Leadership
Walther Leisler Kiep is one of the most independent and influential German post-war politicians. He is also a successful entrepreneur and longtime chairman of Atlantik-Brücke, the influential German-American friendship organization, which he now serves as honorary chairman.
In his autobiography, Kiep speaks frankly about a life at the center of power: as an independent politician and treasurer of the governing CDU party from 1970 to 1991, who did not shrink from conflict with party leaders Helmut Kohl and Franz Josef Strauss; as Minister of Finance in Lower Saxony; as a longtime member of the Volkswagen Supervisory board for 21 years; and as an ambassador for German-American relations, and confidant of several US presidents. As well as presenting an inside history of the relationship between Germany and the United States, the book sheds particular light on the struggle for German unification and that country’s complex relationship with the Middle East.
"One of Germany’s most distinguished statesmen, Dr. Walther Leisler Kiep has come to personify the commitment of postwar German leaders to close German-American relations. It was a distinct pleasure for me to collaborate with Walther, and I deeply valued his wise counsel. Through his ongoing passionate and persistent contributions as a leading foreign policy voice in Germany and as longtime chairman of Atlantik-Bruecke, Dr. Kiep has played an extraordinary role in building trust and mutual understanding between our two countries. His memoir is an invaluable addition to our understanding of international diplomacy."—Lee H. Hamilton, former Congressman and Co-Chair of the 9/11 Commission, former Director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and presently Director of the Center on Congress at Indiana University
“Kiep is an entertaining storyteller, and he shows a good sense of narrative pace. His memoirs are also of immediate relevance for scholars of international history. Over the past decade, historians have been eager to uncover the activities of ‘transnational,’ nongovernmental actors, as opposed to formal government-to-government relations. From this standpoint, Kiep’s wide-ranging activities as a diplomatic and financial troubleshooter are illuminating,”—William Glenn Gray, Purdue University.
How do you turn your dreams into reality? How do you make things happen for you, rather than let things happen to you? Don’t be humble about who you are and what you are capable of. Stand tall and stand out. Be known. Be recognized as a leader, and most of all, know you are a leader,” is Susan Bulkeley Butler's call to action for her readers to take responsibility for their lives.
In this updated second edition of the best-selling Become the CEO of You, Inc., Susan has provided strategies for improving your life and new techniques for advancing your career. The book is focused around her “Make it Happen” model, which is based on three decades of experience working with Fortune 500 companies. The steps include: Develop a clear aspiration for You, Inc.; build your board of directors; develop your plan to make your aspiration happen; and navigate your day-to-day journey.
The second edition is completely revised and includes new topics such as: The importance of executive coaching; developing your image in today’s world; taking a long-term view of your life and career; new opportunities for balancing career and family; use of social networking techniques . . . the good, bad and ugly; and preparing for promotion.
Advocates that the only elements that count in any enterprise are the quality of the leadership and the quality of the people, and that it is the task of the leaders to create the environment in which all people are energized to work together for the benefit of the enterprise and themselves.
The authors--academics and military men--cite examples throughout military history, including quotes, stories, and diagrams, that teach important lessons for business leaders. Their central theory is that an interacting environment sets typical conditions in which an organization and its strategy will succeed. Critical factors supporting this theory are explained in chapters covering the environment, organization, and strategy in the planning stage, and communication, action, and results in the execution phase. The appendix reviews military-business maxims, which include looking at the big picture first, looking for what causes change, being ready to deal with the worst, making sure the mission is clear, assigning objectives and not actions, and learning from everyone else. The final admonition is to learn why we make a mistake and how to avoid it next time. While the linkage of military and business performance is not a new concept, the authors' presentation in story form enhances traditional concepts to make them relevant and applicable to modern managers.
Paul Harris Stores did exactly what it was supposed to. It brought fashion, comfort, style, and functionality to millions of women in the Midwest. Paul Harris' run of 50 years is remarkable because so few retail stores make it that long and so few make it so big. His life and experiences tell readers much about U.S. culture, retail history, and a brand of entrepreneurship that appears to be making a comeback.
Throughout history, women have struggled to change the workplace, change government, change society. So what’s next? It’s time for women to change the world! Whether on the job, in politics, or in their community, there has never been a better time for women to make a difference in the world, contends author, mentor, and corporate pioneer Susan Bulkeley Butler in Women Count: A Guide to Changing the World.
Through her experience as the first female partner of a major consulting firm and founder of the Susan Bulkeley Butler Institute for the Development of Women Leaders, Butler’s unique insights have changed the lives of countless women. In Women Count, she shows readers how to change the world through a series of inspiring case studies that chronicle how she and other pioneering women in a range of fields have done so in years past. Women represent half of the country’s population, half of the country’s college graduates, and around 50 percent of the country’s workforce. Butler envisions a day when they will also make up their fair share of elected and appointed positions, including in corporate boardrooms.
Amid financial meltdowns, wars, and societal struggles, never before has the world so greatly needed the unique abilities of women to lead the way. But as history has shown, to make change, women must step into their power and become “women who count,” Butler contends. Then and only then, she argues, can women truly change the world.