A trained ethnographer, Simon has a life long curiosity for why people and organizations do the things they do. Studying the leaders and companies that make the greatest impact in the world and achieve a more lasting success than others, he discovered the formula that explain show they do it. The amazingly simple idea, The Golden Circle, is grounded in the biology of human decision-making and is changing how leaders and companies think and act.

Simon’s unconventional and innovative views on business and leadership have attracted international attention and have earned him invitations to meet with an astounding array of leaders and organizations, including: Microsoft, Members of Congress, GE Silicones, AOL, New York City Ballet, the Director of HIV/AIDS Policy for the US Department of Health andHuman Services. Simon also had the honor of presenting his philosophy to the Ambassadors of Bahrain and Iraq and at the Pentagon to the most senior leaders of the US Air Force.

Simon shares his optimism with all who will listen. He speaks at conventions and corporate gatherings around the globe including events organized by Forbes Magazine, American Express and PSFK, a leading trending spotting organization. He also comments regularly for local and national press, including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Houston Chronicle, Fast Company, CMO Magazine, BusinessWeek andNPR. He is a regular contributer to The Huffington Post and BrandWeek and makes regular guest appearances on MSNBC’s Your Business, among others.

Simon serves on the board of advisors for First 30 Days and sweetriot. Active in the not-for-profit world, Simon works with the EFE Foundation, Count Me In and serves on the Board of Directors for the Harlem School of the Arts.

When not staying in hotels, Simon lives in New York where he also teaches graduate level strategic communications at Columbia University. His first book, Start With Why, How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, will be published by Penguin Books in the fall of 2009.

Simon points out that some people and organizations are more innovative, more influential, and more profitable than others. Why do some command greater loyalty from customers and employees alike? Even among the successful, why are so few able to repeat their successes over and over?  People like Martin Luther King Jr., Steve Jobs, and the Wright Brothers might have little in common, but they all started with, “why”? Their natural ability to start with “why” enabled them to inspire those around them to achieve remarkable things.

Simon studied the leaders who’ve had the greatest influence in the world and discovered that they all think, act and communicate in the exact same way–and it’s the complete opposite of what everyone else does.  Simon calls this powerful idea, “The Golden Circle”, and it provides a framework upon which organization can be built, movements can be lead, and people can be inspired.  And he states that it all starts with WHY.

Any organization can explain what it does; some can explain how they do it; but few can clearly articulate why. WHY is not money or profit–those are always results. Why does your organization exist? Why does it do the thing it does?  Why do customers really buy from one company or another? Why are people loyal to some leaders, but not others?

If you want to learn this and more I highly recommend that you read Simon’s new book and learn about his “Golden Circle” model.  Once you understand the Golden Circle you will understand the importance of WHY and how the best keep getting better–because they ask WHY.  You can also access Simon website with more information about his book, and other offerings.  Please click here to access his website.

Lou has always been a trendsetter when it came to working with his financial services clients.  He is part of a very prestigious group of men and women who make up the top one half of one percent in the insurance industry.

His book, “From Selling to Serving“, is about the process that Lou has developed to help him stay in the top of his industry, and he explains the very important aspects of how to better understand and work with clients/customers in any business.  His “Client Creator Process” has been taught to thousands of sales and marketing people throughout the financial services and has helped so many sales people understand the simplicity of attracting and retaining customers.

Lou has found out that how you communicate with your clients accounts for 85% of the relationship.  Yet most sales professionals spend only 15% of their time developing these vital skills and abilities.   People buy from people.  Relationships, not products are the key.  Changing the way you think about these relationships, and moving from a selling to serving mindset creates unlimited opportunity.

I hope you enjoy this interview with a true master in his profession, and someone who will teach you how to attract, connect and commit by aligning intention with actions.

If you would like to know more about Lou Cassara and his book “From Selling to Serving” please click here to access his website.  Enjoy our interview together.

In Paul’s book Be Unreasonable – The Unconventional Way to Extraordinary Business Results, he states that it is about a liberation that comes from shaking off the shackles of normality and being Unreasonable in your demands on yourself and your work.   He says that extraordinary accomplishments begin with extraordinary actions.  Extraordinary in itself mean “extra” ordinary as in above the ordinary.  Being unreasonable means achieving the extraordinary by doing things beyond what people consider normal.

We have the opportunity in our interview together to discuss some of the 20 key points he makes about people who practice extraordinary action, and the benefits they gain both personally and professionally.  In these unusal times Paul’s approach just might make sense for many of you seeking to improve your bottom line while at the same time grow your business.  He is a true master of marketing and sales and has some wonderful ideas.  I hope you enjoy our interview together, and I encourage you to visit his website by clicking here for more information about his teleclasses, books and coaching programs.

Internationally recognized as a business advisor, author and speaker, Paul’s newest book from McGraw-Hill is called, “Be Unreasonable”.

Paul Lemberg’s clients call him “the unreasonable business coach,” because he insists that they pursue goals and take actions far outside their comfort zone. What results do they get from taking such drastic measures? Process breakthroughs, sky-high profits, and greater life satisfaction. Paul has worked with giant companies like Cisco, Accenture, Adobe, Goldman Sachs, IBM and Telstra, as well as hundreds of businesses whose names you’ll never know, but whose owners have pocketed more than $300 million in increased income and proceeds from sales.

Paul is the author of three books, and the creator of the wildly successful business-building program, FormulaFIVE.

It didn’t take long before he received invitations to take his character on the road to festivals and fairs all over the country. He captivated audiences wherever he went, and his uncommon approach to unleashing the natural energy of his audience soon inspired legions of fellow performers to follow the path he had blazed on the street. With the growth of his reputation as a street performer came invitations to become an artistic director and the opportunity to test his philosophy of connection and engagement.

Carr found opportunities to bring his uncommon performance and business philosophy to a number of ventures, each one providing a fresh set of challenges that expanded his knowledge and honed his ability to apply what he’d learned. As a retail store owner, Special Events Producer, and in national movie and television work, he explored and polished his approach. As a consultant for major corporate clients, he translated his skills into presentations, creative brainstorming sessions and leadership training, helping the companies mine the possibilities for creating a more invigorating and satisfying work environment.

When an offer came for Carr to use his performance ideas to train the managers, wait staff, cooking staff, suppliers, and corporate management at Champs, a national restaurant chain, he jumped on it. For instance, he helped the wait staff re-imagine what their jobs were, transforming them from “servers” into “engagement specialists” and “masters of connection.” The staff embraced Carr’s ideas, the company incorporated them across the country, and the restaurant’s patrons were wild about how fun and engaging their dining experience had become.

In 1998 Carr was introduced to The FISH! Philosophy based on the film, FISH!, by Charthouse Learning. The philosophy incorporated much of what he’d been preaching for years. Carr quickly became a master FISH! Philosopher and traveled to speak with companies and organizations all over the world about how to use FISH! to help them create more engaged workplaces. His presentations received rave reviews and the philosophy was embraced by staff and management alike. Drawing on the fresh energy from his presentations, and working with Carr as a Leadership Consultant, many companies saw dramatic increases in customer and employee satisfaction. The results were increases in productivity, higher employee retention rates, and increases in customer loyalty. Today Carr is an in-demand speaker and consultant throughout this country and the world.

With the release of his new book, Top Performer, a Bold Approach to Sales and Service, co-written with Steve Lundin, PhD, author of the mega-bestselling series of FISH! books, Carr has finally incorporated the wisdom he gained on the street and the lessons learned on the corporate stage into a fresh and original approach to connection, engagement, and freedom. Top Performer moves several powerful steps beyond FISH! and shows you ways to unleash natural energy and boost both your business and yourself.

Lorna’s background includes sales, management, education, and a wide variety of industries. She has created over 60 training programs, 4 Coaching Guides, 60 e-Learning modules, and assessments in Sales, Leadership, Management, and Customer Service. Her organizations offer accountability programs, performance management, e-Learning, workshops, keynotes, and hiring suitability assessments. She has presented over 1,000 programs to audiences worldwide.

Lorna has authored nine books, including co-authoring with Warren Bennis, James Kouzas, Bob Nelson, and Margaret Wheatly, three audio albums, is a frequent contributor to trade publications, and featured in national magazines and radio.

Jon’s professional career is anything but typical. His background includes 20 years of experience in Service and Retail, and owning his own manufacturing company for five years producing high-tech mountain bike components and clothing. He performed a tour of duty with the US Air Force, serving at Bitburg Airbase in then West Germany, as an Aircraft Armament Systems Specialist working on F- 15’s. Through all of these experiences Jon found that what really drove him was helping people he worked with, or who worked for him, to discover and live their passion. He went back to school at age 38 to earn a degree in Human Resource Management and began a new career in coaching and training. After more than six years of working with people at all levels and in multiple companies and industries, Jon can provide swift, practical solutions in a no-nonsense delivery style that ensures a high level of traction and sustainability in any type of business environment.

Bosworth is the author of Solution Selling: Creating Buyers in Difficult Selling Markets (McGraw-Hill, 1993) and co-author of CustomerCentric Selling (McGraw-Hill, November 2003). Bosworth is a limited partner in a San Diego based venture capital firm and is an advisory board member for a number of information technology ventures.

Mike Bosworth began his career in the information technology industry in 1972 as an application support person for Xerox Computer Services. He was their top new business salesperson in 1975, managed the “branch of the year” in 1979 and was promoted to national manager of field sales in 1980. From 1976 through 1982 he designed and delivered sales training programs for XCS. His years of field experience plus the knowledge he gained from working with Neil Rackham on the Xerox SPIN selling project inspired him to found Solution Selling in 1983.

Bosworth has a degree in Business Management and Marketing from California State Polytechnic University. In addition to his keynote speaking for professional associations and major corporations, he has been a featured lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, The Stanford Program on Market Strategy for Technology-Based Companies, The American Marketing Association Customer Message Management Forums, The Anderson School Of Management At UCLA, the Paul Merage School of Business at UC Irvine, The University of Connecticut and Rollins College to name a few. He is certified (CMC) by the Institute of Management Consultants.

He currently resides in Del Mar, California. He can be reached at mtbent@gmail.com.