Executive Connections LLC - Monthly Connections E-Zine

A Message From Jeff

Dear Friends,

Lately, I have been seeing several interesting articles (Business Week, Advertising Age) on “innovation" and on CEOs who have been chosen as the most innovative in their categories.

This sparked our theme this month: “Innovation: What Makes Innovative Leaders?" Essentially, innovative leaders change the rules of the game, or make up an entirely new game, where they can breakaway from the competition and define a new business with high profit and growth potential. At Executive Connections, we innovated three years ago by adding six months of transition coaching support for each and every executive we place. This has created a new, unique value proposition that differentiates our firm from all other executive search competitors. It also reinforces our commitment to build long-term strategic partnerships with both the organizations we serve and the executives we place.

How can you become a more innovative leader? What books should be on your reading list? What types of out-of-the-box strategic planning processes should you utilize? Read on for more information on innovation.

Jeff Gundersen, CEO
Executive Connections, LLC
jgundersen@executiveconnects.com
941-323-8300
Executive Search, Coaching & Consulting
http://www.executiveconnects.com

Innovation: What Makes Innovative Leaders?

“Making innovation work is the single most important business challenge of our era." These lofty words are the mission statement of Business Week’s new quarterly supplement: IN: Inside Innovation. Innovation is hot, and there is a growing body of thought and research suggesting that the ability to systematically innovate may be the only truly sustainable competitive advantage in a globalized economy. Read the article here.

Executive Connections CEO Luncheon

More than 60 senior-level executives attended our invitation-only 2nd Annual CEO Luncheon last week. Tom Harrison, Chairman and CEO of Diversified Agency Services (DAS), spoke about what it is going to take to be a successful leader and entrepreneur in the future. Look for a report on this in our October ezine.

“What an impressive event! Thank you so much for including me. It was great to see you and to meet the members of your organization. Tom was incredible."
<—attending exec

Need a Speaker?

For more speaking opportunities, please contact Jeff Gundersen at jeff@executiveconnects.com or Sandy Aldieri at sandy@executiveconnects.com.

Jeff’s Recommended Reading

Blue Ocean Strategy, by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne

Seeing What’s Next, by Clayton M. Christensen, Erik A. Roth and Scott D. Anthony—a theoretical framework for predicting change in industries

The Paradox of Choice, by Barry Schwartz—an exploration of how having too many choices, among products that are too similar, is exhausting rather than rewarding

Creating Breakthrough Products, by Jonathan Cagan and Craig M. Vogel—another attempt to build a theory of innovation, based on abundant case studies

Today's Quote

“There is no comparison between that which is lost by not succeeding and that which is lost by not trying."
—Francis Bacon (1561-1626 English philosopher)

If you would like to reprint this article in your ezine, blog or website, you have our permission to do so as long as it is accompanied by the following information:

Authors Jeff Gundersen and Lorraine White lead the team at Executive Connections LLC, an executive search and executive coaching and consulting firm, specializing in building and supporting powerful executive leaders in advertising, marketing communications, direct marketing/CRM/loyalty, digital marketing/e-commerce, financial services, healthcare and private equity financed companies.