Samuel Betances – Diversity Awareness, Leadership Development & Cultural Competencies

April 29, 2011 in Diversity Speakers, Leadership speakers, Motivational Speakers, Speaker for Education Groups, Speakers for Business Groups

“I do not know where to begin: Fantastic! Outstanding! Informative! Enjoyable! We have heard from many speakers over the years and I can say without question you were the most informative and enjoyable,” said a corporate client about one of the leading motivational speakers in America today, Dr. Samuel Betances.

As a biracial, bicultural, and bilingual citizen of the world, Dr. Betances has worked in all fifty states, all six U.S. territories and in various countries including Japan, Korea, Germany and Mexico.  He inspires willing learners to aim high, reject rejection and embrace themselves and each other as powerful team members working toward a more prosperous future.

Decades of university teaching, publishing articles and consultantships with private and public organizations bring to each event a breadth and depth of understanding on how we must make sense of differences. His newly released educational book/tape series Ten Steps to the Head of the Class has been outstandingly received by audiences everywhere.  Dr. Betances challenges and motivates clients in Fortune 500 companies, governmental agencies, community groups, community colleges, universities, lecture series and commencement events.  New, non-sexist and balanced systems, which will not benefit any one group at the expense of another, can only emerge when white males and non-traditional groups work together.  He brings audiences to their feet in women’s issues forums, African-American historical month activities, Hispanic events and celebrations on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to name but a few.  He challenges negative mindsets with his problem solving methodology and extensive grasp of issues.  Dr. Betances has merged eloquence and teaching skills to deliver his powerful message with conviction: “It matters less where we are from; what really matters is where we are going.  Accept our diversity. Embrace it. Make it work for you. Harness the rainbow.”

This great motivator was not supposed to make it. Out of the bowels of inner city poverty, stigma of minority group status, violence, welfare and illiteracy in two languages, he arose.  With strong spiritual convictions and a passion for reading, Samuel Betances has taken the hard lessons from the mean streets of life and reshaped them into his personal vision. He embarked on a journey from dropping out of school to a Doctorate from Harvard University. Today, America’s foremost communicator on the challenge of casting away barriers to success is an honored Professor Emeritus, a consultant to U.S. Presidents, CEOs, managers, community groups, clergy members, educators, and a role model for youth.

Dr. Betances is a superb workshop leader. His style is to guide a highly interactive, inclusive, fun and spirited search for solutions. Sessions are customized to fit clients’ needs. Group exercises and interventions are geared at removing the formal and informal barriers which impede the goals of the organization.

His success at bringing cultures together has earned him many awards. Much more than a lecturer, Dr. Betances works to help others learn the importance of pulling cultures together as a way of bringing America back to the top in education, business, and society in general. As he puts it, “Our mission is to make America stronger, healthier and freer than when we found her.”

Click here to learn more about Samuel Betances

Bruce Tulgan of RainMaker Thinking

April 28, 2011 in Leadership speakers, Speakers for Business Groups

Bruce Tulgan is internationally recognized as the leading expert on young people in the workplace and one of the leading experts on leadership and management. Bruce is a best-selling author, an adviser to business leaders all over the world, and a sought-after keynote speaker and management trainer.

Since 1995, Bruce has worked with tens of thousands of leaders and managers in hundreds of organizations ranging from Aetna to Wal-Mart; from the Army to the YMCA. He has been called “the new Tom Peters” by many who have seen him speak. In recent years, Bruce was named by Management Today as one of the few contemporary figures to stand out as a “management guru” and he was named to the 2009 Thinkers 50 rising star list (the Thinkers 50 is the definitive global ranking of the world’s top 50 business thinkers). And on August 13, 2009, Bruce was honored to accept Toastmasters International’s most prestigious honor, the Golden Gavel. This honor is annually presented to a single person who represents excellence in the fields of communication and leadership. Past winners have included Marcus Buckingham, Stephen Covey, Zig Ziglar, Deepak Chopra, Tony Robbins, Ken Blanchard, Tom Peters, Art Linkletter, Dr. Joyce Brothers, and Walter Cronkite.

Bruce’s newest book is IT’S OKAY TO MANAGE YOUR BOSS (Jossey-Bass, September 14, 2010). He is also the author of the recent best-seller IT’S OKAY TO BE THE BOSS (HarperCollins, 2007) and the classic MANAGING GENERATION X (W.W. Norton, 2000; first published in 1995). Bruce’s other books include WINNING THE TALENT WARS (W.W. Norton, 2001), which received widespread acclaim from Fortune 500 CEOs and business journalists; the best-seller FAST FEEDBACK (HRD Press, 1998); NOT EVERYONE GETS A TROPHY: HOW TO MANAGE GENERATION Y (Jossey-Bass, 2009); and MANAGING THE GENERATION MIX (HRD Press, 2006). Many of Bruce’s works have been published around the world in foreign editions.

Bruce writes a regular online column for The New York Daily News and his writing appears regularly in human resources, staffing and management journals. His writing has also appeared in dozens of magazines and newspapers, including the Harvard Business Review, BusinessWeek, HR Magazine, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and USA Today. As well, his work has been the subject of thousands of news stories around the world.

Before founding RainmakerThinking in 1993, Bruce practiced law at the Wall Street firm of Carter, Ledyard & Milburn. He graduated with high honors from Amherst College, received his law degree from the New York University School of Law, and is still a member of the Bar in Massachusetts and New York. Bruce continues his lifelong study of Okinawan Uechi Ryu Karate Do and holds a fourth degree black belt. He lives in New Haven, Connecticut with his wife Debby Applegate, Ph.D., who won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Biography for her book THE MOST FAMOUS MAN IN AMERICA: THE BIOGRAPHY OF HENRY WARD BEECHER.

Topics Incluce:
BACK TO BASICS MANAGEMENT
It’s Okay to Be the Boss™: The Step by Step Guide to Becoming the Manager Your Employees Need

ADVANCED BACK TO BASICS MANAGEMENT
It’s Okay to Be the Boss™, the Next Steps: Focus on the More Difficult Cases

BACK TO BASICS BOSS MANAGEMENT
It’s Okay to Manage Your Boss™: The Step-by-Step Program for Making the Best of Your Most Important Relationship at Work

LEVERAGING GENERATIONAL DIFFERENCES
Managing the Generation Mix™: Focus on All Four Generations

BRINGING OUT THE BEST IN YOUNG TALENT
Not Everyone Gets a Trophy™: How to Manage Generation Y

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
New Leaders: Developing the Next Generation

HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT
Winning the Talent Wars®: Staffing Strategy, Recruiting, Rewarding, and Retaining

Click here to learn more about Bruce Tulgan

Jeffrey Rosensweig on Financial, and Demographic Trends Impacting Business Strategy

April 27, 2011 in Economy Speakers, Speakers for Business Groups

Jeffrey Rosensweig is the Director of the Global Perspectives Program at Goizueta Business School of Emory University. Previously, he served as Associate Dean for Corporate Relations during a six year tenure. An international finance professor, his research, teaching, and consulting focus is business in the global economy. He also specializes in financial, macroeconomic, and business forecasting. He is selected annually as the global-investing keynoter at Wharton’s Securities Industry Institute. Dr. Rosensweig was selected in 1995 as the first Academic Advisor for the Society of International Business Fellows. He was named one of “America’s Young Leaders” in 1996 by the Swiss-American Foundation. In January 2000, Dr. Rosensweig was elected to the Council on Foreign Relations. Elected by the faculty in 1996, Dr. Rosensweig continues to serve as Chairman of Emory University’s Center for Ethics.

Dr. Rosensweig is frequently quoted in the national business press on economic, exchange rate, international trade and investment, finance and global investing topics. He has appeared nationally on the “NBC TODAY SHOW”, “NBC National NIGHTLY NEWS”, “ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT” and “GOOD MORNING AMERICA”, and is a frequent economic commentator on CNN and CNN “Headline News”. His books include Winning the Global Game: A Strategy for Linking People and Profits, which received critical acclaim and Age Smart.

Jeff served as senior global economist in the Research Department of the Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank. Other previous experience includes serving as an economic consultant to the Government of Jamaica, teaching international finance at Yale University’s School of Management, and lecturing as a guest professor at Johannes Kepler University in Linz, Austria. Prof. Rosensweig’s passion is helping others gain economic and educational empowerment. Charitable organizations that he helps develop, as a keynote speaker and/or board member, include MAP International, CARE, Odyssey, and Project Destiny, as well as various economic development groups. He has also been the Pack Leader for a multicultural group of over 100 Cub Scouts.

“Never underestimate the power of the human spirit and the ability we each have to control our own minds and think positive thoughts even in the most adverse circumstances.” Jeffrey Alan Rosensweig

Global Economic, Financial, and Demographic Trends Impacting Business Strategy: Business executives looking to grow are bombarded with reports on the world’s emerging markets and the need to globalize. Powerful forces are helping populous nations increasingly impact the global economy. Rosensweig will help to separate fact from fiction, portraying the trends that should guide a successful growth strategy.

Click here to learn more about Jeff Rosensweig

Booking Keynote Speakers is Our Game!

April 26, 2011 in Uncategorized

The Collaborative Agency Group is dedicated to providing the best keynote speakers for Corporate, Associations and Lecture Series events.

In the last month we have either booked or had speak for a C.A.G. clietn the following speakers:

Jill Bolte Taylor

Ram Charan

David Pogue

Barbara Corcoran

Wes Moore

Quentin Hardy

James Mapes

Ted Fishman

Cam Marston

Kim Strassell

Patti Solis Doyle

Lorene Cary

Bill Rancic

Click here to learn more about The Collaborative Agency Group, or call us at 617-243-3889

Roy Firestone – Critically acclaimed as a performer, monologist, humorist, musician and impressionist,

April 25, 2011 in Entertainment, Humorist Speakers, Motivational Speakers, Unique Ideas

Critically acclaimed as a performer, monologist, humorist, musician and impressionist, Roy Firestone is one of the nation’s most sought after live corporate performers, keynote speakers and lecturers.

Firestone has performed in more than two thousand venues spanning two decades.  He recently shared the stage with performers Josh Groban, Reba McEntire, David Foster, Forrest Whitaker and Jon Bon Jovi.

As an actor, Firestone was featured in the Academy Award-winning film, Jerry Maguire, where he played himself in an unforgettable (and often repeated) scene with Academy Award-winner Cuba Gooding Jr.

His numerous television credits include Everybody Loves Raymond and Married with Children.  Fans of The Simpsonsremember him as the voice of ‘Bart Starr.’ No stranger to talk shows, Firestone’s appearances include Late Night with David LettermanLater with Bob CostasLarry King Live and The Tonight Show.

Firestone is also an accomplished musical vocalist.  He recently released his first CD, Another Voice, produced and backed by Grammy Award-winning fusion band, Hiroshima.

Click here to learn more about Roy Firestone

Jon Gordon is a speaker, consultant and author of the international best seller The Energy Bu

April 21, 2011 in Leadership speakers, Motivational Speakers, Speakers for Business Groups

Jon Gordon is a speaker, consultant and author of the international best seller The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work and Team with Positive Energy, The No Complaining Rule: Positive Ways to Deal with Negativity at Work, and Training Camp: What the Best do Better than Everyone Else. Jon’s latest book, The Shark and The Goldfish: Positive Ways to Thrive During Waves of Change, is now available.

The message in Jon’s books and speaking presentations is such that NFL coaches such as Jack Del Rio, Mike Smith, the PGA Tour and the FBI have called on Jon to inspire and benefit their teams. Jon and his books have been featured on CNN, NBC’s Today Show and in Forbes, Fast Company, O Magazine, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. Clients such as The Atlanta Falcons, Campbell Soup, Northwestern Mutual, Publix Super Markets and JP Morgan Chase also call on Jon to bring out the best in their leaders and teams.

Jon is a graduate of Cornell University and holds a masters in teaching from Emory University. When he’s not speaking to businesses or schools, you can find him playing lacrosse or basketball with his wife and two “high energy” children.

The Energy Bus:
10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy Based on his international best-selling book, The Energy Bus, Jon Gordon presents a powerful roadmap to overcome common life and work obstacles and bring out the best in yourself and your team. Everyone faces challenges and every person, organization, company and team will have to overcome negativity and adversity to define themselves and create their success. Whether you are a leader looking to build a positive culture, a manager trying to energize and engage your team, or someone who desires to enhance your productivity and performance this talk will help you create more success and enjoy the ride of your life.

The No Complaining Rule:
Positive Ways to Deal with Negativity at Work In this inspiring and timely talk Jon reveals a powerful way to tackle the biggest problem in business and life today… negativity. It costs organizations billions of dollars and impacts the morale, productivity and health of individuals and teams. Based on an actual company that created and implemented The No Complaining Rule, Jon shares innovative ideas and practical strategies to develop positive leaders, organizations and teams. For managers, team leaders or anyone looking to turn negative energy into positive solutions, Jon shares powerful principles and an actionable plan to win the battle against individual and organizational negativity. When you implement The No Complaining Rule you’ll spend less time and energy on problems and more time focused on solutions.

Training Camp:
What the Best do Better than Everyone Else Have you ever wondered what makes someone great in their field of work? Based on his work with professional sports teams, world-class organizations, and interviews with top professionals in a wide variety of fields, Jon Gordon discovered that the best of the best share a number of similar characteristics. There is a formula for success. There are habits that the best do that others don’t and things that they do better than everyone else. There is a way that the best of the best approach their life and work and craft that differentiates themselves from others. This formula is predictable, repeatable and a process anyone can follow. In this inspirational keynote Jon shares invaluable wisdom, deep insights and proven strategies on what it takes to bring out the best in yourself and your team. Whether you play sports or the piano or work with numbers, a computer or a scalpel, these lessons apply to everyone who must climb the mountain before reaching its peak.

The Shark and the Goldfish:
Positive Ways to Thrive During Waves of Change Now more than ever change and uncertainty are a part of daily work and life. During changing times, it’s easy to worry, give up, and let fear paralyze you. However, you and your team have more control than you think you do, and how you handle change is your choice—the only choice that matters. You can allow the waves of change to crush you or you can learn to ride them to a successful future. Based on his latest book The Shark and the Goldfish Jon presents a proven 4 step model packed with tips and strategies to help you and your team thrive during waves change.

Click here to learn more about Jon Gordon

Get a Real Inspirational Story from Mawi Asgedom!

April 20, 2011 in Authors, Diversity Speakers, Speaker for Education Groups

Be sure you get what you pay for!  Mawi’s story or Turbulence and Triumph is 100% REAL and UPLIFTING!

As a child, Mawi fled civil war in Ethiopia and survived a Sudanese refugee camp for three years. After being resettled in The United States, Mawi overcame poverty, language barriers and personal tragedy to graduate with honors from Harvard University.

For the last decade, Mawi’s mission has been to inspire students and educators. Mawi’s bestselling memoir, Of Beetles and Angels: A Boy’s Remarkable Journey from a Refugee Camp to Harvard, has been read as a one-book, one-community reading selection by hundreds of schools and communities including the cities of Philadelphia and Green Bay. His teen-success guides, The Code, Win the Inner Battle, and Nothing is Impossible, have also been used in thousands of classrooms. Citing the impact of his work, The Illinois Association of Teachers of English named Mawi the 2006 Illinois Author of the Year.

Many prominent media outlets have recognized Mawi’s contributions including:

  • The Oprah Winfrey Show: “Top 20 Interviews in Oprah’s 20 Years”
  • ESSENCE, one of “The 40 Most Inspiring African-Americans”
  • Ebony, one of “30 Black Leaders Under 30″
  • Chicago Tribune, The Boston Globe, Harvard Magazine

The Mark of a Leader Book

April 19, 2011 in Leadership speakers, Motivational Speakers, Speakers for Business Groups, Unique Ideas

The Mark of a Leader book contains some of the most popular stories from our acclaimed live production, and many new ones.

It will inspire you deeply as you read the amazing tales of ordinary people who have done extraordinary things with their lives.

The book features stories from history and from the present day, of people and companies. These great stories will spark your imagination, make you think, touch your heart, and hopefully prompt you to do even more exciting things yourself.

It also includes commentary on the stories from Doug Keeley, questions and self-evaluations, and ways to get involved with some of the subjects if they are still active today.

Beautifully designed and easy to read, this hard cover book will not only inspire you, but offers great stories and role models for the kids in your life.

All stories in the book which have charities attached to them will receive a portion of the proceeds of sales. So by purchasing the book, you’re also helping make the world a better place.

Click here to learn more about The Mark of a Leader

Cam Marston on Millennials Optimistically Looking for Jobs – Online

April 18, 2011 in Cam Marston

A new survey of graduating college students reveals the mindset of Millennials as they approach the job market. Although the nation’s high unemployment numbers are only gradually improving, the vast majority of college-educated Millennials don’t foresee any trouble landing a job. Over half say they expect to find a job within 3 months and another quarter expects to find one in 8 months or less.

The study also reveals that Millennials are looking in new places for jobs. Nearly 90% (almost twice as many as in the past) of them are going straight to the source by looking for openings directly from the companies they want to work for, typically from job listings on corporate web sites. Millennial graduates are also relying heavily (72%) on their colleges’ career services. Traditional newspaper want ads were only tied for third (at 28%) as a source for potential job openings. And Millennials are consulting the social network LinkedIn just as commonly (28%) as the traditional want ads, the first time an online resource has reached par with the classifieds.

The Millennial graduates surveyed say the most attractive features of potential jobs are salary (57%) and interesting work (56%). Other features growing in importance are location (28%) and flexibility (25%). The entire report can be downloaded here:

http://go.iloverewards.com/MKT-m-class-of-2011-white-paper-download.html

Click here to learn more about Cam Marston

Thomas Koulopoulos on The Innovation Zone

April 15, 2011 in futurists, Leadership speakers, Speakers for Business Groups

Imagine the simplest product possible, something that has only a single ingredient, ideally a pure commodity, abundantly available, utterly bland and indistinguishable in its appearance, form, and taste. To make this even more interesting, imagine that this product can also be obtained for free.

What latitude could there possibly be to innovate with that sort of a product? It’s hard to imagine a bigger challenge. Yet our lack of imagination here is only a testament to our lack of creativity in how well we can innovate the process of innovation itself.

click here to learn more about Thomas Koulopoulos