Recent Reviews on Three of Our Best Speakers

In the past few weeks we've received rave reviews for three individuals worthy of dropping you a note about: former CIA and NSA director General Michael Hayden, former Kellogg's CEO and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, and Matthew Bishop, the American business editor of the Economist. With new ideas and new perspectives, all three speakers notably change the dynamics of a meeting.

General Michael Hayden is a riveting speaker-- thoughtful, provocative, and funny. His stories and anecdotes about his history in the intelligence community are fascinating, and offer relevant lessons for everyone in business today. He takes the audience on an engaging trip around the world, and whether exploring America's challenges and opportunities, revealing what it takes to manage and lead one of the most diverse and complex organizations in the world, or offering insight to what the years ahead will bring, General Hayden keeps the room hanging on every word.

Carlos Gutierrez, former CEO of Kellogg's, recently gave one of the best speeches on leadership and business lessons I have ever seen. He's had a storied career--the son of Cuban immigrants, he got his start by delivering cereal in Mexico before rising to become one of the country's most respected and successful CEOs. Gutierrez reveals that the greatest successes and failures of his career were really about leadership and people issues--hiring the right people, developing great teams, and communicating effectively. Perhaps what sets Gutierrez apart from many speakers is the length he goes to customize his speak. Each talk is uniquely prepared, increasing the take away and the connection with the audience.

Lastly, I was excited to hear Matthew Bishop, American business editor and New York bureau chief of The Economist. At a CEO breakfast in our DC offices, Bishop proved his breadth of knowledge on financial trends is second to none, and his insights on the path forward for industries, business, and the broad economy are thought provoking, bold, and a cause for optimism. Bishop's book, The Road From Ruin: How to Revive Capitalism and Put America Back on Top, is already getting a good bit of attention, and his profile is sure to rise upon its release on January 26.

These are only three of the newest speakers at Leading Authorities, but given the recent reviews, worthy of a note to you. Please don't hesitate to contact us to discuss how Leading Authorities can help you design your next great event. We are exited about working with you in 2010.

Matthew Bishop Follow-Up

For those of you that were unable to make it this morning, we hosted an interesting breakfast with Matthew Bishop. Matthew Bishop’s breadth of knowledge on financial trends was second to none, and his ability to clearly explain the historical context behind our current challenges was flawless. His book, The Road From Ruin: How to Revive Capitalism and Put America Back on Top, will be out January 26. If you would like a copy, please shoot me an email.

A quick recap of his 4 signposts to recovery:

• Create a new economic model based on the rational and realistic ways that people make decisions and institutions work.
• Fix global imbalances by getting away from the US dollar as the world reserve currency
• Put long-termism back into capitalism. Rethink fiduciary responsibility.
• Create a financially literate citizenship

His final thought:

“I worry that people are back to business as usual, thinking ‘we got away with it’. It’s a dangerous mode of denial. If we don’t update the capitalist system, we are going to regret it.”

If you were here this morning, I’m glad you were able to attend the discussion, and I’ll touch base in the next week or so. If not, I hope you can make it to our next event. If you are interested in more info on booking Matthew Bishop for your organization, or would like to hear more about our other speakers on the economy, please call me at (202) 721-7675.