Media bites

Stepping outside of the box

We Are The New Radicals

Julia Moulden is a new radical. She wants to help individuals and organizations find new ways to do good work and shows readers that they don’t have to be Al Gore, Richard Branson, or Warren Buffett to make the world a better place. In her new book, We Are The New Radicals, Moulden presents a new group of role models — men and women who have reinvented their work to provide more meaning, and make a difference in the world. The new radicals movement was launched in North America by baby boomers, but now includes people from every demographic around the world. Although their actions vary, they fall into three categories: Activists (working for non-profit), entrepreneurs (starting a new business), and innovators (an individual changing his/her field or organization). Moulden says anyone can become a new radical. “That’s one of the best parts of this movement. People from all walks of life and from around the world are becoming new radicals. In fact, while activists and entrepreneurs are getting all the attention, I think innovators are going to be the ones to watch; people who stay in their jobs and make change.”

By Julia Moulden. Published by McGraw-Hill Ryerson.

The Milkshake Moment

Growth expert and acclaimed speaker, Steven S. Little, thinks pointless procedures and ridiculous rules are holding organizations back from realizing their full potential. In his new book, The Milkshake Moment, Little makes a compelling case that companies need to get out of their way to achieve and sustain real growth. The book is built around a true story of Little’s difficulty ordering a milkshake from a hotel’s room service, despite all the ingredients being on hand. Little explains how well-intended systems meant to increase satisfaction can often produce the opposite effect for both customers and employees. The “milkshake moment” is that precise instant in which an organization’s individuals realize that they are allowed to do the right thing — to serve the interests of others in order to grow the organization, instead of following internal procedures that actually stifle growth. Little says there is no magic bullet, single policy, or simple rule for improving customer service. He urges companies to focus on growth by removing the self-imposed barriers that keep employees from truly delivering. Engage the organization, remove the systems, and milkshake moments become routine.

By Steven S. Little. Published by Wiley.

Value Creation: The Power of Brand Equity

In the book Value Creation, authors and marketing experts Bill Neal and Ron Strauss examine the power of company brands and argue that most top managers do not fully understand the role of their company’s brands or how to maximize the value of those brands. The authors present innovative solutions for creating and measuring brand value. Neal and Strauss believe that their solutions set “a new standard for leadership and management practices” in the 21st century that will benefit a company’s stakeholders. The authors call for a revolution in business management that refocuses decision making throughout an organization on what will improve a company’s brand asset value. Value Creation also provides a basic primer on brands for non-marketing people, explains how brand value is linked with marketing value, and uses real-world examples to illustrate how managers can turn strong brands into powerhouses of profitability, or mismanage them into disaster.

By Bill Neal and Ron Strauss. Published by Cengage Learning.

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