John Kotter

John Kotter, is widely regarded as the world’s foremost authority on leadership and change.  His is the premier voice on how the best organizations actually “do” change.

In his newest work, A Sense of Urgency, Kotter shows what a true sense of urgency in an organization really is, why it is becoming an exceptionally important asset, and how it can be created and sustained within organizations.

Professor Kotter is the author of seventeen books, a collection that has given him more honors and awards than any other writer on the topics of leadership and change.  In fact, his books are in the top 1% of sales from Amazon.com.

John Kotter’s international bestseller Leading Change, which outlined an actionable, eight-step process for implementing successful transformations, has become the change bible for managers around the world. Our Iceberg Is Melting, the New York Times bestseller, puts the eight-step process within an allegory, making it accessible to the broad range of people needed to effect major organizational transformations.  Professor Kotter often talks to groups and has only one goal: to motivate action that gets better results.

John Kotter’s articles in The Harvard Business Review over the past twenty years have sold more reprints than any of the hundreds of distinguished authors who have written for that publication during the same time period.

Professor Kotter’s honors include an Exxon Award for Innovation in Graduate Business School Curriculum Design, and a Johnson, Smith & Knisely Award for New Perspectives in Business Leadership. In 2003, a video version of a story from his book, The Heart of Change won a Telly Award. In 2006, Kotter received the prestigious McFeely Award for “outstanding contributions to leadership and management development.” In 2007, his video “Succeeding in a Changing World” was named best video training product of the year by Training Media Review and also won a Telly Award.

John Kotter lives in Cambridge Massachusetts and Ashland, New Hampshire.

Dr. Spencer Johnson

Dr. Spencer Johnson is one of the world’s most respected thinkers and beloved authors. He is often referred to as “the best there is at taking complex subjects and presenting simple solutions that work.”

You might recognize Dr. Johnson from his bestselling books, Who Moved My Cheese?®, An A-Mazing Way to Deal with Change and  The One Minute Manager®.  His newest book, Peaks And Valleys: Making Good And Bad Times Work For You, is being hailed as “the right book at the right time.” His books reveal universal principles that can be used by people in every culture in every part of the world.

Dr. Johnson earned a B.A. degree in Psychology from the University of Southern California, an M.D. degree from the Royal College of Surgeons, and medical clerkships at The Mayo Clinic and Harvard Medical School.

He has served as Medical Director of Communications for Medtronic, the original innovators of cardiac pacemakers; Research Physician at the Institute for Inter-Disciplinary Studies, a medical-social think tank; Consultant to the Center for the Study of the Person, and to the School of Medicine, University of California and Leadership Fellow at the Harvard Business School. He is currently an Advisor to the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

His work has captured the attention of major media, including The Associated Press, the BBC, CNN, Fortune, the New York Times, the Today show, Time magazine, USA Today, and United Press International.

Greg Hicks

Greg Hicks is an internationally recognized pioneer in the field of happiness.  Along with his business partner, Rick Foster, their extensive and acclaimed research has taken them to six continents where they spent years interviewing people who are thriving and happy, even under the most adverse circumstances. Their early findings culminated into a  system of nine choices, which are continually being studied by mind-body researchers at leading institutions, including The Mayo Clinic.

Greg and Rick’s first book, How We Choose to Be Happy, became an immediate national bestseller and has been on bestseller lists ever since. Hicks went on to write LeaderShock — And How to Triumph Over It, which revealed a new brand of behavioral leadership.  It was chosen as the #2 Best Business Book of 2003 by Amazon.

In their newest book, Happiness & Health, they present the first practical guide to the new science of positive emotions and how anyone can choose thoughts and behaviors that enhance our brain function, pump up our immune systems, and bring vitality to our lives.

With a reputation for dynamic and transformational presentations on health, happiness, leadership and team productivity, Greg has taught the Brilliant Health program to over 10,000 doctors and nurses, to patients battling serious illness, and to countless others in organizations such as G.E., Mercedes-Benz, Wells Fargo, and AXA-Financial and are on the faculty of the Health Research and Educational Trust Fellowship programs.

Hicks and Foster are often sought out by the media for their advice and have appeared on numerous national T.V. and radio shows and featured in such magazines as Health, Fitness, Self, Good Housekeeping, Fit, Working Mother, Redbook, Cosmopolitan, and Readers’ Digest.

Barry Schwartz

Barry Schwartz explores the social and psychological effects of free-market economic institutions on moral, social, and civic concerns. In his book, The Costs of Living: How Market Freedom Erodes the Best Things in Life, Schwartz finds that market values undermine morals and community-building.

His more recent work, The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less is More, examines the often-paralyzing effects on consumers of a marketplace offering a bewildering array of choices.  He  explains at what point choice (the hallmark of individual freedom and self-determination that we so cherish) becomes detrimental to our psychological and emotional well-being.

In accessible, engaging, and anecdotal prose, Schwartz shows how the dramatic explosion in choice – from the mundane to the profound challenges of balancing career, family, and individual needs – has paradoxically become a problem instead of a solution.  By synthesizing current research in the social sciences, Schwartz makes the counter-intuitive case that eliminating choices can greatly reduce the stress, anxiety, and busyness of our lives.

Schwartz, who received his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1971, has been awarded several grants by the National Science Foundation over the last three decades.  In addition, he is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and the American Psychological Society, and a Fellow of the American Psychological Association.

Paul Zane Pilzer

Paul Zane Pilzer is a world-renowned economist, a multimillionaire software entrepreneur, an adjunct professor, and the author of eight best-selling books and dozens of scholarly publications.

Pilzer completed Lehigh University in three years and received his MBA from Wharton in 15 months at age 22. He became Citibank’s youngest officer at age 22 and its youngest vice president at age 25. At age 24, he was appointed adjunct professor at New York University, where he taught for 21 consecutive years.

Over the past 30 years, Pilzer has started and/or taken public, five companies in the areas of software, education and healthcare. He is the Founder of Zane Benefits, Inc. and Extend Health, Inc., the nation’s two leading suppliers of individualized health benefits to corporate America.

He was an appointed economic adviser in two presidential administrations and warned of the impending $200 billion savings and loan crisis years before official Washington was willing to listen—a story that he later shared in Other People’s Money, which was critically acclaimed by The New York Times and The Economist magazine.

Pilzer is a prolific author, and in one of his most recent books, The New Health Insurance Solution he sets forth a bold new direction for U.S. health insurance and explains how individuals can now get affordable health insurance independent of their employer.  This book also explains how employers can end their health insurance nightmare while still being able to hire great employees by providing the same health benefits for less than half the cost they are paying today.

Jeffrey Pfeffer

Jeffrey Pfeffer is the Thomas D. Dee II Professor of Organizational Behavior at the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University, where he has taught since 1979.

Pfeffer has published extensively in the fields of organization theory and human resource management. His current research focuses on the relationship between time and money, power and leadership in organizations, economics language and assumptions and their effects on management practice, how social science theories become self-fulfilling, barriers to turning knowledge into action and how to overcome them, and evidence-based management and what it is, barriers to its use, and how to implement it.  Pfeffer’s latest book, tentatively entitled Power Rules: An Organizational Survival Guide, will be published in early 2010 by HarperCollins.

Pfeffer currently serves on the board of directors of the for-profit company Audible Magic as well as nonprofits, Quantum Leap Healthcare and The San Francisco Playhouse. Pfeffer has presented seminars in 34 countries throughout the world as well as doing consulting and providing executive education for numerous companies, associations, and universities in the United States.

Brian Tracy

Brian Tracy is Chairman and CEO of Brian Tracy International, a company specializing in the training and development of individuals and organizations.

Brian’s goal is to help you achieve your personal and business goals faster and easier than you ever imagined.

Brian Tracy has consulted for more than 1,000 companies and addressed more than 4,000,000 people in 4,000 talks and seminars throughout the US, Canada and 40 other countries worldwide. As a Keynote speaker and seminar leader, he addresses more than 250,000 people each year.

He has studied, researched, written and spoken for 30 years in the fields of economics, history, business, philosophy and psychology. He is the top selling author of over 45 books that have been translated into dozens of languages.

He has written and produced more than 300 audio and video learning programs, including the worldwide, best-selling Psychology of Achievement, which has been translated into more than 20 languages.

He speaks to corporate and public audiences on the subjects of Personal and Professional Development, including the executives and staff of many of America’s largest corporations. His exciting talks and seminars on Leadership, Selling, Self-Esteem, Goals, Strategy, Creativity and Success Psychology bring about immediate changes and long-term results.

He has traveled and worked in over 80 countries on six continents, and speaks four languages. Brian is happily married and has four children. He is active in community and national affairs, and is the President of three companies headquartered in Solana Beach, California.

Brian is also the President of Brian Tracy University, a private on-line University for sales and entrepreneurship.

Fran Tarkenton

Fran Tarkenton played in the NFL for eighteen seasons and has founded and built twelve highly successful companies. A consultant to numerous Fortune 500 firms, he lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

Drawing on his experience as a top entrepreneur, and displaying the energy and grit that saw him through dozens of professional ups and downs, Football Hall of Famer, Fran Tarkenton presents field-tested guidelines that anyone starting a business will value. Offering inspiration, insight, and practical know-how, he shows you how to:

Build victories and knowledge upon mistakes and failures

Take wise risks without gambling

Create value in personal and professional life by building trusting relationships

Think like “All-Star Outside-the-Box” thinkers, such as his friends Ted Turner and the late Sam Walton

Choose heroes and develop “magnificent obsessions”

Practice leadership and employ teamwork to accomplish all your goals

Fran wrote the book, What Losing Taught Me About Winning: The Ultimate Guide for Success in Small and Home-Based Business, which illustrates key steps to small business success with real-life experiences.  Distinguished by Tarkenton’s finely tuned business acumen, his book gives you all the guidance you need to make the most of your entrepreneurial ventures, whether you’re just starting out or facing new challenges.

Sam Deep

Sam Deep launched his speaking career in 1986 after 15 years of teaching and administration at the University of Pittsburgh. Since then, he has spoken in front of over 100,000 people, his internationally published books have sold over 1,000,000 copies, and his last four audio tapes have been featured on USAir’s EntertainAir.

When Dennis Waitley said that Sam’s books brilliantly cut straight through to the core values and actions that produce results, he was referring to Smart Moves (now in fourteen printings and thirteen languages), What to Say to Get What You Want, Yes You Can!, Smart Moves for People in Charge, Power Tools, Close the Deal, Act On It! and his latest, Lost & Found.

Sam’s ideas about management have been quoted in newspapers and magazines throughout the country as well as on CNN-FN, CNBC, and WGN radio Chicago. On top of his consulting practice, he is an adjunct professor of leadership at the Tepper Scholl of Business of Carnegie Mellon University. For five years he hosted “Following the Leader” a weekly radio program in Pittsburgh that focuses on Jesus of Nazareth as a role model for organizational leadership.

Some of Sam’s clients include Alcoa, American Institute of Banking, Bayer Corporation, Carnegie Mellon University, Hallmark Cards, Heinz USA, International Customer Service Association, Mellon Bank, Merck, New York University, OfficeMax, PNC Bank, PPG Industries, Pittsburgh Symphony, Veterans Administration, and Westinghouse, as well as many more.

Dan Millman

Dan Millman is a former world champion athlete, university coach, martial arts instructor, and college professor.

After an intensive, twenty-year spiritual quest, Dan’s teaching found its form as the Peaceful Warrior’s Way, expressed fully in his books and lectures. His work continues to evolve over time, to meet the needs of a changing world.

Dan’s thirteen books, including “Way of the Peaceful Warrior” have inspired and informed millions of readers in 29 languages worldwide.

Much of Dan’s time is devoted to writing and speaking. His keynotes, seminars, and workshops span the generations to influence men and women from all walks of life, including leaders in the fields of health, psychology, education, business, politics, sports, entertainment, and the arts.

Dan has been asked by many of his readers which of his books is his favorite.  He answers, “That’s like asking a parent which of his children are his favorite-impossible for me to answer, since each “child” is special. However, “The Laws of Spirit” is especially close to my heart for its pithy wisdom. In a sense, this little book provides the solutions to any of life’s dilemmas.”

Dan and his wife Joy live in northern California. They have three grown daughters and two grandsons so far.

Kathy Kolbe

Kathy Kolbe, an entrepreneur, educator and best-selling author, pioneered the identification of a distinct cluster of human behaviors that led to breakthroughs in the understanding and use of innate abilities. As the leading authority on human instincts, Kolbe has amassed over 500,000 case studies to validate her discoveries in the field of instinct and human behavior. Her research – spanning four decades and six continents – represents the foremost body of work within the realm of the conative dimension of the mind.

Kolbe has worked with Fortune 500 companies, business executives, government leaders, universities, and professional sports teams to maximize performance potential by using instinctive talents.

Her first book, “The Conative Connection“, shook the foundations of conventional wisdom regarding the mind by identifying its third and most elusive dimension: the conative. The book recounts Kolbe’s steps in putting together the puzzle of striving instincts and the development of her methodology for building upon individuals’ innate strengths. The Conative Connection became a best seller and its success fueled Kolbe’s commitment to a lifetime of casework to support her breakthrough theories. Pure Instinct, Kolbe’s business book published by Random House, details her experience with high performers in the corporate arena and her techniques for helping them to maximize their potential.

Her most recent book,”Powered by Instinct: 5 Rules for Trusting Your Guts“, serves as an individual’s guide to increase personal productivity and well-being by learning to unlock the power of their own authentic, creative self.

Michael Masterson

Michael Masterson is not your typical businessman. An ex Peace Corps volunteer, he never took a class in business, doesn’t read the business press, and doesn’t like to talk business. He spends his spare time writing poetry, collecting fine art, and practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. His neighbors call him a bohemian. But he’s also an entrepreneur. He started his first business when he was 11 years old, and in the 45 years that have elapsed since then, he has started or co-started dozens of successful businesses – public and private … local and international … retail, wholesale, and direct mail.

His entrepreneurial experience is immense, even compared to other successful entrepreneurs. At one time or another, he has run or consulted for countless multimillion-dollar businesses as diverse as information publishing, fine art sales, baby products, perfumes and cosmetics to name just a few.

Richard Schefren, founder of the business coaching company Strategic Profits, says, “I consult with all of the best-known entrepreneurs in the world, and I’ve never known anyone who has been in more different sorts of successful businesses than has Michael Masterson.”

The primary focus of his business life these days, however, is split between real estate  and consulting for his primary client,  Agora Inc., a $300 million, Baltimore-based publisher of information products with offices in England, France, Spain, Germany, South Africa, and Australia. “It’s an honor to be associated with Bill Bonner (Agora’s founder and CEO) and this company,” Michael says. “And a pleasure to have been part of its growth.”

Notwithstanding clandestine luncheons that erupt into new multimillion-dollar ventures, Michael insists that he has been spending most of his time teaching and writing since he retired, for the second time, when he turned 50.“I have wanted to be a writer since my father complimented me on the first poem I wrote.

His non-fiction books include Seven Years to Seven Figures: The Fast-Track Plan to Becoming a Millionaire, Automatic Wealth for Grads…and Anyone Else Just Starting Out, Automatic Wealth: The Six Steps to Financial Independence, Power and Persuasion: How to Command Success in Business and Your Personal Life, and Confessions of a Self-Made Millionaire.

Josh Waitzkin

Josh Waitzkin first caught a glimpse of a chess set while 6 years old and walking with his mother in New York City’s Washington Square Park. He was going to play on the monkey bars, and instead he fell in love with the art that would dominate much of his young life. Josh’s first teachers were down and out hustlers–street virtuosos who took Josh under their wings and cleaned up their acts when their protégé came to play. The park guys taught Josh their aggressive, intuitive style of competition, which would remain his trademark for years to come. At age 7, Josh began his classical study of the game with his first formal teacher, Bruce Pandolfini.

From age 9 on Josh dominated the US scholastic chess scene. He won the National Primary Championship in 1986, the National Junior High Championship in 1988 while in the fifth grade, and the National Elementary Championship in 1989. At the age of eleven, he drew a game with World Champion Garry Kasparov in a simultaneous exhibition.

At age 13, Josh earned the title of National Master. He won the National Junior High Championship for the second time in 1990, and the Senior High Championship in 1991, as well as the U.S. Cadet Championship (under-sixteen). Between the 3rd and 9th grades, Josh also led New York City’s Dalton School to win 6 National team championships.

In 1993 Paramount Pictures released the film, “Searching for Bobby Fischer“, based on the highly acclaimed book of the same title written by Fred Waitzkin, documenting Josh’s journey to winning his first National Championship. That same year, at 16, Josh became an International Master and the U.S. Junior (Under-21) Co-Champion. In 1994 he won the U.S. Junior Championship and placed fourth in the Under-18 World Championship.

In addition to his intense chess life, Josh is also a gifted athlete deeply involved in the study of the martial arts Tai Chi Chuan and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Josh began studying Tai Chi Chuan with Grandmaster William CC Chen in the fall of 1998. He was drawn into the art by his love for eastern philosophy and by the desire to begin a learning process anew, as a total beginner, away from the spotlight that constantly followed his chess career. In William CC Chen, Josh found the teacher that he had always searched for, “A great master with the humility and generosity that true ‘Quality’ is all about.”

In addition to Josh’s intense competitive life, he is a renowned writer and teacher in the fields of learning and performance psychology. In 1993 When Josh was 18, Simon and Schuster published Josh’s first book, “Attacking Chess.” Now a staple in any chess player or fan’s library, Josh’s youthful book combines autobiographical anecdotes with the strategies that propelled him to the top of the scholastic chess world.

Josh’s recently published, “The Art of Learning“, which is part autobiography, part chess memoir, part martial arts philosophy. Essentially, Waitzkin offers his own approach to becoming a student and applying certain disciplines and habits toward learning and eventually mastering any skill.