Business Bookshelf

Episode 135 of the Business Bookshelf - Colin Bryar - Author of "Working Backwards"

Today our guest is Colin Bryar.

Colin  joined Amazon in 1998 -- four years after its founding -- and spent the next 12 years as part of Amazon's senior leadership team as Amazon grew from a domestic (US-only) seller of books to a global, multi-dimensional powerhouse and innovator. Colin served as a Vice President at Amazon, and for two of his years he was "Chief of Staff" to Jeff Bezos, AKA "Jeff's shadow", during which he spent each day attending meetings, traveling with, and discussing business and life with Jeff. After Amazon, he and his family relocated to Singapore for two years where Colin served as Chief Operating Officer of e-commerce company RedMart, which was subsequently sold to Alibaba. Colin is co-founder of Working Backwards LLC where he coaches executives at both large and early-stage companies on how to implement the management practices developed at Amazon.

Colin is the co-author of the book “Working Backwards”.  Working Backwards is a practical guidebook and a corporate narrative, filled with the authors’ in-the-room recollections of what “Being Amazonian” is like and how it has affected their personal and professional lives. They demonstrate that success on Amazon’s scale is not achieved by the genius of any single leader, but rather through commitment to and execution of a set of well-defined, rigorously-executed principles and practices―shared here for the very first time.  The book can be purchased here - https://amzn.to/3mM0gmg.

Colin's company Working Backwards can be found here - www.workingbackwards.com.

The host is Lance Peppler and can be emailed at [email protected] or visit www.businessbookshelfpodcast.com.

Episode 134 of the Business Bookshelf - Douglas Kruger - Author of "How to Grow Rich: 50 Ways to Debunk Money Myths and Master Wealth"

Today our guest is Douglas Kruger.

Douglas is a member of the 'Speakers Hall of Fame,' an internationally renowned presenter and the author of 8 business books with Penguin.  He speaks globally on how businesses and brands can compete through innovation, and position themselves as industry experts.

I speak to Douglas today about his new book “How to Grow Rich: 50 Ways to Debunk Money Myths and Master Wealth”.  Over a billion people globally were lifted from extreme poverty between 2010 and 2020. This is an all-time record, both in outright numbers and per capita growth, constituting nothing short of an economic miracle. Yet the narrative about worsening hardships for the poor prevails, contrary to all evidence. Why? Few topics are more contentious than money. Yet when weighed against empirical data, most of us would be amazed to discover how embarrassingly wrong our assumptions are, and how badly they have impaired our capacity for growth.  How to Grow Rich identifies every bad idea about wealth and explains why we don’t have to accept them, and how each one of us can overcome these thought hurdles in order to prosper and grow rich. Start by getting the thinking right, and the money will follow.  The book can be purchased here.

Douglas's website can be found here - www.douglaskruger.com.

The host of the podcast is Lance Peppler.  Email him at [email protected] or visit www.ideastorm.co.za.

Episode 133 of the Business Bookshelf - David Horsager - Author of “Trusted Leader: 8 Pillars That Drive Results"

Today our guest is David Horsager.

David is the CEO of Trust Edge Leadership Institute, national bestselling author of The Trust Edge and The Daily Edge, inventor of the Enterprise Trust Index™, and director of one of the nation's foremost trust studies: The Trust Outlook™.

David is the author of the book “Trusted Leader: 8 Pillars That Drive Results”.  Without trust, people and businesses fail. Trusted Leader provides a framework for building trust so that you and your organizations can perform at your best.

David introduces readers to his Eight Pillars of Trust through the journey of a senior leader who thought success was certain. Follow CEO Ethan Parker as he discovers the power of trust and how to apply it amid the complexities of leadership, change, and culture transformation.

The Eight Pillars of Trust are based on David's original research and extensive experience working with Fortune 500 companies and top government agencies around the globe.  The book can be purchased here.

The website for Trust Edge Leadership Institute can be found here - https://trustedge.com.

The host of the podcast is Lance Peppler.  Email him at [email protected] or visit www.ideastorm.co.za.

Episode 132 of the Business Bookshelf - Dr David White - Author of “Disrupting Corporate Culture" - (This contains only the questions about the book)

Today our guest is Dr David White.

David is a partner and co-founder of Ontos Global, and a cognitive anthropologist focusing on new approaches to organizational culture and change based on the emerging science of the cultural mind. At Ontos Global he helps organizations manage and sustain transformation.

David is the author of “Disrupting Corporate Culture: How Cognitive Science Alters Accepted Beliefs About Culture and Culture Change and Its Impact on Leaders and Change Agents”.  This book bridges the gap between the latest research on cognitive science and culture, providing a valuable guide for change leaders, CEOs, and practitioners on how to sustainably work with and change this important resource.

It answers many of the major questions that have plagued culture work, such as:

The book can be purchased here.

The website for ONTOS Global can be found here - www.ontosglobal.com.

The host of the podcast is Lance Peppler.  Email him at [email protected] or visit www.ideastorm.co.za.

Episode 132 of the Business Bookshelf - Dr David White - Author of "Disrupting Corporate Culture" 

Today our guest is Dr David White.

David is a partner and co-founder of Ontos Global, and a cognitive anthropologist focusing on new approaches to organizational culture and change based on the emerging science of the cultural mind. At Ontos Global he helps organizations manage and sustain transformation.

David is the author of “Disrupting Corporate Culture: How Cognitive Science Alters Accepted Beliefs About Culture and Culture Change and Its Impact on Leaders and Change Agents”.  This book bridges the gap between the latest research on cognitive science and culture, providing a valuable guide for change leaders, CEOs, and practitioners on how to sustainably work with and change this important resource.

It answers many of the major questions that have plagued culture work, such as:

The book can be purchased here.

The website for ONTOS Global can be found here - www.ontosglobal.com.

The host of the podcast is Lance Peppler.  Email him at [email protected] or visit www.ideastorm.co.za.

Episode 131 of the Business Bookshelf - Lisa Koss - Author of “Leading for Learning" (This contains only the questions about the book).

Today our guest is Lisa Koss.

For more than 25 years, Lisa has been working at the intersection of individual, team and organizational transformation. As partner and co-founder of ONTOS Global, her passion is to support executive clients to dramatically increase their impact through increased self-awareness, resiliency, agility, and the capacity to act wisely and decisively through complex and uncertain times.

She is the author of the book “Leading for Learning”.  People do their best work when they are motivated. This may sound obvious, but while people managers instinctively agree with the centrality of motivation at work and its impact on employee engagement, their practices do not follow. With so much "real work" to do every day, how can managers also carve out time to learn, engage, build relationships, tap motivation, encourage development, and inspire?

The problem is a false dichotomy between the world of business and that of people development. What if managers were able to systematically transform everyday business issues into meaningful, developmental coaching opportunities with employees at the same time?

The book has a proven coaching approach to radically shift conversations away from either-or propositions and uses an entirely different lens: transforming business challenges by connecting them directly to employee motivation to achieve the desired business result while dramatically increasing employee engagement.  The book can be purchased here.

The website for ONTOS Global can be found here - www.ontosglobal.com.

The host of the podcast is Lance Peppler.  Email him at [email protected] or visit www.ideastorm.co.za.

Episode 131 of the Business Bookshelf - Lisa Koss - Author of “Leading for Learning".  

Today our guest is Lisa Koss.

For more than 25 years, Lisa has been working at the intersection of individual, team and organizational transformation. As partner and co-founder of ONTOS Global, her passion is to support executive clients to dramatically increase their impact through increased self-awareness, resiliency, agility, and the capacity to act wisely and decisively through complex and uncertain times.

She is the author of the book “Leading for Learning”.  People do their best work when they are motivated. This may sound obvious, but while people managers instinctively agree with the centrality of motivation at work and its impact on employee engagement, their practices do not follow. With so much "real work" to do every day, how can managers also carve out time to learn, engage, build relationships, tap motivation, encourage development, and inspire?

The problem is a false dichotomy between the world of business and that of people development. What if managers were able to systematically transform everyday business issues into meaningful, developmental coaching opportunities with employees at the same time?

The book has a proven coaching approach to radically shift conversations away from either-or propositions and uses an entirely different lens: transforming business challenges by connecting them directly to employee motivation to achieve the desired business result while dramatically increasing employee engagement.  The book can be purchased here.

The website for ONTOS Global can be found here - www.ontosglobal.com.

The host of the podcast is Lance Peppler.  Email him at [email protected] or visit www.ideastorm.co.za.

Episode 130 of the Business Bookshelf - Ron Coury - Author of “Tenacity"

Today our guest is Ron Coury.

Ron is the author of Tenacity which tells the gripping true story of how Ron Coury, a Las Vegas businessman, Marine and former Brooklynite survived corruption and cancer to achieve the American Dream. The aptly-titled memoir focuses on the determination necessary to overcome any and all unjust obstacles that may stand in the way of one’s dreams.

Tenacity chronicles the evolution of the natural-born entrepreneur, a major business figure in Las Vegas for decades. As Coury climbed the ladder toward success, he faced a barrage of constraints including political and police corruption, bribery, coercion and even death threats. Along the way, he also had a couple of offers to settle matters discreetly, with a few well-placed bullets. His choices would have life altering consequences for many.  The book can be purchased here.

The website for the book can be found here www.roncouryauthor.com.

The host of the podcast is Lance Peppler.  Email him at [email protected] or visit www.ideastorm.co.za.

Episode 129 of the Business Bookshelf - Dr Garth Japhet - Author of "Like Water is for Fish: The Power of Story in our Lives"

Today our guest is Dr Garth Japhet

As a young boy, Garth found his life radically shaped by the Jungle Doctor series of books. The stories so enthralled him that, against all advice, he set his heart on medicine. He could see his future – with a backdrop of savannas, golden sunsets, adventure and accolades – as a romantic figure, a healer, a hero.

This fantasy sustained Garth through the challenges of medical training, but finally he arrived. He was Dr Japhet, living the dream. Except the dream was a nightmare. The reality of medicine was not the life he had hoped for. There were times when he cursed the power of the story that had so completely messed up his life. Having struggled with anxiety most of his life, he was catapulted into a deep depression.

And then it happened. Garth stumbled upon the healing power of story – fictional, factual and his own. What magic was at work here? If stories had changed him, could he use story to change others? This question set him on the journey described in Like Water is for Fish; a journey that led to Garth co-founding Soul City and Heartlines, and to an understanding that story, in its multiple forms, is as essential for our lives as water is for fish.  The book can be purchased here.

The website for Garth's company is called Heartlines and can be found here - www.heartlines.org.za.

The host of the podcast is Lance Peppler.  Email him at [email protected] or visit www.ideastorm.co.za.

Episode 128 of the Business Bookshelf - Jon Isaacson - Co-author of "Be Intentional Culture"

Today our guest is Jon Isaacson.

Jon, The Intentional Restorer, is an author and host of The DYOJO Podcast.

Jon speaks, writes, and coaches through his organization The DYOJO helping the skilled trades to shorten their DANG learning curve for personal and professional development.

Jon is the co-author of the book “Be Intentional Culture: How the Small Things Enhance or Undermine Your Culture”.   In business, the question with regards to culture is not whether your organization has a culture. The question you should be asking is whether your culture has evolved by chance or because you have been intentional in developing it.  If your goal is to have a healthy and thriving team, culture is the means through which you care for your organization.  The book can be purchased here.

Jon's website can be found at www.thedyojo.com.

The host of the podcast is Lance Peppler.  Email him at [email protected] or visit www.ideastorm.co.za.