Love Is My Favorite Flavor: A Midwestern Dining Critic Tells All
July 12, 2024
The Air They Breathe: A Pediatrician on the Frontlines of Climate Change
June 27, 2024
An Excerpt from When We Are Seen
June 05, 2024
'Getting Things Done with Others': An Interview with David Allen and Edward Lamont
May 28, 2024
Upcoming Author Interview: Tessa West — July 24, 2024
March 27, 2024
The 2023 Porchlight Business Book Awards
November 30, 2023
Promo Video: Our Author Interview Series
July 31, 2023
Blog
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Blog / News & Opinion
In The Books
By Porchlight
It's that time of year again. We've compiled all the great books, ideas, and activities that 800-CEO-READ was involved in over the past year and published them in our annual In the Books publication. As the intro states: "At 800-CEO-READ, we don't come to work everyday just to sell business books.
Categories: news-opinion, the-company
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Blog / News & Opinion
ChangeThis: Issue 90
By Porchlight
GROW: How to Change the Narrative of Business by Jim Stengel “The business case for brand ideals is not altruism. It’s self-interest and mutual interest. In addition to its wider positive impact, a devotion to brand ideals will do more for your own business and career than any other factor.
Categories: news-opinion
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Blog / ChangeThis
Make Social Media Sell—Now
By Porchlight
"The 'social media revolution' is over-hyped nonsense. The real business opportunity is to become more relevant and meaningful to customers in ways that create sales. Few will question the impact social media is having on people's lives. From assisting political revolutions to simply reconnecting us with old friends, social media is touching our lives in meaningful ways every day. But with all the stories you're hearing about the power of Facebook, Twitter, blogs, LinkedIn, Google+ and other social networks, the one question you may be asking is 'how can my business actually make money with social media?'"
Categories: changethis
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Blog / ChangeThis
Shift & Reset
By Porchlight
"I am angry. There are real problems facing the world, and we, as a society, are not doing enough to address them in the right ways, not the ways we know are possible. The old way isn't working, and we know it. We continue to reward the same behaviors we have rewarded in the past while expecting different results. We profess interest in really doing things differently but settle into routines that are comfortable and safe, and we are fooling ourselves. There are lots of excuses for not making real, demonstrable changes in the way we live, work, and how we interact as individuals and engage in groups/communities. I have heard them all. I have used many of them myself. But they are bullshit. All excuses are. A person either truly, deeply, genuinely cares about changing things or he doesn't. You can step up and do what it takes, in whatever way you can, or you need to acknowledge your limits and accept the results. What might be possible if we were really committed, as individuals and as a society.
Categories: changethis
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Blog / ChangeThis
GROW: How to Change the Narrative of Business
By Jim Stengel
"It's time to change the narrative of business. From a winner-take-all tale, no-holds-barred, no matter what the cost to individual firms, investors, the economy, and society, to doing business on the basis of what I call brand ideals, shared ideals of improving people's lives. Wider adoption and leveraging of brand ideals would be the best medicine the economy could possibly get. Instead of inflating a bubble that would sooner or later burst with tragic consequences for everyone, it would trigger and sustain unprecedented growth in every sector it touched. Make no mistake, however. The business case for brand ideals is not altruism. It's self-interest and mutual interest. In addition to its wider positive impact, a devotion to brand ideals will do more for your own business and career than any other factor. Maximum business growth and high ideals are not incompatible. They're inseparable."
Categories: changethis
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Blog / ChangeThis
Transcendent Leadership: How to Lead Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime
By Les McKeown
"What if your leadership role just felt, well... right: demanding, yes, but fun too; challenging but controllable; intense but invigorating? What if with every step on the ladder of leadership you felt more comfortable, more 'in the zone,' less stressed, less pressured? What if each successive leadership role brought out more of what makes you you, rather than asking you to compromise your core values, bury your deepest wishes, hold ransom your dreams? Having coached and advised hundreds of leaders, I know this isn't a pipe dream. From frequent observation, I know that it's not only possible to be relaxed, fulfilled and energized by leadership, it is in fact precisely how the most consistently successful leaders operate.
Categories: changethis
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Blog / ChangeThis
It Really is As Simple As ABC: What Leaders Can Learn from Masterful Orators of the Past
By Porchlight
"Millions of meetings and presentations occur daily. Each of these presentations is meant to drive 'someone' to do 'something.' And what do the vast majority of these presentations have in common? Unfortunately, they usually fail to get anyone to do anything. There are so many noble causes led by charismatic, effective leaders, yet it is still difficult for many of these leaders to establish a clear message that resonates and connects with their audience, not due to the content or nobility of cause, but because we are all subject to information overload. But, masterful orators have succeeded in every generation, and one factor that has not changed over time is the ability of a master orator to captivate and move audiences, to attain levels of success that many thought were unachievable at the time. And each of them mastered the ABC's of communication."
Categories: changethis
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Blog / News & Opinion
Attention Business Authors!
By Porchlight
The 800-CEO-READ AUTHOR POW WOW January 13-15, 2013 Austin, TX **REGISTER EARLY AND SAVE** NOW THROUGH APRIL 1: $1000 April 1 - October 1: $1250 October through event: $1500 REGISTER HERE! The Author Pow Wow will not only provide you with all the knowledge you need to do what works, but will also connect you to the people who can help you in the process. During an intimate and intensive two days, authors, soon-to-be authors, publishers, publicists, marketers, agents, speaking experts, social media strategists, and business people who have great ideas to share, gather, listen, converse, and leave more informed and better at what they do.
Categories: news-opinion
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Blog / News & Opinion
The End of Illness
By Porchlight
On one hand, this book is not our usual thing. On the other hand, nothing can move forward if our health isn't in order. So, it's completely worth pointing out Dr.
Categories: news-opinion
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Blog / Excerpts
The Fear Index, a business thriller
By Sally Haldorson
We're thrilled (seriously! ) to post an excerpt from Robert Harris (best selling author of Fatherland, Pompeii, and The Ghost Writer, which was made into a movie with Ewan McGregor and Pierce Brosnan, and many others) to showcase his new novel The Fear Index may not be our typical fare, but the novel appeals to us for many reasons: a master storyteller, the drama of hedge fund trading, a really creepy old book--Darwin in this case--, lots of money, and lots of thrills. To start the adventure, read below!
Categories: excerpts