Guest Bloggers & Interviews
The guest blogger/interview category of the N2growth Blog is one of my favorite sections of the blog. I have enjoyed the luxury of having New York Times Best Sellings Authors like Chris Brogan, Members of the Forbes 400 like Ken Fisher, TV personalities like Carolyn Kepcher, Hall of Fame Speakers like Scott Mckain, PR experts like Robin Koval, and elite academics like Dartmouth Business School Professor Sydney Finkelstein share their keen insights and observations here. Please enjoy the posts below and if you have someone you'd like to see guest post or interviewed please let me know.
Archive for the Interviews category.
By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
There are simply no words that can do justice to the example of servant leadership epitomized by Command Chief Master Sergeant James Hotaling. A highly decorated member of the special operations community earning the Bronze Star with Valor for actions during Operation Anaconda in Afghanistan, Jim is a true American hero. I have interviewed countless leaders over the years, and never has so much leadership wisdom been espoused so poignantly, eloquently, and with such authentic humility as what you’re about to read below. Jim’s answers to my questions are nothing short of a leadership manifesto. Please take the time to leave a comment below and thank Jim for his service. On with the interview…
By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
Widely regarded as the father of the contemporary field of Leadership, Warren Bennis paved the way for those of us who make our living as leadership advisors. Warren would never say this, so I will; he has forgotten more about leadership than most of us will ever know. Put simply, spending an hour with Warren Bennis is like drinking leadership wisdom from a fire hose. At age 19, Warren was the youngest combat infantry officer in the European Theater during World War II, and was awarded both the Purple Heart and Bronze Star. After the war, Warren went on to author 30 books, served as an advisor to four different U.S. Presidents, spent time on the faculties of MIT, Harvard, Boston University, INSEAD, the University of Exter (UK), and at age 86 Warren is University Professor and Distinguished Professor of Business Administration and Founding Chairman of The Leadership Institute at the University of Southern California. My favorite piece of Bennis trivia is that Warren actually knew Albert Einstein. Watch the video, enjoy your time with a living leadership legend, and then please leave a comment and let Warren know what his work has meant to you…
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By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
Many people discuss transformational leadership, but few can point to a modern day CEO who is an example of a transformative leader. Douglas R. Conant is the President and CEO of Campbell Soup Company, and he epitomizes just such a leader. When Doug took the helm at Campbell’s 10 years ago, he reversed the trend of declining earnings and employee engagement. In 2010, during a down economy, the company posted a 12% increase in earnings on $7.7 Billion in sales, and the storied brand now possesses some of the best employee engagement rankings in the industry. Doug had a similar impact in his previous role as President of Nabisco where the company posted 5 consecutive years of double-digit earnings growth under his leadership. What I most appreciate most about Doug is his passion for those whom he leads. He’s part old-school; still regularly sending hand written thank you notes to employees, and part new-school; equally as comfortable communicating on Twitter (@DougConant). Doug’s new book TouchPoints, co-authored with Mette Norgaard is a must read for leaders. If you do one thing today watch this video and then leave a comment thanking Doug for freely sharing his considerable insights and experiences.
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By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
I’ve always said that if you want to learn about leadership talk to someone who has actually led something. James (Jim) Quigley, Global CEO of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited is just such a leader, and the “something” he leads is a global professional services juggernaut with more than $26 Billion in revenue, and 170,000 people located in more than 150 countries worldwide. What I most appreciate about Jim is his almost evangelistic zeal in championing the Deloitte brand. Jim is a fully engaged CEO who leads by example. You’ll also find Jim to be among the most transparent CEOs you’ll encounter. If you don’t believe me just go looking for him – he’s not that hard to find. Jim has a new book out (“As One“), you can find him on Twitter @DeloitteCEO and Jim is a frequent presenter at conferences such as World Business Forum and the World Economic Forum in Davos. Enough with the background – on with the interview…
By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
Leadership absent perspective is little more than an exercise in frivolity. Today’s guest post by Kevin Eikenberry (@kevineikenberry) really resonates with me because it’s chalk full of leadership perspective. For those of you not familiar with Kevin, he is a two-time best selling author and the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group, a learning consulting company that has been helping organizations, teams and individuals reach their potential since 1993. Kevin also hosts the Best of Leadership Blogs 2010 contest of which this blog is a nominee (if you haven’t voted yet, today is the last day for voting). If you’ve yet to read any of Kevin’s material you’re in for a real treat – enjoy…
By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
CEOs that make great decisions are rare these days. Humble, authentic leaders who really understand their craft are equally scarce. Chief Executives who actively engage in social media also find themselves in the minority among their peers. Michael Hyatt (@MichaelHyatt – www.michaelhyatt.com) is that rare commodity. As Chairman and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, the largest Christian publishing company in the world, and the seventh largest trade book publishing company in the U.S., Michael’s track record of leadership has stood the test of time. After reading the following interview you’ll know why…
By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
One of my favorite things to do is to interview great leaders, and today I had just such an opportunity. Pete Wilson (@pwilson) is considered by many to be one of today’s most visionary leaders. He is the Senior Pastor at CrossPoint Church, one of the fastest growing churches in the country, is the author of the bestselling book Plan B, and is one of the the most candid, insightful and humble leaders you’ll ever have the opportunity to listen to – we all have a lot to learn from Pete Wilson. Bottom line – If you’re a leader then you need to watch this interview. Please let me know what you think in the comments section below…
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By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
For those of you interested in the topic of leadership John Maxwell (@johncmaxwell - www.johnmaxwellonleadership.com) likely needs no introduction. John is probably one of the world’s best known and most respected authors and speakers on the subject of leadership. A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Business Week best-selling author, John has sold more than 18 million books. In fact, three of his books (The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, Developing the Leader Within You, and The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader) have sold more than one million copies each. John is also the founder of EQUIP, a non-profit organization that has trained more than 5 million leaders in 126 countries worldwide. Rather than continue with his bio, I want to get on with the interview so that you can get up-close and personal with man behind the impressive credentials.
By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
I recently had the pleasure of spending about 40 minutes on the phone with Marshall Goldsmith (@coachgoldsmith) whom I consider to be one of the best executive coaches in the business. In fact, I hold Marshall in such high professional regard that he is one of only three other coaches that I’ll refer people to if I’m unable to meet their needs. Marshall has authored 30 books (most recently: What Got You Here Won’t Get You There and MOJO) as well as a plethora of other published material, and his services are in such high demand that his waiting list for new coaching clients has more than an 8 month backlog. Perhaps the best thing I can share with you about Marshall is that his candor, competency and experience are only equaled by his thoughtfulness and sincerity. On with the inteview…
By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
There’s a lot of noise in the leadership space – in fact, there are so many coaches, experts, consultants, gurus, etc., professing leadership acumen and expertise that it can be tough to distinguish between the posers and the players. Over the next few days I’m going to sprinkle in three interviews with leadership professionals whom I hold in high esteem and regard: John Baldoni (@johnbaldoni), Marshall Goldsmith (@coachgoldsmith), and John C. Maxwell (@johncmaxwell). All three of these individuals are published authors, speakers, and advisors on the topic of leadership that have stood the test of time. In fact, while these three individuals wouldn’t necessarily refer to themselves as such, I believe it’s vey fair to call them thought leaders on the subject of leadership. First-up in this series is my interview with John Baldoni…Aside from John’s gifts for communicating and teaching principles of actionable leadership, what I hope you take away from this interview is how passionate he is about the topic of leadership, and the humble manner in which he expresses himself.
