Business Lessons from sucessful entrepreneurs and business leaders: LunchLearning.com

Reading time: 3 - 5 minutes

Video Time: variesSorry, but there seems to be no way to disable the auto-start on these!!****Q&A starts in the third part (only the first two questions are related to skin care)****

Today, Fortune magazine’s America’s Top-Paid Female CEOs sheds light on the growing number of women leading companies across America, an achievement that I’m certain will only continue, bringing with it the kind of diversity in business, that reflects the actual diversity of our world. Three cheers to business women across the world!

Searching for a video of a female speaker for today’s show, I stumbled on the story, so what better story to highlight then that of Andrea Jung, Chairwoman and CEO of Avon. In this “fireside chat” of sorts, Andrea talks a little about her life as the child of Chinese immigrants, her start in the retail business and her path to the top seat at Avon.

She’s a great casual speaker, her story is one that many men and women, no doubt, can relate to: starting out small, working hard, and dreaming big. Enjoy this three part “Breaking the Glass Ceiling” chat with Andrea Jung of Avon.

Reading time: 2 - 2 minutes

Video Time: 56 minutes 52 seconds****Q&A starts at 23:30****

A crisis can either wreck or strengthen any business leader, and in the recent history of the Xerox Corporation, crisis has certainly NOT been a stranger. To navigate through accounting scandals and lags in sales, Xerox relied on its employees and its customers to help turn around the company. In this talk, keynote speaker, Anne Mulcahy, Xerox’ current Chairwoman of the Board, speaks to an audience of students, faculty and professionals at the Darden school about how her company re-shaped itself in the face of multiple difficulties, and placed itself on its current path.

Anne’s leadership talk is inspiring, and her candid discussion about her trials and tribulations with Xerox shed light on the importance of communicating with staff and a discussion about “real” planning instead of “pie-in-the-sky” ideas.

Believing in your leader is key. See how Anne Mulcahy did it at Xerox.

Reading time: 2 - 2 minutes

Video Time: 32 minutes 26 seconds

In this talk, eBay President & CEO (and gubernatorial candidate for the state of California), Meg Whitman speaks about small business innovation and entrepreneurship at the NFIB National Small Business Summit.

There is a slight policy angle at the beginning of the talk. . .Meg Whitman’s keynote speech starts at 7 minutes 35 seconds.

Reading time: 2 - 4 minutes

Video Time: 56 minutes 21 seconds****Q&A starts at 19 minutes****

Jack Welch (@jack_welch on Twitter) hardly needs an introduction. The former CEO of GE, he is without doubt, a management titan, and depending on your view, he’s either a management tyrant or the best possible manager. . .the one who will really tell you like it is…for your OWN benefit. That’s how I look at Jack Welch. He’s the kinda’ guy that’ll help you find your best “self” so that you can benefit most from your career and life. He’s also the author of “Winning”, and “Straight from the Gut”, and if you haven’t read Jack’s books to date, I recommend you read them, or even better. . .LISTEN to them! You’ll really “hear” what he’s saying through the power of his voice.

This MIT conversation has Jack tackle advice useful for college students, as well as business leaders, and if you’re not a numbers person, Jack will allow you to see the power in numbers and how relevant they are to more than just budgeting (which he seems to despise), but to compensation, culture and the application of measurement across the board. As a business speaker, Jack’s experience lends a great deal of anecdotal stories that help to illustrate his philosophies, and his voice (I find, at least) is a great auditory reminder of his passion. . .Jack Welch is today’s keynote speaker. . .listen and learn.

Reading time: 2 - 2 minutes

Video Time: 27 minutes 59 seconds

It’s Friday, so we’re going to keep it short and sweet today. . .and have a little fun with today’s speaker: Tim Brown, CEO of “innovation and design” firm IDEO.

Watch how easily he engages this audience through participation, visualization and quick attempts at creativity.

This lecture is great fun, and will definitely have you thinking of things you can do in your own workplace to get folks inspired toward more creativity. Which, by the way, is ALWAYS a good thing.

Reading time: 2 - 2 minutes

Video Time: 59 minutes 01 seconds

Dharmesh Shah (@dharmesh on Twitter) seems to “tell it like it is”. . .and I really love that.

I’ve heard of his work with OnStartups.com and Hubspot, as most likely you have as well, but you most likely haven’t heard some of his opinions about Venture Capital, entrepreneurship, case studies and business processes like pricing, branding, and product execution. …and the attention economy!

His talk from Business of Software Boston, 2008 (started by Joel Spolsky (@spolsky on Twitter) and Neil Davidson (@NeilDavidson on Twitter). is relevant to any business owner, as well as super-candid and energetic. If you’re falling asleep at work today, you’ll enjoy this talk!

Reading time: 2 - 2 minutes

Video Time: 20 minutes 47 seconds

On the heels of yesterday’s chat with John Chambers of Cisco, I thought we’d spend another day on collaboration. Clay Shirky (@cshirky on Twitter), author of “Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations,” presents a short and sweet case study about how social media and Internet sites like Flicr and mobile applicaitons enable the type of collaboration that just was not available even two years ago.

This is a great eye-opener for small and medium businesses looking to maintain and/or trim costs, but STILL enable the collaboration that makes businesses and projects hum. There’s also a good look at the 80/20 rule as it applies to collaboration as well.

Enjoy Clay Shirky’s TED Talk, and ask yourself should you be reinventing the institution instead of hiring the “right” staff?

Reading time: 2 - 4 minutes

Video Time: 1 hour 7 minutes 45 seconds****Q&A begins at 41:53****

I absolutely love what John Chambers and his team at Cisco are doing with regard to involving the whole of Cisco in its communications and collaboration strategy. And what I really like is that they’re a “big” company doing things that are often perceived as possible only for SMBs. Cisco has tossed that bias out the window and is reaping the massive rewards of a highly collaborative environment. They’re even early adopters of Twitter and blogging in-house! AND, if you haven’t seen Cisco’s Digital Cribs. . .then, wow. .you should check it out.

This talk might seem long at the outset, but he spends a considerable amount of time addressing questions (this was a talk at MIT. . .the beauty of any talk like this. . .so, enjoy. John hits on our economy (before it hit the fan), education, collaboration and communications at Cisco. He’s an engaging speaker, and it’s no wonder he, along with the team at Cisco has taken the company from 70 million to 40 billion in just over a decade. Not bad…perhaps he’s worth a listen?!

Reading time: 2 - 4 minutes

Video Time: 56 minutes 17 seconds
****Q&A starts at about 25 minutes (some good ones in there too…)****

Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer, is a giant ball of fire. Just watch the first video to get a mere glimpse of what I’m talking about. I’ve heard a lot about Steve, as perhaps many of you have as well. . .some of it glowing, some of it not so. If you’ve read “Leaving Microsoft to Change the World,” by John Wood, founder of Room to Read, you’ve no doubt read about a side of Steve you don’t know. Read that book. . .it’s a wonderful read and worth your time.

I enjoyed this short talk by Steve as he’s talking about maximizing downturns to turn your entrepreneurial dreams into reality.

He sheds a little light on his own entreprenurial adventures early on after leaving Stanford as he talks with a Standford entrepreneurship group.

Short and sweet, but a good chat that just might getcha’ thinking about starting your own business today.

Neat thing about Steve’s presentation style. . .to me, at least, he always seems like he’s on the edge of a joke, which makes listening to him really fun.

If you’re an entrepreneur, you’ll benefit from checking out Microsoft’s BizSpark program, that allows for a host of opportunities, among them free software for some qualified companies.

Reading time: 2 - 2 minutes

Video Time: 55 minutes 45 seconds

Larry North. Big guy. Big heart. Big entrepreneur. Larry is the founder of Larry North fitness centers, a company he began in 1989 after developing a love of fitness and health. . .a lifestyle he developed to a degree, at least, to counteract the childhood challenges of growing up as his website puts it: “the son of a professional gambler and compulsive dieter.”

Larry’s subsequent belief that “the more a person is denied something, the farther they will go to get it,” was spun into something more positive, and when paired with a desire to help others, Larry channeled that energy into the development of Larry North Fitness.

There are parts of this presentation to the Collegiate Entrepreneurship Association that are difficult to hear because he uses an old highlight from 60 Minutes, but the story is strong regardless and a big part of why Larry’s journey is relevant for many entrepreneurs without the unfortunate circumstances of Larry’s history.

It’s a lesson about courage, achievement, drive, forgiveness and maintaining a passion for others. Well worth your time on today’s LunchLearning.com