great business speakers

Smart technology has drastically altered how we operate in everyday life, and the workplace is no exception. These technological advancements have contributed significantly to how businesses operate both in the big picture and in day-to-day activities. With smart technology evolving at such a fast pace, what’s in store for the workplace of the future?

In today’s highly competitive, rapidly advancing business climate, there is an increased emphasis on organizational leadership tactics that will drive real results. And this is for good reason. Now, more than ever, business leaders are realizing that the true power in their organization lies within its employees, and creating an environment where they can succeed should be a top priority. For far too long, there has been a misconception that employee morale, motivation, and productivity are inherent traits to each individual. However, this has been shown to be far from the truth. In fact, the leadership approach an organization takes can make or break them. A prime example of a drastic shift based on an new approach to leading change in organizations is the remarkable turnaround story of USS Benfold Captain Mike Abrashoff.

Talking about business disruption is almost becoming a cliché. Upheaval is so prevalent that it’s become the norm. The bigger issue is how to find solid expertise to help you and your organization successfully navigate the different forms of disruption.

A LEADERSHIP SPEAKER LIKE NO OTHER I saw MIKE ABRASHOFF, author of the bestselling leadership book It's Your Ship, speak to a group of state administrators from across the country in Orlando recently. One of the top business speakers, the message from this great leadership expert to the audience was simple: you can’t order excellence. You can tell people what they need to do but they don’t have to invest themselves in it. As a result, there's just no guarantee that things will get done the way they should. Instead, Mike offered a different vision of leadership – one that swaps command and control leadership for commitment and cohesion.

Polly LaBarre - a new innovation model helps Lego innovate like an insurgent

NEW BUSINESS MODELS CREATE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE The most successful companies today are evolving new business models to create starkly new, more fluid relationships with customers, workers, and owners. They’re rethinking the role of capital (as traditionally defined) and finding they can thrive while owning less and less of it. They are creating value in new ways as they reinvent R&D and marketing. And finally, they’re measuring their performance by new metrics because traditional gauges no longer capture what counts.

SUCCESSFUL CHANGE MANAGEMENT: CREDIT UNION EXECS LEARN MAVERICK RULES A month ago former founding member of Fast Company POLLY LaBARRE spoke to an audience of credit union executives in San Diego. They gathered to re-imagine ways to respond to the changes rocking their industry. Polly’s talk gave the audience a maverick manifesto to change the way they go about changing their organizations. The talk was wildly received.

- Worker Productivity Slide - 3 Experts Weigh in with Answers

Creating Breakthrough Performance in a Rules-Based Culture

MOST INNOVATIVE COMPANIES LIST If you haven’t read the cover story for Fast Company this month it’s well worth the time. It’s the World’s Most Innovative Companies issue for 2016. The big news is the startling shake-up – only six companies on the list are holdovers from 2015. That factoid underscores the difficulty of sustaining a competitive advantage with innovation in the face of the overbearing and upending pace of change.