great business speakers

It was a beautiful Tuesday morning. Before I left for work, I remember marveling with my wife Joanna about the amazing blue sky and crisp fall air – the muggy Washington, D.C. summer seemed finally behind us. We talked about it being a “perfect morning” as I got into my car and headed for work on Tuesday, September 11, 2001.

GEOFF COLVIN of Fortune has devoted his remarkable career covering the biggest stories in business. In recent years Geoff's focus has been chronicling the disruptive forces shaping the business landscape and how leaders are navigating them. From his work, Geoff says one thing is abundantly clear "the big difference between winners and also-rans in healthcare is that top leaders and companies confront the realities they’re facing faster than the competition."

REPORTERS HAVE THE BEST JOBS IN THE WORLD "If someone came from Mars and spent a year traveling in the United States, and went back to Mars and was asked, Who has the best jobs? The answer would likely be the reporters. Because reporters necessarily spend their days asking questions about what is important. What is happening? What are people talking about? What is truly on their minds? What does it mean? What is hidden? What don't we understand? How can we better understand? Who should we talk to? Where should we go? What should we read? What should we study? What is the impact? Never once in 48 years at The Washington Post, did I ever hear an editor say, Go find something routine. Something boring. Reporters ordinarily don't do the routine. We also get to make momentary entry into peoples' lives when they are engaged in the big issues and conflicts. And we then are able to get out of their lives when they are no longer engaged. A lawyer or doctor, for example, is often saddled with clients and patients who have routine, cookie-cutter problems. They can get stuck. The investigative journalist shouldn't get stuck but gets to move on. As Howard Simons, the great managing editor of the Post during Watergate, often said, find a subject on which the sun is rising, not setting. Search for the rising sun.” – Bob Woodward

As entertaining in the broadcast booth as he is a keynote speaker "Bill Walton is a national treasure," read one headline. "Walton was tapped for color commentary in Friday night’s White Sox broadcast and it was a treat for the senses," it went on to say. The Chicago White Sox tried an experiment in the broadcast booth last weekend. Regular announcer Steve Stone was taking the weekend off and the team paired Jason Benetti with four guest broadcasters, one of which was basketball legend BILL WALTON. The decision was inspired because Bill Walton lit up the online universe - becoming the #1 trending topic on Twitter that evening. Walton preceded his trip (no pun intended) to the broadcast booth with a pre-game talk to the team about the challenges of playing professional sports. It was uplifting advice from an icon who knows a thing or two on the ups and downs of a pro sports career. Bill then ambled up to the White Sox booth on the 50th anniversary of Woodstock, wearing extremely bright Sox branded tie dyed t-shirts with a mindset to match. Benetti knew the kind of evening he was in for, having worked with Walton at the Maui Invitational Basketball Tournament for ESPN in the past. He gave Bill lots of room to be Bill. With that the evening began and the headlines after the game said it all:

This is not a blog about politics. It’s about how journalism has changed. August 8th was the 45th anniversary of the resignation of President Richard Nixon. That resignation was prompted by revelations of Oval Office criminality associated with the Watergate break-in, a story first reported by BOB WOODWARD and Carl Bernstein of The Washington Post. The anniversary prompted me to watch All the Presidents Men on Netflix.

Your zip code may be the most important factor determining your economic future. So says a report released this month by the McKinsey Global Institute. Below is a link to that study and three other articles/reports worthy of your time on important trends that will impact you and your business/profession. I found them compelling and I think you will too. D’Amelio Network manages experts who speak on these issues and more. In fact, our GEOFF COLVIN of Fortune wrote two of the pieces cited below. Please think of us the next time the need for a speaker arises. It would be a pleasure to put our experts' insights and experience to work for you. --Tony D'Amelio

“Financial markets send messages. One of the great lessons over three decades of work is learning how to heed those messages. What I love about speaking is to share those lessons with audiences so they may be forewarned and forearmed as to future economic, political and geopolitical events.” --RON INSANA Ron Insana was a trailblazer; among the first group of financial journalists who launched the Financial News Network (FNN) in 1984. When FNN merged with CNBC in 1991, Ron continued to cover the most important stories affecting the financial markets as an anchor and correspondent on CNBC and on other NBC news outlets. In the process, he became one of the most visible reporters broadcasting financial news. During his broadcasting career, Ron has received numerous honors for his work. He was named one of the "Top 100 Business News Journalists of the 20th Century" and was nominated for a news and documentary Emmy Award for his role in NBC's coverage of the 9/11 terrorist attack. Currently a senior analyst and commentator for CNBC, Ron also hosts The Market Score Board Report, a thrice-daily nationally syndicated radio program. He is also currently senior adviser at Schroders Investment Management.

BEFORE WE GET INTO THE SERIOUS STUFF - I received an email from GEOFF COLVIN of Fortune this week that said “For Christmas, my mother signed me up for 23 and Me DNA testing. The company surveys its customers on zillions of things (When do you get up in the morning? Do you like asparagus?) and then correlates the results with people's DNA. I just received an email from the company with a link to a new report based on my DNA: Geoff, based on your genetics and other factors, you are less likely to have a fear of public speaking.” “I’m relieved,” I replied! When it comes to speaking before audiences at top events around the world - something Geoff does with ease and quite frequently - the mountain of cover stories, columns, and feature articles he has written for Fortune are a window on the sheer breadth of expertise and insights he brings to audiences. I’ve listed links below to some notable articles by Geoff in Fortune. Some truly outstanding reporting that is designed to help leaders of all stripes be informed about the technological, economic, political, and market forces disrupting the business landscape. Even better - Geoff's pipeline to top business leaders gives him the chance to explain what they're doing right now to adapt to the disruption and win.

The Boeing 737 Max problem is a case study in crisis leadership, and though it’s still playing out, we can already say it’s unlikely to be remembered as a model of how to do it. Three errors stand out.

Hardiness and the Courage To Lead How do great leaders find courage in defining moments, while most people don’t? That's the essence of leadership and the question has intrigued GEOFF COLVIN for years and led him to spearhead Fortune’s effort to create a different kind of top leaders list in 2014. Last week, Fortune announced the sixth annual World’s Greatest Leaders for 2019. As in the past, this year's list has some names you’ll know and many more that you won’t; but they all share a common leadership trait: “Great leaders never know for sure if their plans will work, but they plunge ahead anyway,” says Geoff. “That’s why we recognize sheer audacity, well-intended, even if the results aren’t known and even if the plans aren’t universally applauded.”