Entreprenurial Leadership: 2008

Monday, December 1, 2008

The Entrepreneur's Guide to Successful Leadership

Dan Goldberg, Don Martin
Book Code: C35288
ISBN: 0-313-35288-7
Praeger Publishers
Publication: 10/30/2008
List Price: $39.95 (UK Sterling Price: £22.95)
Availability: In Stock

Description: It's one thing to come up with a good business idea, and quite another to marshal the people, money, and other resources entrepreneurs need to make the dream a successful reality. That's why most businesses fail within the first two years. The Entrepreneur's Guide to Successful Leadership helps budding moguls make it out of the toddler phase of entrepreneurship and into adolescence and adulthood with confidence. A concise and practical guide to leading smaller enterprises, the book is based on a proven, nine-step model of effective leadership developed by Dan Goldberg--the founder of the For Eyes optical chain--and entrepreneur and educator Don Martin. Step by step, readers learn what real leadership looks like and how to lead and grow the successful enterprise. Creating a vibrant business starts with understanding who you are, say the authors, and then coming up with a vision, mission, and strategy. That's the easy part. The hard part is to execute the strategy in line with your dreams, while using effective, ethical tactics to establish the business and prosper. Seasoned hands, the authors make that job easier, while helping entrepreneurs understand what makes employees tick and helping them become their productive best. The hard work not only gets easier, say the authors--it pays off as entrepreneurs watch their fledgling businesses take graceful flight. This book is a treasure chest that provides key insights and methods in the form of real-life stories, humor, strategies, techniques, exercises, checklists, templates, and other resources. Each illustrates in a unique way how good leaders achieve powerful results. Many books on leadership are gimmicky. The Entrepreneur's Guide to Successful Leadership focuses--in clear, simple, and direct terms--on the essential fundamentals, the "blocking and tackling," required for business success.

• Endorsement From Stephen J. Andriole, Ph.D.,
Thomas G. Labrecque Professor of Business,
Villanova School of Business: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Successful Leadership is the handbook for start-up leaders. It is a comprehensive analysis of what it takes to lead young companies through their childhoods into adolescence. Dan Goldberg and Don Martin focus on the entrepreneur from the inside out. The focus on personal skills, motivations, values and ethics-as well as the realistic focus on mistakes that entrepreneurs often make-combine to make this book a must read for budding or serial entrepreneurs. Ultimately, the book helps entrepreneurs understand what they need to know about themselves-and their partners-to make their businesses successful. All in all, an incredible resource for those obsessed with founding or growing companies.
• Endorsement From Chris DiCostanzo,
President and CEO Songbird Hearing, Inc: This quintessential guide to help entrepreneurs take their businesses to new heights. This book spells out the process for growing a business in a concise and user friendly manner. Whether you're just starting out or well on the road to growing a successful enterprise, this book is a must read.
• Endorsement From John W. Goldschmidt, Jr.,
Chairman, Intellectual Property Group
Dilworth Paxson LLP: A great resource for any entrepreneur who wants to start a new business or take their existing business to higher levels. Dan Goldberg and Don Martin walk the walk and talk the talk. This book is different than most works on the subject because Dan and Don have actually done, and continue to do, what they write about. Presented in plain language, it's an easy to read, enjoyable book packed with information and guidance that entrepreneurs can put to immediate use.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO http://www.greenwood.com/catalog/C35288.aspx

Click here to view BCTV Video- Don and Ernie

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Leadership Tips on Dealing with Tough Times

by Dan Goldberg

Back in May when I originally wrote this article, little did I realize how tough times would get.
Effective leaders steer through the waters of commerce, leading their legions by example. The first thing leaders must do is take an inventory of their own strengths and weaknesses. Following those realizations, they should then surround themselves with complementing individuals who will add to their strengths and help eliminate their weaknesses.
During these trying times it is essential to stay focused on your goals. It is imperative that your goals be realistic and reachable. Assessing the steps necessary to reach your objectives can lead you to understand that breaking down larger goals in more manageable and smaller ones may be the trick to keeping you and your employees’ morale and energy up while lessening feelings of anxiety.

Leaders who build teams and give them the power to function on their own (within the framework of the organization) should find themselves on the road to success.
During tougher economic times an organization that is run by a leader who has taken the initiative to add individuals who understand the values, mission, philosophy, and ethics of their enterprise will find that most of their team will hunker down and be on board regardless of the situation. That’s the purpose of finding like valued people. This does not mean that the leader should look for people who believe in the same methods of distribution, marketing techniques, and production systems, etc., because that can lead to stagnation and lack of creativity. What it does mean is that everyone is on board when it comes to the reason that the organization exists and what it strives to do. In my book “Lighten Up and Lead,” available through, www.dangoldberg.com, AuthorHouse, or Amazon, I address this subject in more depth in the Management Section.

One way to mitigate the possibility of having weak value links in the organization’s management chain is to ask open-ended situational questions during interviews or evaluations. These questions can address the person’s reactions to downturns in the economy and what they might be willing to do for the company.

While most interviews entail situational questions, they rarely pose problems about the possibility of a corporation’s reversal of fortune during low or no economic growth periods. An effective leader can spot people who may have the fortitude to tough it out and/or come up with solutions to stave off deeper problems and perhaps even come up with ideas to turn revenues around.

Leadership is about having the ability to see the entire landscape and recognize who and what is necessary to keep the organization moving forward. Choosing the right people (not just individuals who have the skills to perform, but also the values to perform in the interests of the company) and getting them to do what the leader wants them to do because they want to do it, is a way to ensure that everyone is committed to the company even when times are tough.
And don’t forget that creating an atmosphere that incorporates some levity, especially during downturns, is a good way to relieve stress. In the newly published book I co-authored with Don Martin, “The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Successful Leadership,” we discuss different methods for dealing with growth in our nine-step process. The book is also available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble or Praeger.

While the strategy may become a bit tightened during tougher times the methodology will basically stay the same. It is important to be able to re-evaluate or shift spending priorities without stripping away the essentials to allow your business to function effectively when the economy hit stretches like we are currently experiencing. Listening to your clients and prospects now is as critical as ever.

On my podcast site I have recorded a sales process that I developed titled, “The Six Sales To Solid Sales Success."™ If you take the time to listen to it, start with Step 1. You may find that it will help you and your sales team accomplish some of the sales and revenue objectives you’ve set for your organization and keep you on a path towards maintaining productivity and perhaps even growing during these challenging times.

The Institute for Effective Leadership

Professional Profile - Donald L. Martin

Don Martin is a regionally recognized author, business developer, mentor, public speaker and master salesman. Don co-wrote with Dan Goldberg , The Entrepreneurs Guide to Successful Leadership published by Praeger
(an imprint of Greenwood Publishing), which was released in the Fall of 2008. Don is a Director& Senior Fellow at The Institute for Effective Leadership

He was the founder and former owner of Learning Resources Technical Training Consultants, Inc. (LRTTC) and Partners In Change Inc., both highly successful companies in training and organizational development. In both companies, he took clients to the cutting edge of training and organizational development methodologies at a production level. LRTTC’s team building project for the Saturn Corporation achieved the fastest plant turnaround in General Motors history and saved $45 million for the automaker.

He has successfully designed, developed and delivered a nationally recognized learning program for small business. In May of 2007, he was recognized for his work by the administrator of the United States Small Business Administration at a Summit on Technology. As Program Manager of Learning Resources for the Kutztown University Small Business Development Center, he has made them a leader in the field of on-line learning and has developed programs that encompass the full range of entrepreneurs.

Don is a graduate of West Chester University with a Bachelor’s Degree in the Social Sciences and holds a Masters Degree in Education from Pennsylvania State University. He has received many awards from both business and civic groups. Don’s experience and dedication to making a difference in the lives of all the people with whom he connects and the organizations or companies he mentors helps them to achieve their goals and reach their objectives.

Professional Profile - Bud Batcher

J. A. Batcher, III, has over thirty years experience in growing the sales of small, medium and large companies. He earned a B.S. degree in Experimental Psychology and an MBA in Marketing from the University of Pittsburgh. While attending graduate school, Mr. Batcher formed a small business consulting company that later became a university service to the community and a continuing part of the graduate curriculum.
His experience areas include:
Business Planning
Competitive Brand Positioning
Management Development
Marketing Planning
New Product Launch
Strategic Sales Management
Mr. Batcher served as Vice President of Marketing and Executive Committee principal for a global manufacturer of rolling bearings and has held senior management positions with TRW, Firestone Tire and Rubber, and Gulf Oil Company. He was Director of Sales and Marketing with Rollway Bearings and a member of Sun Oil Company’s first Corporate Planning Department. Concurrent to his corporate career, he acquired a fast food restaurant and used aggressive marketing techniques to increase revenues six-fold over six years.
As Vice President of Marketing, Mr. Batcher started a team-based Strategic Planning process that resulted in identifying $300 million of new sales targets, launching a new generation of rolling bearing product, and establishing the company’s first Web site.
Mr. Batcher successfully introduced Total Quality Management to sales organizations. He improved customer satisfaction ratings through customer service training, team coaching, and selling skills education, and his management teams achieved QS9000 registration for plants supplying the automotive industry. As Regional General Manager, Mr. Batcher reversed a declining sales trend and led a sales growth resurgence that quadrupled revenues over five years. During that time, he relocated the company’s northeastern region headquarters, created termination incentives, hired and trained new inside sales and warehouse personnel, and sold the old headquarters building. He upgraded the sales force and set up and trained customer care teams. His region won four consecutive annual President’s Awards for sales and service excellence and became the model for all other regional operations.
In corporate planning positions, Mr. Batcher worked as in-house liaison with internationally known consulting firms in developing diversification strategies. He completed projects with Boston Consulting Group at Gulf Oil and he coordinated Bain & Co. consultants at Firestone.
At TRW Bearings Division, Mr. Batcher led the business planning function, which included strategic marketing, advertising and capital budgeting. He was responsible for launching three new bearing products, creating award-winning advertisements, and developing sales strategy by product/markets. He represented the company in the industry’s association as Chairperson of the Statistics Committee. Later, after TRW changed corporate direction, he managed the due diligence disclosure team during the sale of the division.
Mr. Batcher reversed the sales decline of a medium-sized, industrial manufacturer by developing an aggressive sales plan, retraining the sales force, realigning sales territories and increasing commission sales incentives. He introduced a different type of product to the company and doubled the potential market that the company served. Sales increased by 44% over three years and gross margins grew by nearly 30%.
Throughout his career, Mr. Batcher has been known for his enthusiasm, intelligence, and good humor in solving business problems. He realizes that business is people and people are more productive when they enjoy what they do. His practical analysis of complex problems has resulted in fresh approaches and unique business solutions.

Entreprenurial Leadership