Anita Dunn and Andy Stern

I thought you might be interested in two recent additions to our roster, Anita Dunn and Andy Stern.  Both are acclaimed Democratic leaders and both are uniquely qualified to offer insights into the Obama Administration, the strategy for Democrats in 2010, and key hot-button issues such as fiscal policy, immigration reform, and health care policy. 

Anita Dunn was tapped by President Obama as White House Communications Director and played an instrumental role on health care reform. She was also one of President Obama's top five advisors during the 2008 election campaign. 

In a recent visit to our office, Dunn shared her insights on the Administration's priorities, the crucial role of new media in politics, and the 2010 elections. The fact that British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has engaged her to advise the Conservative Party in its re-election campaign speaks volumes about her reputation as one of the most astute political minds.

I am also very excited that SEIU Former President Andy Stern, one of the principal players in the Obama Presidential Campaign, and a major force in Washington politics, has joined Leading Authorities as an exclusive speaker. The April 25, 2010 BusinessWeek says this of Stern:

The results of his strong leadership will be felt even by Americans who have never belonged to a union. Stern was the most frequent outside visitor to the White House in the first six months of President Obama's tenure. Administration officials say he helped shape the strategy that ultimately won passage of the health care overhaul legislation. 

During his 14 years atop the SEIU, Stern turned it into a potent political force. He used its might to shape policy and ultimately help determine the outcome of the 2008 elections.

It will be a long time before the labor movement produces another leader as far-seeing as Andrew L. Stern.

Last month President Obama appointed Andy Stern as a member of the President's Fiscal Commission, along with Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles. The Commission is designed to tackle the issue of America's mounting debt.

Both Anita Dunn and Andy Stern provide valuable opportunities for associations and businesses to get better insights on the Administration, Labor Movement, and the Democratic Party. And both are exclusively represented by Leading Authorities, Inc. 

We will be arranging speeches for both Anita Dunn and Andy Stern individually, and will also pair them with prominent Republicans. Please drop me a note if you have an interest in either one for a 2010 meeting.

AG Lafley's Message on Sustainable Growth

Last week I had the opportunity to see AG Lafley, the former chairman, president, and CEO of Procter & Gamble, give a speech on the "Seven Drivers for Sustainable Growth." It was one of the best business presentations I have seen, and I wanted to share the substance of his message. Here are excerpts from my notes:

In his talk, Lafley says that "sustainable growth" is the greatest challenge of any company. It can only be achieved through innovation and by setting and creating goals, strategies, structures, systems, leadership, culture, purpose, and values to support it.

At P&G, AG Lafley and his team made a strategic decision that the only growth the company would focus on was growth that was centered on the customer. When Lafley returned from running P&G's Asia business in the late 1990's, the company's corporate culture had turned inward.  Management was too focused on their phones, blackberries, and computers and was not connecting with consumers. Lafley changed this dynamic, by getting P&Gers out to see customers more often and by bringing more customers in for visits at P&G's headquarters in Cincinnati. 

Lafley spoke about the importance of culture in creating a productive environment at P&G. This meant being more externally focused--more open, curious, and collaborative. And it meant being proactive about change.  "We don't want you to just recognize change, we want you to embrace it," says Lafley.

Getting your people to embrace change and offer new ideas is crucial. "The ideas are there for improving your service and operations." Interestingly, P&G does not pay for employee ideas. It offers powerful recognition, including better job assignments and more interesting work. According to Lafley, "we celebrate our successes and we celebrate our failures that we learn from." 

Values are a critical component of P&G's success in achieving sustained growth. Lafley states the mission of P&G is to improve people's every day lives. "We are not just going to work to make a profit.  We are going to work to make people's lives better. That inspires people," says Lafley. 

Whether your organization has stated values or not, "it has values," according to Lafley. At P&G, the values are integrity, trust that everybody will do their job, leadership, ownership, and a passion for winning. The company recruits the best players who are both individual and team players. If you are just a singles tennis player, he says, "don't come to work for P&G."

P&G plays from its strengths. It has a concept called "CORE" that identifies which of its businesses has the potential to be a global leader. In so doing, it makes tough decisions about divesting businesses that don't match this criteria. For example, in the early part of this decade, P&G divested some of its food and beverage businesses, including the Jiffy peanut butter brand which was grossing $350 million annually. Lafley says they made this decision because "only Americans eat peanut butter and they only eat it during recessions!  It had limited growth opportunities" and was not a strategic fit for P&G's global business.

Lafley talks about the need to innovate and change, particularly in slow-growing markets. "Change is the only thing you can count on in the world," says Lafley. It is volatile, unexpected, and disruptive. According to Lafley, you can ignore change, you can react to change, or you can anticipate change--identifying the opportunities, and positioning your company to take advantage of it.

"Change is coming," says Lafley, and organizations need to be externally focused to anticipate and respond effectively. The toughest thing is to influence people in middle management and some at the top, because they are invested in the status quo. "But," he says, "Sustainable growth depends upon it."

 If you have an interest in bringing AG Lafley to your next meeting, please drop me a note at saul@lauthorities.com or a call at (202) 721-7675.

Quick Update on Association Case Studies/Video Communication

I wanted to reach out and share some information about ways we are helping major trade groups create cost-effective video and webcast services to communicate with members and key constituencies. 

In the last three months, Leading Authorities' studios have been used by organizations like the American Association of Collegiate Registrars, American Beverage Association, America's Health Insurance Plans, the International Dairy Foods Association, the National Association of Health Underwriters, the Society of American Military Engineers, US Travel Association, and YWCA, to name a few, to create the following types of programs:

-Video programs featuring panels of experts on key issues such as health care
-Video messages to members to be streamed on association websites
-Grassroots/PAC video programs to encourage member participation
-Promotional videos to highlight association meetings and build attendance
-Video updates to key constituencies
-Award videos
-Virtual symposiums/conferences
-Live and archived educational programs (webcast and archived)

Leading Authorities' studio has Vyvx, a service which provides the capacity for high quality webcasts and even satellite broadcasts.  We also have an award-winning production and editing team which has been recognized for its work by receiving a large number of Telly Awards, the "Emmy" of commercial video production. Check out our video production and studio capabilities links for more details.

In a "YouTube" world, associations are increasingly recognizing the importance and value of video content on their websites, at their events, and in their ongoing communications with members. 

If you are interested in a cost-effective solution to creating award-winning video programs for your members, I invite you to visit our facilities for a briefing and tour.  Just drop me a note and we can easily make arrangements. 

 

Governor Jon Corzine -- New LAI Exclusive!

Leading Authorities is pleased to announce that Governor Jon Corzine, former chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs, and former Senator and Governor from New Jersey, is now available for speaking engagements. Corzine is one of the sharpest minds out there on fiscal policy, and is the rare speaker with direct insight on Wall Street, Washington, and state government. He is currently the chairman and CEO of MF Global Holdings and an operating partner at J.C. Flowers & Co.

Exclusively represented by Leading Authorities, Corzine is a veteran of the Senate banking committee. At a recent client event, the audience was eager for his insight on the proposed bill that will transform the regulation of financial markets, and his behind the scenes take on Goldman Sachs, the most successful financial company in the world. He is an excellent choice for any organization looking for answers on the crucial issues of the day, including job creation, the stimulus, financial reform, and health care.

If you are interested in booking Jon Corzine for your event, call me at (202) 721-7675 and I'll help you secure the date.