Creating Business Magic

Three experts from the worlds of magic and business strategy share the secrets to conjuring innovation and shattering expectations. Your organization may employ hundreds, even thousands. You may be experiencing growth and hitting your revenue targets. But unless you are creating magic for your customers—like Disney, Apple, and Amazon—you are not the innovation leader you need to be in today’s marketplace. In Creating Business Magic, a corporate strategist, a former acting CIA director, and a world-renowned magician share their secrets to success. Each chapter opens with a legendary magic act—from Harry Houdini to Pen and Teller—and explores how the same principles and techniques can be deployed to create a fertile environment for disruptive innovation and propel a company light years ahead of the competition. "The authors illuminate the power of perception, ways to innovate, to think out of the box, break down conceptual barriers, and finally bring out the magician inside all of us.” —from the introduction by David Copperfied

Three experts from the worlds of magic and business strategy share the secrets to conjuring innovation and shattering expectations. Your organization may employ hundreds, even thousands. You may be experiencing growth and hitting your revenue targets. But unless you are creating magic for your customers—like Disney, Apple, and Amazon—you are not the innovation leader you need to be in today’s marketplace. In Creating Business Magic, a corporate strategist, a former acting CIA director, and a world-renowned magician share their secrets to success. Each chapter opens with a legendary magic act—from Harry Houdini to Pen and Teller—and explores how the same principles and techniques can be deployed to create a fertile environment for disruptive innovation and propel a company light years ahead of the competition. "The authors illuminate the power of perception, ways to innovate, to think out of the box, break down conceptual barriers, and finally bring out the magician inside all of us.” —from the introduction by David Copperfied

“It’s not the magic that makes it work; it’s the way we work that makes it magic.” The secret for creating “magic” in our careers, our organizations, and our lives is simple: outstanding leadership—the kind that inspires employees, delights customers, and achieves extraordinary business results. No one knows more about this kind of leadership than Lee Cockerell, the man who ran Walt Disney World® Resort operations for over a decade. And in Creating Magic, he shares the leadership principles that not only guided his own journey from a poor farm boy in Oklahoma to the head of operations for a multibillion dollar enterprise, but that also soon came to form the cultural bedrock of the world’s number one vacation destination. But as Lee demonstrates, great leadership isn’t about mastering impossibly complex management theories. We can all become outstanding leaders by following the ten practical, common sense strategies outlined in this remarkable book. As straightforward as they are profound, these leadership lessons include: Everyone is important. Make your people your brand. Burn the free fuel: appreciation, recognition, and encouragement. Give people a purpose, not just a job. Combining surprising business wisdom with insightful and entertaining stories from Lee’s four decades on the front lines of some of the world’s best-run companies, Creating Magic shows all of us – from small business owners to managers at every level – how to become better leaders by infusing quality, character, courage, enthusiasm, and integrity into our workplace and into our lives.

Take a 60-day journey to self-love, healing and manifesting your best life. The affirmations, penned by the modern day mompreneur, wife, and small business owner - Nikki B - are thought provoking, motivational and empowering. This book will encourage you to dig deep inside of yourself, teaching you to appreciate and nurture your soul and your life. Through the tools and guidance provided daily, you can tap into the divine being that exists within you as you are called into action to create and manifest the life that you deserve and desire.

“This is a powerful book—tiny is mighty. Sharon Rowe's simple shift in thinking is a profound idea, precisely what we need to hear.” —Seth Godin, author of Linchpin Too many of us feel trapped by work that keeps us from living our purpose. We fantasize about starting our own business, yet we're warned against falling into debt, working eighty hours a week, and coping with the pressure to grow. Eco-Bags Products founder Sharon Rowe says there's another way: go tiny. Like a tiny house, a tiny business is built on maintaining a laser focus on what is essential by living an intentional life. As an entrepreneur and mother, Rowe is most concerned with putting family first, maintaining financial security, and doing something that makes an impact in the world. Using the success story of Eco-Bags Products, Rowe distills the step-by-step process of building a profitable, right-scaled, sustainable venture that doesn't compromise your values. She shows you how to test your concept, manage your money and priorities, and more, while staying true to the "tiny" ethos.

A digital-culture expert who writes for The New York Times Magazine discusses the logic, aesthetics, cultural potential and societal impact of the Internet, a medium that favors speed, accuracy, wit, prolificacy and versatility."

A guide to putting cognitive diversity to work Ever wonder what it is that makes two people click or clash? Or why some groups excel while others fumble? Or how you, as a leader, can make or break team potential? Business Chemistry holds the answers. Based on extensive research and analytics, plus years of proven success in the field, the Business Chemistry framework provides a simple yet powerful way to identify meaningful differences between people’s working styles. Who seeks possibilities and who seeks stability? Who values challenge and who values connection? Business Chemistry will help you grasp where others are coming from, appreciate the value they bring, and determine what they need in order to excel. It offers practical ways to be more effective as an individual and as a leader. Imagine you had a more in-depth understanding of yourself and why you thrive in some work environments and flounder in others. Suppose you had a clearer view on what to do about it so that you could always perform at your best. Imagine you had more insight into what makes people tick and what ticks them off, how some interactions unlock potential while others shut people down. Suppose you could gain people’s trust, influence them, motivate them, and get the very most out of your work relationships. Imagine you knew how to create a work environment where all types of people excel, even if they have conflicting perspectives, preferences and needs. Suppose you could activate the potential benefits of diversity on your teams and in your organizations, improving collaboration to achieve the group’s collective potential. Business Chemistry offers all of this--you don’t have to leave it up to chance, and you shouldn’t. Let this book guide you in creating great chemistry!