asking about suspicious activity on my credit card. When I went online and checked, sure enough – I had not made the purchases they were asking about. Happy New Year! A great way to start 2015 with my primary credit card deactivated.

Happy New Year!

POLLY LaBARRE, co-founder of The MIX (Management Innovation eXchange) with Gary Hamel, will have a busy week hosting The MIXMashup in New York City starting on Tuesday, November 18.

There are times when a conversation is better than a speech.

“The way people buy has changed – and the rules to engage them have, too. Seller beware – if you want to grow business and generate attention for your products or services, you ignore this trend at your own risk.” – David Meerman Scott

There’s a huge regional state fair over the Massachusetts border from Connecticut where I live. It’s called the Eastern States Exposition. It’s a three week affair that finished its run in late September. I’ve been going to it since i was a kid.

The typical dinner event schedule goes something like this: reception, dinner and then the featured speaker goes on at the end of the evening.