Founder and CEO of Rubicon Consulting, leading strategist, and author of the groundbreaking and revolutionary book The New How: Creating Business Solutions Through Collaborative Strategy Nilofer Merchant redefines the way companies create strategies and win new markets. She understands the importance of business strategy needs to be revised and turned upside down. She shares how to include employees in the collaborative strategy creation process, to get them engaged and motivated to implement the strategy effectively. The recognition that strategy and execution are intertwined, is critical to developing a strategy, and to putting it into action effectively.

Nilofer Merchant is my internet radio show guest on Blog Business Success; hosted live on BlogTalkRadio.

The show airs live on Thursday, March 11, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time; 5:00 pm Pacific Time.

Founder and CEO of Rubicon Consulting, leading strategist, and author of the groundbreaking and revolutionary book The New How: Creating Business Solutions Through Collaborative Strategy Nilofer Merchant redefines the way companies create strategies and win new markets. You will learn:

* Why corporate strategy fails in the planning and implementation process

* How to identify systemic problems and air sandwiches

* How to engage all employees in strategic planning and application

* How to become a strategic problem solving organizational leader

Nilofer Merchant (photo left) is the CEO of Rubicon Consulting, and is a sought after global high-tech industry thought leader and trusted strategic advisor for companies such as Adobe, Symantec and VMWare. As Rubicons CEO, she has built a distinguished team of fellow strategists, who collaborate with a wide range of Silicon Valley executives at client firms such as Autodesk, Hewlett-Packard, Pinnacle, Openwave, SAP, Symantec and others.

Rubicons proprietary methodology continuously delivers significant material results to clients, driving revenue growth, market share-price and profits. This approach resulted in an additional $28 million in profit over 6 months for one industry leader.

Merchant founded Rubicon in 1999 after gaining fifteen years of operational experience in key leadership positions at notable technology firms such as Apple, Autodesk, and GoLive (later acquired by Adobe). The experience she gained in pricing, product management, the channel, sales, marketing and revenue generation prepared her for the interdisciplinary deep listening and precision questioning that are at the heart of Rubicons work today.

Through her many successes (and some losses), Nilofer has honed her multidisciplinary approach for assessing a business situation clearly, applying critical wisdom, and defining a strategic direction. Her ability to put business history in context enables her to discern the right future moves. Her writing and ideation abilities have led to syndication with major business publishing entities. At conferences, the energetic, approachable and pragmatic keynote speaking style helps people connect to her vision whether their role is that of a board member, grad student, an engineer, marketer, or a business leader.

Nilofer holds an M.B.A. from Santa Clara University, a B.S. in Economics from University of San Francisco, and is an Interaction Associates-certified Instructor of Facilitative Leadership.

Nilofer contributes to her local churchs strategy and stewardship plans, and has held the Chair of Community Fundraising position as a Board Member of the Cupertino YMCA. Early on, she was a Governor-appointee to the California Community College Board of Trustees a position she held for an unusually long 3-year term. Nilofer and her husband enjoy the challenge of integrating the complexities of their respective high tech careers and personal interests with the demands of parenting.

My book review of The New How: Creating Business Solutions Through Collaborative Strategy by Nilofer Merchant.

Listen live on Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm Pacific time.

If you miss this very informative show, it will be available for free download as a podcast for iPod, iTunes, and MP3 players; or play it right on your computer. To download this, or any other of my guest interviews, go to the Blog Business Success host page and click on Archived Segments. Once there, click on the podcast icon at the end of the episode description, to download the show free of charge for your listening enjoyment. You can also subscribe to the show feed.

To call in questions for my guest, the number is: (347) 996-5832

Let’s talk with Founder and CEO of Rubicon Consulting, leading strategist, and author of the groundbreaking and revolutionary book The New How: Creating Business Solutions Through Collaborative Strategy Nilofer Merchant as she redefines the way companies create strategies and win new markets. She understands the importance of business strategy needs to be revised and turned upside down. She shares how to include employees in the collaborative strategy creation process, to get them engaged and motivated to implement the strategy effectively. The recognition that strategy and execution are intertwined, is critical to developing a strategy, and to putting it into action effectively on Blog Business Success Radio.

Tags: The New How: Creating Business Solutions Through Collaborative Strategy, Nilofer Merchant, collaborative strategic planning, Blog Business Success, Blog Talk Radio.

TrendCentral: Bored with the sleek contemporary facade of your external hard drive? Etsy shop CentennialMerchant upcycles discarded VHS tapes into hard drives that can be displayed with geek pride, or camouflaged in a row of other tapes to keep your top-secret information under wraps. Offering up to 640 GB of unique storage, currently the hard drives are available in Star Wars and Top Gun editions, but CentennialMerchant will create custom designs by request as well.

VHS Rewind [TrendCentral]

CNBC Senior Talent Producer and author of the insightful anthology of essays by today’s top business leaders Thriving in the New Economy: Lessons from Today’s Top Business Minds, Lori Ann LaRocco, opens her “trillion dollar Rolodex” and shares the secrets and wisdom of some of today’s greatest leaders. She discusses lessons from Wall Street legends, economists, the banking industry, auto, real estate and retail. She discusses the advice and expertise that these successful leaders have to offer to you in today’s economy.

Lori Ann LaRocco is my internet radio show guest on Blog Business Success; hosted live on BlogTalkRadio.

The show airs live on Tuesday, March 9, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time; 5:00 pm Pacific Time.

CNBC Senior Talent Producer and author of the insightful anthology of essays by today’s top business leaders Thriving in the New Economy: Lessons from Today’s Top Business Minds, Lori Ann LaRocco, opens her “trillion dollar Rolodex” and shares the secrets and wisdom of some of today’s greatest leaders. You will learn:

* How top business leaders respond to severe economic challenges

* How the great leaders defy failure and flourish

* How great business people seek and find opportunities in any economy

* The importance of networking and knowing key people

Lori Ann LaRocco (photo left) is Senior Talent Producer at CNBC and one of the producers of the CNBC show Squawk Box.

Lori Ann LaRocco is on Twitter as @loriannlarocco

My book review of Thriving in the New Economy: Lessons from Today’s Top Business Minds by Lori Ann LaRocco.

Listen live on Tuesday at 8:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm Pacific time.

If you miss this very informative show, it will be available for free download as a podcast for iPod, iTunes, and MP3 players; or play it right on your computer. To download this, or any other of my guest interviews, go to the Blog Business Success host page and click on Archived Segments. Once there, click on the podcast icon at the end of the episode description, to download the show free of charge for your listening enjoyment. You can also subscribe to the show feed.

To call in questions for my guest, the number is: (347) 996-5832

Let’s talk with CNBC Senior Talent Producer and author of the insightful anthology of essays by today’s top business leaders Thriving in the New Economy: Lessons from Today’s Top Business Minds, Lori Ann LaRocco, as she opens her “trillion dollar Rolodex” and shares the secrets and wisdom of some of today’s greatest leaders. She discusses lessons from Wall Street legends, economists, the banking industry, auto, real estate and retail. She discusses the advice and expertise that these successful leaders have to offer to you in today’s economy on Blog Business Success Radio.

Tags: Thriving in the New Economy: Lessons from Today’s Top Business Minds, Lori Ann LaRocco, business and economy thinkers, Blog Business Success, Blog Talk Radio.

Thread.com in less than a minute from Thread.com on Vimeo.

Iconoculture: Lonely hearts looking for love online, but tired of registration-heavy dating sites and wary of total strangers, can tug on Thread for a Facebook-friend-vetted flame-finding alternative.Launched in September 2009 and currently in beta, the currently free Facebook Connect-powered service only requires users to fill out a bare-bones questionnaire to get started. Once up and running, users can easily browse other Threadsters sorted by degrees of separation from themselves.If someone looks appealing, users can ask a mutual friend for an intro or be gutsy and send the possible paramour a Facebook message directly.

Thread couples online singles via mutual Facebook friends[Iconoculture]

Thriving in the New Economy

Lessons from Today’s Top Business Minds

By: Lori Ann LaRocco

Published: December 2009
Format: Hardcover, 304pp
ISBN-13: 9780470557310
ISBN-10: 0470557311
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

“History’s defining moments have taught us that leaders are tested, made, or broken and we are living in one of those moments now”, writes Senior Talent Producer at CNBC, Lori Ann LaRocco, in her insightful anthology of essays by today’s top business leaders Thriving in the New Economy: Lessons from Today’s Top Business Minds. The author presents a powerful collection of thoughts and advice for meeting the challenges of today’s difficult economy, and for achieving success for youself and your company.

Lori Ann LaRocco opened what has been called her “trillion dollar Rolodex” and invited business leaders from different industries and backgrounds to share their secrets of thriving now and in the future. Representing such disparate industries as automobiles, real estate, retail, banking, and economics, the essayists provide valuable information and ideas about how they think and plan, regardless of the economy of the moment. Despite their industry differences, the writers share some critical common traits and ideas. Not only do the business leaders describe what they are doing now, but more importantly, they examine how to prevent personal and company failure in any economy. They also share their own secrets for seeking out and taking advantage of the many opportunities that present themselves in any economic circumstances.

Lori Ann LaRocco (photo left) does a magnificent job in compiling this tremendous group of essays on achieving business success. Her extensive contacts in the boardrooms of the largest corporations, and in the halls of government, serve the reader well. In many ways, the book is a tribute to the vital importance of networking with successful people. Lori Ann LaRocco demonstrates the power of knowing people, and reaching out to them for their advice and assistance. The resulting book is a treasure trove of insights and practical advice. The author takes very seriously her role in providing information, and the ideas of today’s top business leaders, to the readers.

For me, the power of the book is how Lori Ann LaRocco not only elicits a group of powerful essays from her many contacts in corporate America, but also in helping the writers share their best advice. Many of this type of book present essays that are long on platitude, but short of actionable advice. That is not a problem with this anthology. The business leaders lay out their best concepts for preventing business failure, maintaining cash flow, creating an effective business strategy, and for uncovering hidden business opportunities. From the foreword by Wayne Huizenga to the afterward from Rudy Giuliani, and every writer in between, the advice is sound and transformational for any business person. The common threads of the writers are those of clear eyed realism, practical tactics, building an effective strategy, while keeping an eye open for profitable new ventures.

I highly recommend the important and must read collection Thriving in the New Economy: Lessons from Today’s Top Business Minds by Lori Ann LaRocco, and discover the thoughts and ideas from some of today’s most important business thinkers. The author draws out their most important concepts for preventing business failure, and for paving the way to flourishing in both good economic times and those of downturns.

Read the expertise packed book Thriving in the New Economy: Lessons from Today’s Top Business Minds by Lori Ann LaRocco, and read the best advice available from many top leaders on business and the economy. Taken together, these essays can help prevent business failures, and create a vibrant and flourishing economy for everyone.

Tags: Thriving in the New Economy: Lessons from Today’s Top Business Minds, Lori Ann LaRocco, business and economy thinkers, business book reviews.

TrendCentral: These seaweed chips from Maine Coast Sea Vegetables have become a popular mid-afternoon snack in our office. Although it does involve another pricey trip to Whole Foods, we think these chips may be worth fighting the lines and extending our budgets for. Unlike most savory snack foods, they have no added salt, yet still have a distinct sodium flavor thanks to the sea veggies’ natural mineral salts. They’re no substitute for a hijiki salad, but at least the guilt factor is far lower than that experienced after polishing off an entire canister of Pringles.

Eat your Greens [TrendCentral]

World acclaimed branding expert Marc Gob, author of the completely revised and updated edition of his visionary classic book Emotional Branding: The New Paradigm for Connecting Brands to People – Revised Edition, was kind enough to take the time to answer some questions on his book and on his ideas about branding.

Marc Gob shares his ideas on social media and community building as powerful forces in consumer empowerment in the marketplace. He describes the critical importance of understanding the rise of women in marketing, and their impact on others through social media and online engagement. He discusses the need to recognize the differences in cross generational marketing, as well as engaging the cutting edge gay and lesbian community.

Thanks to Marc Gob for his time and his intriguing and informative answers.

What was the background to writing this book Emotional Branding: The New Paradigm for Connecting Brands to People – Revised Edition?

Marc Gob: I wrote my first book because I felt that people love brands but that brands did not love people back. The subconscious connection between brands and people is often overlooked by brands. What we pay for things, the brands we wear or drive and the brands we consume are a way for us to send a message to others, build our self esteem or provide us with a reward. We dont buy products but ideas.

You make what seems to be an obvious statement in the book that people are the most important part of branding. Why has this simple concept been ignored by branding and marketing?

Marc Gob: Most companies still have a factory mentality, a manufacturing centric tradition or a reliance on engineering that dominates the creative process. Businesses are about results, efficiency and cost of goods. Consumers are about emotions, experiences and imagination. Unless people are understood to be the ultimate decision makers many opportunities will be lost.

Are the old ways of branding obsolete in an online and wired world?

Marc Gob: What we are seeing worldwide is the weakening of old media such as TV commercials and Billboards. People are spending more time in front of a computer screen talking to their friends or on a cell phone texting or chatting. Social media has helped create active and dynamic communities of like minded people who prefer to find out about brands from their friends. NBC and Fox are seeing the future of Television to become more an on demand proposition with less commercial messaging, their large investment in Hulu.com is testimony to that. You can now watch your favorite programs when you want it and where you want it with less interruption form the commercial message.

How has social media changed the way that branding has evolved?

Marc Gob: The updated version of Emotional Branding includes winning strategies in the age of social media. It has been released this month and while working on it I realized that brands do not belong to corporations anymore but people. The Coca Cola Facebook page with 4 million followers was not even designed or created by Coke but the fans of the brand. This is the most fundamental change, instead of pushed communication as we have known it, brands will have to engage in a two way conversation.

Marc Gob (photo left)

How have the three generations – Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials – had an impact on branding and marketing?

Marc Gob: The Baby Boomers were the most impactful group. In the United States, their numbers over shadowed the next generation Gen X but this group is now slowly retiring. Now, the Baby Boomers values that were based on an Utopic reality are challenged by new generations that have to inherit and face a more difficult world, one that has been affected by pollution and excess. If you have watched the film WALL-E and everyone in the branding business should see it , it shows very well the ideas i am discussing here.

Millenials or the Y generation is bringing a large demographic whose values will transform how we consume information and even buy goods. The Gen X and Y that I call xY in my new book are the change agent that will rely on new technologies to manage their lives. This will bring new opportunities for commerce online not unlike Zappos.com that has transformed commerce online by leveraging the power of the web to bring forward the most advance form of service.

How are women, the multicultural society, and the gay and lesbian community having an impact on branding and marketing?

Marc Gob: Women influence 85% of all buying so they are the shoppers in chief, the most powerful consumer group, yet still the one marketers fail to understand. It is now common knowledge that one of the reason for the demise of the American Auto industry is their failure to connect with women with appropriate products. Most importantly women dominates the online dialogue 55% vs 45% to men, they own social media and Brands have to get into that conversation.

The Gay community is a trendsetting community that helps make some brands cool or fashionable. Their influence has been defining for a lot of brands such as VW in America so it is very important to understand those groups and the impact they could have on the success of your business.

You write in the book that sensorial experiences are the uncharted territory of branding. What do you mean by that idea?

Marc Gob: We are people who feel, we want to touch, we need to be stimulated with our senses. The problem with a lot of brands is that they are trying to commoditize the brand experience. You find soups, gourmet foods and dog food sold in the same cans! We recall fondly sensory experiences such as a great songs or a smell from our childhood that has an emotional resonance, to be successful brands have to engage people with all their senses.

How can imagination and innovation be used effectively in developing a brand by engaging the emotions?

Marc Gob: People want their brands to surprise them, to wow them and show them the future. That is the reason why Apple is so successful, it makes us dream. Emotionally we gravitate towards progress, this is human nature and brands that understand that are winning in the market place.

What is the future of emotional branding in an internet based world?

Marc Gob: Emotional branding is about connecting brands with people and this is what the internet is all about connections! On line the most important word is sharing if an idea is not re-tweeted or shared on Facebook it has no value. Which means that the more emotional your message the most likely it will have an impact that exponentially can reach a lot of people. Some of the branded videos that you see on YouTube are reaching millions of people because they are worth sharing. This is the biggest ever opportunity for brands to create a powerful dialogue with consumers, to learn from them to innovate with them. The best research tool ever invented.

What is next for Marc Gob?

Marc Gob: I am doing a full feature documentary on Emotional Branding My favorites brands:

* Barak Obama because it broke a powerful barrier Race

* Coca Cola because it motivated me to come to America

* Twitter: @mgobe because it is transforming

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My book review of Emotional Branding: The New Paradigm for Connecting Brands to People – Revised Edition by Marc Gob.

Tags: Emotional Branding: The New Paradigm for Connecting Brands to People – Revised Edition, Marc Gob, branding and marketing, business author interviews.