Actor Kevin Kline talks with Jeffrey Brown about the challenges of portraying Sir John Fallstaff in Shakespeare’s “Henry IV.”
Countries: US
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Toni Morrison: A Conversation
A conversation with the Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist about her book, “Paradise.”
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Shooting Michael Moore
Think you know Michael Moore? Think again. The media darling has made millions by deceiving the world with his movies such as “Fahrenheit 9/11”, “Roger and Me” and “Sicko”. “Shooting Michael Moore” exposes the real man behind the films from people who knew him, worked with him and were in his movies. A champion for the underprivileged he is not!
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What Drives Phenomenal Success?
Southwest Airlines started with a simple idea, and managed to stick with it through decades of unprecedented growth. Many have tried (but failed) to emulate their success. According to Colleen Barrett, the idea is so simple, nobody quite believes it: customers return because they like the experience and they like the way they are treated. But how do you keep your customers this satisfied? By keeping your employees satisfied. Barrett spends 70-80% of her time assuring that her employees are valued as people, and encouraged to do the right thing rather than doing things right. She acknowledges that you can’t expect employees to be saints, but you can expect integrity and commitment to the team. Her guiding rule is to hire on attitude and then train for skills, seeking individuals who will take the business-but not themselves-seriously.
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Dave Hitz – Boom and Bust: Thriving through Major Business Cycles
NetApp has successfully navigated through every major cycle in business: from the frenetic mentality of a startup, through the tumultuous period of the dot-com boom and bust, and finally to the relative stability of a mature enterprise organization. Core values of candor, integrity, teamwork, and simplicity helped the company transition through these growth phases-and thrive.
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Chris Capossela – Driving Innovation in a Tough Economy
Microsoft is now in the midst of a multi-year initiative to transform itself once again-to a software-plus-internet-services provider. Despite the global economic downturn it sees opportunity in rallying all parts of the company behind “big, big bets” for the next five to ten years.
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Built to Change: How to Achieve Sustained Organizational Effectiveness
Organizations are built for stability, not for change. But in today’s highly competitive business environment, organizations must be ready to change-and change frequently. They need to replace long-term planning with a succession of short-term advantages. They must increase their “surface area” with the outside world; drive leadership to lower levels in the company; and reward decision makers for change management as well as results. Lawler and Worley discuss methods for creating strategies, structures, communication processes, and human resource management practices that are designed to facilitate an organization’s ability to change.