Resources

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...” That quote written 150 years ago could well apply to today; it really depends on your perspective. Transition on a global scale isn’t easy but we are fortunate that there are so many capable, interesting people working in the fields of business, education, psychology and the new sciences who are amazing resources. In this section we have compiled a list of a variety of resources we hope will help you as you find your own way. Check back often as we will be updating regularly.

Rick Spence is one of Canada’s leading authorities on entrepreneurship.... His work in Profit and the National Post is interesting, useful, accessible, and he’s funny. Here’s a link to his blog and from there, you can link to Rick’s other work.

Clayton M. Christensen, out of Harvard business school, is the world’s leading expert on disruptive innovation and related strategy.... His work with disruptive innovation is even more relevant today as leader/managers struggle to create new business models that allow them to serve their core business AND find new markets AND watch out for new competitive entrants in their blind spot. His most relevant books, in our opinion, are the Innovators Dilemma and Innovators Solution, published by Harvard Business Press. Here is a link to his web site.

John P. Kotter, out of Harvard, is a leading expert on change. His continually evolving research details methods and frameworks to help business and people overcome common barriers to organization wide change. His more research supports the need to engage participants at the head, heart and hands level to secure their engagement and active participation in bringing about sustained change. In our opinion, his most impactful books include A Force for Change and the Heart of Change, published by Free Press. Here is a link

Jim Loehr, as co-founder of LGE Performance Systems is an expert in performance psychology, specializing in helping business executives, professional athletes and others achieve full engagement in high stress environments. In our opinion, his most impactful books include The Power of Full Engagement and Stress for Success published by Free Press. Here is a link to his web site.

Roger Martin, dean of the Rotman School of Business and former director of Monitor consulting is a leading expert in big business strategy and a concept that they developed at Rotman termed “integrative thinking”. His book Opposable Mind, published by Harvard Business Press, is an accessible and relevant read on how very successful business entrepreneurs such as Izzy Asper of Four Seasons hotels, Michael Lee Chin of AIC and many others were able to hold the creative tension of opposable yet complementary perspectives to find creative solutions to complicated business opportunities. Here is a link to his web site.

P Joseph Pine II and James H Gilmore are experts in marketing strategy, having anticipated and written at length about the shift in consumer/customer preference, the shift from mass marketing to mass customization and recently the advent of the Transformational Economy. There most relevant books, in our opinion, include The Experience Economy, Markets of One and Authenticity, published by Harvard Business Press. Here is a link to their web site.

Richard Boyatzis published ground breaking research with Daniel Goleman on Emotional Intelligence and subsequent to that research published a very impactful book on New Economy Leadership titled, Primal Leadership and the follow-up was Resonant Leadership, published by Harvard Business Press. Here is a link to their web site.

The World Business Academy is a non-profit business think tank devoted to rekindling the human spirit in business. It was founded in 1987 as a result of discussions conducted at the Stanford Research Institute (SRI) International in Menlo Park, California. These talks centered upon the role and responsibility of business in relation to the criti-cal moral, environmental and social dilemmas of the day. Led by Founder Rinaldo S. Brutoco, a small group of senior business executives and academics emerged from these meetings to create a research and education institution, the World Business Academy, to help the global business community understand and participate in the new constructive role emerging for business as the dominant institution in society. One of it’s most inspiring books, published in 1993 was titled the New Paradigm in Business and it includes short essays from a number of thought leaders and members of the academy, published by A New Consciousness Reader. Here is a link to their web site.

Jim Collins has had great success researching and summarizing the historic best-practice concepts and orientations to business that resulted in sustained financial success with his books Built to Last and Good to Great, How the Mighty Fall.
http://www.jimcollins.com/

Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich, re-published in the 60’s by Random House is a seminal work on self reflective leadership and the power of thought.
http://www.naphill.org/

Steven R Covey, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People published by Fireside books presents a holistic, integrated and principle centred approach to Leadership. Here is a link to his web site.

Kaplan and Norton, from the Harvard Business School created an orientation to performance measurement called the Balanced Scorecard and published a book by the same name, published by Harvard Business Press. The Balanced Scorecard is meant to focus an organization on the alignment of process and effort with strategy on 4 levels, Learning, Process, Financial and Customer-focus. Follow-ups to this book and theme include the Strategy-Focused Organization and Strategy Maps, each of which does a very good job of explaining the concepts. Here is a link to their web site.