Article of Interest: A Time to Innovate

The September issue of Entrepreneur magazine has a special focus on the Women Presidents' Organization talking about how some of the business world's most influential women get together to take on the future.

Catch it here!

Blog Post of Interest: Coaching Lessons For Business Owners Inspired by the Olympics

Watching the Olympics, I could not help but think of the similarity between Olympic gold medal winners and business owners who brave it out to grow a business successfully.

This blog post touches on many aspects of my thoughts. See whether you agree.

Photo: Left is Sanya Richards. Her team captured the USA gold in the 4x400 relay.

News of Interest: 5th Annual WPO Chicago Summit Wins Gold Medal For Quality

Our 5th Annual WPO Chicago Summit and No-Host Dinner on August 14th was a huge success thanks to our two key sponsors, Harris and IBM, who generously underwrote our program content and continue to bring us greater insights and connections.

Summit speakers Susan Hed from IBM, Jack Stack from SRC Holdings Corporation and Holly Hunt from HOLLY HUNT, demonstrated how to become an influential leader, inspire employees to think and act like CEOs, and continue to build a business up to a thriving $120 million enterprise.

As we said in our program, everyday we face business challenges head-on and inspire others with a sense of hope and purpose. But on August 14th we asked that all attendees (largest turnout ever) kick back, relax, get to know someone they had never met before and brainstorm about how to use the knowledge they gained to develop themselves, their business, their community, and their world tomorrow. We are proud to say that everyone walked away renewed, refreshed and empowered, because they realize the best is yet to come.

Thank you all for attending. We value your membership and sponsorship. Without it, the Women Presidents’ Organization would not be where it is today.

And special thanks to our national sponsors who help to make the WPO program possible.

See you August 13, 2009 at our 6th Annual WPO Chicago Summit and No Host Dinner!

Article of Interest: In Search of Growth Leaders

How do you find managers who can turbocharge organic growth -- that is, internally generated growth -- for your company? How do you nurture them?

That's the trick and this article, "In Search of Growth Leaders," addresses how to put entrepreneurial skills to work in your company to achieve breakout results.

Have you experienced a similar situation? We'd welcome a chance to hear from you. Please share your ideas to ldelaney(at)globetrade(dot)com and we will blog about your advice here so everyone benefits.

Article of Interest: Hiring a CEO From the Outside Is More Expensive

A new study by Equilar Inc. found that external hires for a CEO position recruited from outside a company earn more in their first year than those promoted from within.

The study looked at CEOs hired during fiscal years ended between April 30, 2007, and March 31, 2008. Its results can be found here. Outside hires tend to be paid more to offset the risks and expenses of leaving one company for another, including lost perks and equity.

Failing to plan for leader succession can be costly all around.