Drawn from many of Lengel’s interactions, especially with C-level executives over decades of consulting, A PLACE FOR T shows how people have been conditioned to be Hare-brained convergent thinkers seeking answers to practical and well understood questions through intellectual exchanges of information and logical debate. They create meeting places like conference rooms and classrooms that encourage and support convergent thinking. This thinking and those places are fine for managing routine issues that support the status quo, but do not work when leadership is needed to inspire creativity, innovation and significant change. These organizational learning objectives require a change in perspective – a change in how we see ourselves, not just more information and Hare-Brained analysis.

Dr. Robert H. Lengel holds a BS and MS in aerospace engineering, an MBA, and a PhD that blended oceanography, environmental management, leadership and organizational dynamics in business. His career began designing jet and rocket propulsion systems, and meandered through fluid computer design and industrial sales, a stint on Wall Street, time in an environmental think tank, academics, consulting and now writing.

Cindy Teske has worked with Dr. Lengel for over twenty years designing and supporting academic and business programs employing concepts and language presented in A PLACE FOR T. Her formal education includes a BA in Mass Communication and a Professional Certification in Graphic Arts. Currently she is Director of Creative Productions for LeaderWork Inc. She is a lifelong resident of San Antonio, TX.

Identify the real problem. Don’t waste time and money solving the wrong problem.

Consistently create ideas. Make your business recession-proof and competition-proof.

Grow your business. Solve the tough problems holding you back.

Leading in today’s world is difficult, and it is not getting easier. To compete and be profitable in today’s marketplace, you need big, creative solutions and you need them now. Just as you follow a recipe to cook a great meal, there is a recipe to create great ideas. Create in a Flash is based on Dr. Roger Firestien’s 40 years helping companies unleash the innovation of their workforce. Roger’s clients include AT&T, SC Johnson, Disney, Hilton, NASA and over 600 other organizations big and small, including corporations, government, universities and churches.

Roger L. Firestien, PhD has trained more people to lead the creative process than anyone else in the world. He is Senior Faculty and Associate Professor at the Center for Applied Imagination at SUNY Buffalo State. As president of Innovation Resources, Inc., he consults, creates training programs, runs Breakthrough Labs, and has created a series of courses for Open Sesame. 

Innovation is one of the most overused business terms. Companies tout their ‘culture of innovation’ but instead of producing a real impact, talk of innovation generates more slogans than clear, actionable results.

 FEARLESS INNOVATION teaches how to:

* Understand and communicate the urgency of innovation, and the impact of underlying technological and societal changes

* Develop pragmatic innovation strategy for the organization and secure buy-in from all levels of employees across all functions

* Build strong ecosystems with customers, partners, startups, academia and local communities

* Implement open standards to integrate technologies with workflows to achieve high-impact business outcomes

* Measure and communicate progress to stakeholders and media

Alex Goryachev is the former managing director of Cisco’s global Co-Innovation Center, where he spearheaded programs and initiatives to accelerate innovation. Goryachev is a Silicon Valley veteran who is a sought-after speaker on innovation and is often referred to as the ‘innovation therapist’.

#1 WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER

USA TODAY BESTSELLER

Transformational leaders will leverage positive change

In a world of explosive change and transformation, leaders at all levels―from heads of state and global corporations to entrepreneurs and gig economists―will offer the best opportunity for leveraging change and transforming our lives for the better. This includes how we work, play, govern ourselves, and consider and plan for our collective futures.

This thought-provoking book invites you to explore the intersection of transformational leadership, systemic thinking, and experiential learning―all required to survive and thrive the tsunami of changes and disruptions caused by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change, and misinformation trends.

Faisal Hoque is an accomplished entrepreneur, senior executive, author, thought leader, public speaker, and advisor to management teams and BODs with more than 25 years of cross-industry success. He is the founder of SHADOKA, NextChapter, and other companies; they focus on enabling sustainable and transformational changes.

In REINVENT: Navigating Business Transformation In A Hyperdigital Era, entrepreneur, innovator, and advisor with more than twenty-five years of cross-industry success, Faisal Hoque, makes the argument for reinvention – from the changing nature of consumers to shifting workforce priorities to the necessity for greater organizational security. Hoque introduces ideas, concepts, and a comprehensive framework (LIFTS — learn, investigate, formulate, take off, and study) to help position organizations to reap the benefits of business and digital transformation.

The skills and mindset taught in the book will equip transformational leaders to manage ongoing change and adjust to the upheavals that are taking place everywhere.

Faisal Hoque is the founder of SHADOKA, NextChapter, and other companies that focus on enabling sustainable and transformational changes. Throughout his career, he has developed over 20 commercial business and technology platforms and worked with public and private sector giants such as the US Department of Defense, GE, MasterCard, American Express, Northrop Grumman, CACI, PepsiCo, IBM, Home Depot, Gartner, and JPMorgan Chase. He is a 3 time winning Founder and CEO of Deloitte Technology Fast 50 and Deloitte Technology Fast 500™ awards.

Entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, and business owners must prepare for a future in which subject matter expertise will no longer suffice. To remain relevant – and to prepare for the next inevitable crisis – they must learn essential skills, understand themselves, and shift their mindsets accordingly. As strategy consultant Alex Brueckmann says in SECRETS OF NEXT-LEVEL ENTREPRENEURS: 11 Powerful Lessons To Thrive In Business And Lead A Balanced Life, the time is now to grow beyond existing limits – personally and professionally.

The book discusses three mission-critical pillars that contribute to building future-proof businesses: strategy, leadership, and self-care. “It’s essential to strategically re-adjust a business for success, consciously shape leadership and culture, and practice self-care as we humbly accept our limitations as entrepreneurs and leaders,” says Brueckmann.

A singular and powerful collection of resources for entrepreneurs, founders, managers, executives, board members, and other business leaders, this book is essential reading for the future of businesses worldwide.

Alex Brueckmann is a strategy facilitator, speaker, and author. He talks about the power of strategy and identity, transformation leadership, purpose, impact, and legacy. Alex has impacted thousands of business leaders across the world, from multinationals to start-ups.

He is an alumnus of EBS European Business School (Germany), and holds certificates in change management, leadership, finance, organizational development, and strategy from INSEAD (France), and Harvard Business School (USA)

The story of China’s rise to prominence as a superpower is rooted in its drive to overcome poverty. In THE EVOLUTION OF CHINA’S ANTI-POVERTY STRATEGIES: Cases Of 20 Chinese Changing Lives, William N. Brown, PhD, a business professor at Xiamen University, gives a first-hand account of how China’s population has lifted itself out of poverty by relying on a combination of government support and individual initiative 

Drawing on interviews with rural and urban Chinese from diverse backgrounds, as well as local and national leaders, Brown offers candid insights into the challenges that have forced China to continually evolve its programs to resolve even the most intractable cases of poverty. 

A tale of hope and courage, the book will inspire readers to take heart from China’s example, because as a Chinese leader told Brown, “As long as some are poor, we are all poor.” 

Dr. William N. Brown is Academic Director, Xiamen University/SMXMU OneMBA. Fujian Province’s first foreign Permanent Resident, he has driven over 200,000 km around China exploring its development, co-written and hosted over 400 television episodes and consulted with cities on urban and rural development. Honors have included China’s “Friendship Award,” “Honorary Citizen of Fujian” from then-Governor Xi Jinping, “Top Ten Educator 1954-2014” and “CCTV’s Moving China 2019” award.

Why Didn’t I Think of That?

…we’ve all asked the question one time or another. The answer is almost always the same. When we miss opportunities, it’s because we’re not looking for problems to solve.

Why Didn’t I Think of That? is a short story we can all relate to, shedding an eye-opening light on our classic approaches to work and problem solving.

You’ll discover how to innovate on demand, develop more options, and implement ideas that make a difference.

Creativity is a skill. Just like you learned how to ride a bicycle, you can learn how to be creative. In Why Didn’t I Think of That? you will learn how to turn on your creativity at will instead of waiting for ideas to happen.

Roger L. Firestien, PhD has trained more people to lead the creative process than anyone else in the world. He is Senior Faculty and Associate Professor at the Center for Applied Imagination at SUNY Buffalo State. As president of Innovation Resources, Inc., he consults, creates training programs, runs Breakthrough Labs, and has created a series of courses for Open Sesame.