Author: Jotham Stein
Publisher: Political Animal Press
ISBN: 9781895131413
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages :
Book Description
How to Talk Money Are you considering a career move? Negotiating for a raise? Wondering what might happen if your employer was sold or restructured? The rewards can be great? but so can the risks. Those who succeed in the corporate world know how to look out for themselves ? and so should you! Even CEOs Get Fired is a lively, clear, and comprehensive guide to contract negotiations and employment law, with practical advice for everyone ? from C-Suite execs and founders, to fresh-out-of-undergrad new hires ? on how to maximize your earnings and protect yourself if things don't go according to plan. Jotham Stein is a Silicon Valley employment lawyer who represents entrepreneurs, C-Suite executives, board members, and senior managers, as well as less senior employees at companies of every size and type. In Even CEOs Get Fired, Jotham walks readers through the best practices, common pitfalls, and sky?s-the-limit possibilities in the various stages of a career ? from getting hired, to surviving an employer's changes in control, to a voluntarily exit? to getting fired. Each chapter focuses on a particular issue, mixing straightforward actionable advice with engaging fictional stories, based on real-life scenarios Jotham has seen in his practice. Readers starting out in their careers, or considering jumping into entrepreneurship, will learn how to negotiate like a CEO, regardless of their position. Those already in the C-Suite will appreciate his explanation of which documents and clauses really matter in complex employment agreements, and how to maximize your leverage by focusing on thebottom line. Even CEOs Get Fired is the ultimate guide to talking money, an essential tool for anyone moving up in business.
Even Ceos Get Fired
Author: Jotham Stein
Publisher: Political Animal Press
ISBN: 9781895131413
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages :
Book Description
How to Talk Money Are you considering a career move? Negotiating for a raise? Wondering what might happen if your employer was sold or restructured? The rewards can be great? but so can the risks. Those who succeed in the corporate world know how to look out for themselves ? and so should you! Even CEOs Get Fired is a lively, clear, and comprehensive guide to contract negotiations and employment law, with practical advice for everyone ? from C-Suite execs and founders, to fresh-out-of-undergrad new hires ? on how to maximize your earnings and protect yourself if things don't go according to plan. Jotham Stein is a Silicon Valley employment lawyer who represents entrepreneurs, C-Suite executives, board members, and senior managers, as well as less senior employees at companies of every size and type. In Even CEOs Get Fired, Jotham walks readers through the best practices, common pitfalls, and sky?s-the-limit possibilities in the various stages of a career ? from getting hired, to surviving an employer's changes in control, to a voluntarily exit? to getting fired. Each chapter focuses on a particular issue, mixing straightforward actionable advice with engaging fictional stories, based on real-life scenarios Jotham has seen in his practice. Readers starting out in their careers, or considering jumping into entrepreneurship, will learn how to negotiate like a CEO, regardless of their position. Those already in the C-Suite will appreciate his explanation of which documents and clauses really matter in complex employment agreements, and how to maximize your leverage by focusing on thebottom line. Even CEOs Get Fired is the ultimate guide to talking money, an essential tool for anyone moving up in business.
Publisher: Political Animal Press
ISBN: 9781895131413
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages :
Book Description
How to Talk Money Are you considering a career move? Negotiating for a raise? Wondering what might happen if your employer was sold or restructured? The rewards can be great? but so can the risks. Those who succeed in the corporate world know how to look out for themselves ? and so should you! Even CEOs Get Fired is a lively, clear, and comprehensive guide to contract negotiations and employment law, with practical advice for everyone ? from C-Suite execs and founders, to fresh-out-of-undergrad new hires ? on how to maximize your earnings and protect yourself if things don't go according to plan. Jotham Stein is a Silicon Valley employment lawyer who represents entrepreneurs, C-Suite executives, board members, and senior managers, as well as less senior employees at companies of every size and type. In Even CEOs Get Fired, Jotham walks readers through the best practices, common pitfalls, and sky?s-the-limit possibilities in the various stages of a career ? from getting hired, to surviving an employer's changes in control, to a voluntarily exit? to getting fired. Each chapter focuses on a particular issue, mixing straightforward actionable advice with engaging fictional stories, based on real-life scenarios Jotham has seen in his practice. Readers starting out in their careers, or considering jumping into entrepreneurship, will learn how to negotiate like a CEO, regardless of their position. Those already in the C-Suite will appreciate his explanation of which documents and clauses really matter in complex employment agreements, and how to maximize your leverage by focusing on thebottom line. Even CEOs Get Fired is the ultimate guide to talking money, an essential tool for anyone moving up in business.
We Got Fired!
Author: Harvey Mackay
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ISBN: 0345480546
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 371
Book Description
No fight left? No future? Does the handwriting on the wall say utter failure? Harvey Mackay, one of the world’s best-selling motivational and business authors tells you why it isn’t so. He reveals anecdotes and secrets from some of the best and brightest headliners in our world today. Their gripping accounts show that no one is immune to bad judgment or backstabbing. In colorful detail, these remarkable success stories reveal what the best of the best did to get back on top. Each story tells a unique tale and contains valuable lessons that are applicable to any reader who wants his or her career to flourish; indeed, this is the book that will inspire, instill hope . . . and give more than a glimpse into what makes these stalwarts strong. When Fortune magazine called Mackay “Mister Make-Things-Happen,” it was right on the money—getting this amazing group of people from various walks of life to talk openly about their abilities to bounce back shows him to be a master at getting people to divulge some of their defeats and their dreams. Hopeful, tough-minded, and filled with indispensable advice, We Got Fired! . . . And It’s the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Us will show anyone how to turn a modern bummer into a major blessing. It’s a rarity: a sure thing in our shaky times.
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ISBN: 0345480546
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 371
Book Description
No fight left? No future? Does the handwriting on the wall say utter failure? Harvey Mackay, one of the world’s best-selling motivational and business authors tells you why it isn’t so. He reveals anecdotes and secrets from some of the best and brightest headliners in our world today. Their gripping accounts show that no one is immune to bad judgment or backstabbing. In colorful detail, these remarkable success stories reveal what the best of the best did to get back on top. Each story tells a unique tale and contains valuable lessons that are applicable to any reader who wants his or her career to flourish; indeed, this is the book that will inspire, instill hope . . . and give more than a glimpse into what makes these stalwarts strong. When Fortune magazine called Mackay “Mister Make-Things-Happen,” it was right on the money—getting this amazing group of people from various walks of life to talk openly about their abilities to bounce back shows him to be a master at getting people to divulge some of their defeats and their dreams. Hopeful, tough-minded, and filled with indispensable advice, We Got Fired! . . . And It’s the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Us will show anyone how to turn a modern bummer into a major blessing. It’s a rarity: a sure thing in our shaky times.
Involuntary Exit
Author: Robin Merle
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1647423104
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 165
Book Description
It can take less than a minute to get fired. Less than a minute to hear the words that change your life as you’ve known it. You’re stunned, shocked, humiliated—because your career has defined your life and you’ve been blindsided. You’re a company Loyalist with a capital L, and you’ve been sucker punched professionally. How do you even talk about this? Countless books focus on leadership and resilience, but none of them take you through what actually happens to women leaders who are suddenly let go, or who endure untenable circumstances and ultimately fire themselves. None of them take you, step by step, through the emotional process of acceptance and beginning again. And that’s where Involuntary Exit comes in. With advice for every unexpected twist, turn, and emotional trigger, this book is based on author Robin Merle’s experience at the top of billion-dollar organizations, as well as her interviews with accomplished women who were suddenly severed from their organizations and navigated their way back to success. The real-life examples she offers in these pages prove that you’re not alone—and that you, too, will get through this. Whether you’ve been fired or need to move on, Involuntary Exit will help you rediscover your value and emerge as a stronger leader on your own terms.
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1647423104
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 165
Book Description
It can take less than a minute to get fired. Less than a minute to hear the words that change your life as you’ve known it. You’re stunned, shocked, humiliated—because your career has defined your life and you’ve been blindsided. You’re a company Loyalist with a capital L, and you’ve been sucker punched professionally. How do you even talk about this? Countless books focus on leadership and resilience, but none of them take you through what actually happens to women leaders who are suddenly let go, or who endure untenable circumstances and ultimately fire themselves. None of them take you, step by step, through the emotional process of acceptance and beginning again. And that’s where Involuntary Exit comes in. With advice for every unexpected twist, turn, and emotional trigger, this book is based on author Robin Merle’s experience at the top of billion-dollar organizations, as well as her interviews with accomplished women who were suddenly severed from their organizations and navigated their way back to success. The real-life examples she offers in these pages prove that you’re not alone—and that you, too, will get through this. Whether you’ve been fired or need to move on, Involuntary Exit will help you rediscover your value and emerge as a stronger leader on your own terms.
The Founder's Dilemmas
Author: Noam Wasserman
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691158304
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 490
Book Description
The Founder's Dilemmas examines how early decisions by entrepreneurs can make or break a startup and its team. Drawing on a decade of research, including quantitative data on almost ten thousand founders as well as inside stories of founders like Evan Williams of Twitter and Tim Westergren of Pandora, Noam Wasserman reveals the common pitfalls founders face and how to avoid them.
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691158304
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 490
Book Description
The Founder's Dilemmas examines how early decisions by entrepreneurs can make or break a startup and its team. Drawing on a decade of research, including quantitative data on almost ten thousand founders as well as inside stories of founders like Evan Williams of Twitter and Tim Westergren of Pandora, Noam Wasserman reveals the common pitfalls founders face and how to avoid them.
Firing Back
Author: Jeffrey A. Sonnenfeld
Publisher: Harvard Business Press
ISBN: 9781591393016
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 306
Book Description
Sonnenfeld and Ward show how to rise Phoenix-like from the ashes. Their account of the psychological and behavioral foundations of that important qualityresilienceis important reading for everyone who will ever face a reversal of fortune.Jeffrey Pfeffer, Thomas D. Dee II Professor of Organizational Behavior, Graduate School of Business, Stanford University Is it possible to rescue your career and restore your reputation after a major professional setback? In an age rife with press accounts of disgraced CEOs, politicians, and celebritiesas well as courageous but beleaguered whistleblowers and victims of rivals or envious colleagues and bossesthis question has grown more important than ever. In Firing Back, Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Andrew Ward answer the question with a resounding Yes. They go on to lay out a practical and an important five-step process for actually recovering from setbacks. Following these steps will help guide you through the difficult circumstances, rebuild your reputation, and chart a new future. The authors also explore strategies for surmounting common barriers to career recovery, including tricky corporate cultures and psychological stresses. Anchored in decades of research and scholarly studies across multiple fields, this book is packed with engrossing stories and first-hand accounts from humbled but restored CEOs and executives from firms as diverse as General Electric, The Home Depot, Morgan Stanley, Apple, Staples, and Hewlett-Packard. Firing Back offers a clear plan for anyone who needs to recover from a career setback and reclaim lost prestige and reputationwhether the setback stemmed from his own actions or forces outside her control.
Publisher: Harvard Business Press
ISBN: 9781591393016
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 306
Book Description
Sonnenfeld and Ward show how to rise Phoenix-like from the ashes. Their account of the psychological and behavioral foundations of that important qualityresilienceis important reading for everyone who will ever face a reversal of fortune.Jeffrey Pfeffer, Thomas D. Dee II Professor of Organizational Behavior, Graduate School of Business, Stanford University Is it possible to rescue your career and restore your reputation after a major professional setback? In an age rife with press accounts of disgraced CEOs, politicians, and celebritiesas well as courageous but beleaguered whistleblowers and victims of rivals or envious colleagues and bossesthis question has grown more important than ever. In Firing Back, Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Andrew Ward answer the question with a resounding Yes. They go on to lay out a practical and an important five-step process for actually recovering from setbacks. Following these steps will help guide you through the difficult circumstances, rebuild your reputation, and chart a new future. The authors also explore strategies for surmounting common barriers to career recovery, including tricky corporate cultures and psychological stresses. Anchored in decades of research and scholarly studies across multiple fields, this book is packed with engrossing stories and first-hand accounts from humbled but restored CEOs and executives from firms as diverse as General Electric, The Home Depot, Morgan Stanley, Apple, Staples, and Hewlett-Packard. Firing Back offers a clear plan for anyone who needs to recover from a career setback and reclaim lost prestige and reputationwhether the setback stemmed from his own actions or forces outside her control.
A History of Corporate Governance around the World
Author: Randall K. Morck
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226536831
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 700
Book Description
For many Americans, capitalism is a dynamic engine of prosperity that rewards the bold, the daring, and the hardworking. But to many outside the United States, capitalism seems like an initiative that serves only to concentrate power and wealth in the hands of a few hereditary oligarchies. As A History of Corporate Governance around the World shows, neither conception is wrong. In this volume, some of the brightest minds in the field of economics present new empirical research that suggests that each side of the debate has something to offer the other. Free enterprise and well-developed financial systems are proven to produce growth in those countries that have them. But research also suggests that in some other capitalist countries, arrangements truly do concentrate corporate ownership in the hands of a few wealthy families. A History of Corporate Governance around the World provides historical studies of the patterns of corporate governance in several countries-including the large industrial economies of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States; larger developing economies like China and India; and alternative models like those of the Netherlands and Sweden.
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226536831
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 700
Book Description
For many Americans, capitalism is a dynamic engine of prosperity that rewards the bold, the daring, and the hardworking. But to many outside the United States, capitalism seems like an initiative that serves only to concentrate power and wealth in the hands of a few hereditary oligarchies. As A History of Corporate Governance around the World shows, neither conception is wrong. In this volume, some of the brightest minds in the field of economics present new empirical research that suggests that each side of the debate has something to offer the other. Free enterprise and well-developed financial systems are proven to produce growth in those countries that have them. But research also suggests that in some other capitalist countries, arrangements truly do concentrate corporate ownership in the hands of a few wealthy families. A History of Corporate Governance around the World provides historical studies of the patterns of corporate governance in several countries-including the large industrial economies of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States; larger developing economies like China and India; and alternative models like those of the Netherlands and Sweden.
Startup Boards
Author: Brad Feld
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1118516826
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 237
Book Description
An essential guide to understanding the dynamics of a startup's board of directors Let's face it, as founders and entrepreneurs, you have a lot on your plate—getting to your minimum viable product, developing customer interaction, hiring team members, and managing the accounts/books. Sooner or later, you have a board of directors, three to five (or even seven) Type A personalities who seek your attention and at times will tell you what to do. While you might be hesitant to form a board, establishing an objective outside group is essential for startups, especially to keep you on track, call you out when you flail, and in some cases, save you from yourself. In Startup Boards, Brad Feld—a Boulder, Colorado-based entrepreneur turned-venture capitalist—shares his experience in this area by talking about the importance of having the right board members on your team and how to manage them well. Along the way, he shares valuable insights on various aspects of the board, including how they can support you, help you understand your startup's milestones and get to them faster, and hold you accountable. Details the process of choosing board members, including interviewing many people, checking references, and remembering that there should be no fear in rejecting a wrong fit Explores the importance of running great meetings, mixing social time with business time, and much more Recommends being a board member yourself at some other organization so you see the other side of the equation Engaging and informative, Startup Boards is a practical guide to one of the most important pieces of the startup puzzle.
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1118516826
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 237
Book Description
An essential guide to understanding the dynamics of a startup's board of directors Let's face it, as founders and entrepreneurs, you have a lot on your plate—getting to your minimum viable product, developing customer interaction, hiring team members, and managing the accounts/books. Sooner or later, you have a board of directors, three to five (or even seven) Type A personalities who seek your attention and at times will tell you what to do. While you might be hesitant to form a board, establishing an objective outside group is essential for startups, especially to keep you on track, call you out when you flail, and in some cases, save you from yourself. In Startup Boards, Brad Feld—a Boulder, Colorado-based entrepreneur turned-venture capitalist—shares his experience in this area by talking about the importance of having the right board members on your team and how to manage them well. Along the way, he shares valuable insights on various aspects of the board, including how they can support you, help you understand your startup's milestones and get to them faster, and hold you accountable. Details the process of choosing board members, including interviewing many people, checking references, and remembering that there should be no fear in rejecting a wrong fit Explores the importance of running great meetings, mixing social time with business time, and much more Recommends being a board member yourself at some other organization so you see the other side of the equation Engaging and informative, Startup Boards is a practical guide to one of the most important pieces of the startup puzzle.
Searching for a Corporate Savior
Author: Rakesh Khurana
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 1400841097
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 318
Book Description
Corporate CEOs are headline news. Stock prices rise and fall at word of their hiring and firing. Business media debate their merits and defects as if individual leaders determined the health of the economy. Yet we know surprisingly little about how CEOs are selected and dismissed or about their true power. This is the first book to take us into the often secretive world of the CEO selection process. Rakesh Khurana's findings are surprising and disturbing. In recent years, he shows, corporations have increasingly sought CEOs who are above all else charismatic, whose fame and force of personality impress analysts and the business media, but whose experience and abilities are not necessarily right for companies' specific needs. The labor market for CEOs, Khurana concludes, is far less rational than we might think. Khurana's findings are based on a study of the hiring and firing of CEOs at over 850 of America's largest companies and on extensive interviews with CEOs, corporate board members, and consultants at executive search firms. Written with exceptional clarity and verve, the book explains the basic mechanics of the selection process and how hiring priorities have changed with the rise of shareholder activism. Khurana argues that the market for CEOs, which we often assume runs on cool calculation and the impersonal forces of supply and demand, is culturally determined and too frequently inefficient. Its emphasis on charisma artificially limits the number of candidates considered, giving them extraordinary leverage to demand high salaries and power. It also raises expectations and increases the chance that a CEO will be fired for failing to meet shareholders' hopes. The result is corporate instability and too little attention to long-term strategy. The book is a major contribution to our understanding of corporate culture and the nature of markets and leadership in general.
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 1400841097
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 318
Book Description
Corporate CEOs are headline news. Stock prices rise and fall at word of their hiring and firing. Business media debate their merits and defects as if individual leaders determined the health of the economy. Yet we know surprisingly little about how CEOs are selected and dismissed or about their true power. This is the first book to take us into the often secretive world of the CEO selection process. Rakesh Khurana's findings are surprising and disturbing. In recent years, he shows, corporations have increasingly sought CEOs who are above all else charismatic, whose fame and force of personality impress analysts and the business media, but whose experience and abilities are not necessarily right for companies' specific needs. The labor market for CEOs, Khurana concludes, is far less rational than we might think. Khurana's findings are based on a study of the hiring and firing of CEOs at over 850 of America's largest companies and on extensive interviews with CEOs, corporate board members, and consultants at executive search firms. Written with exceptional clarity and verve, the book explains the basic mechanics of the selection process and how hiring priorities have changed with the rise of shareholder activism. Khurana argues that the market for CEOs, which we often assume runs on cool calculation and the impersonal forces of supply and demand, is culturally determined and too frequently inefficient. Its emphasis on charisma artificially limits the number of candidates considered, giving them extraordinary leverage to demand high salaries and power. It also raises expectations and increases the chance that a CEO will be fired for failing to meet shareholders' hopes. The result is corporate instability and too little attention to long-term strategy. The book is a major contribution to our understanding of corporate culture and the nature of markets and leadership in general.
Rocket Fuel
Author: Gino Wickman
Publisher: BenBella Books, Inc.
ISBN: 1941631150
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 208
Book Description
Discover the vital relationship that will take your company from "What's next?" to "We have liftoff!" Visionaries have groundbreaking ideas. Integrators make those ideas a reality. This explosive combination is the key to getting everything you want out of your business. It worked for Disney. It worked for McDonald's. It worked for Ford. It can work for you. From the author of the bestselling Traction, Rocket Fuel details the integral roles of the Visionary and Integrator and explains how an effective relationship between the two can help your business thrive. Offering advice to help Visionary-minded and Integrator-minded individuals find one another, Rocket Fuel also features assessments so you're able to determine whether you're a Visionary or an Integrator. Without an Integrator, a Visionary is far less likely to succeed long-term ,and realize the company's ultimate goals—likewise, with no Visionary, an Integrator can't rise to his or her full potential. When these two people come together to share their natural talents and innate skill sets, it's like rocket fuel—they have the power to reach new heights for virtually any company or organization.
Publisher: BenBella Books, Inc.
ISBN: 1941631150
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 208
Book Description
Discover the vital relationship that will take your company from "What's next?" to "We have liftoff!" Visionaries have groundbreaking ideas. Integrators make those ideas a reality. This explosive combination is the key to getting everything you want out of your business. It worked for Disney. It worked for McDonald's. It worked for Ford. It can work for you. From the author of the bestselling Traction, Rocket Fuel details the integral roles of the Visionary and Integrator and explains how an effective relationship between the two can help your business thrive. Offering advice to help Visionary-minded and Integrator-minded individuals find one another, Rocket Fuel also features assessments so you're able to determine whether you're a Visionary or an Integrator. Without an Integrator, a Visionary is far less likely to succeed long-term ,and realize the company's ultimate goals—likewise, with no Visionary, an Integrator can't rise to his or her full potential. When these two people come together to share their natural talents and innate skill sets, it's like rocket fuel—they have the power to reach new heights for virtually any company or organization.
Love Is the Killer App
Author: Tim Sanders
Publisher: Crown Currency
ISBN: 1400046831
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 242
Book Description
Are you wondering what the next killer app will be? Do you want to know how you can maintain and add to your value during these rapidly changing times? Are you wondering how the word love can even be used in the context of business? Instead of wondering, read this book and find out how to become a lovecat—a nice, smart person who succeeds in business and in life. How do you become a lovecat? By sharing your intangibles. By that I mean: Your knowledge: everything that comes from all the books that I’ll encourage you to devour. Your network: the collection of friends and contacts you now have, which I’ll teach you how to grow and nurture. Your compassion: that human warmth you already possess—in these pages I’ll convince you that you can show it freely at the office. What happens when you do all this? * You become a rich source of information to all around you. * You are seen as a person with valuable insight. * You are perceived as generous to a fault, producing surprise and delight. * You double your business intelligence in one year. * You triple your network of personal relationships in two years. * You quadruple the number of colleagues in your life who love you like family. In short, you become one of those amazing, outstanding people to whom everyone turns, who leads rather than follows, who never runs out of ideas, contacts, or friendship. Here’s the real scoop: Nice guys don’t finish last. They rule!
Publisher: Crown Currency
ISBN: 1400046831
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 242
Book Description
Are you wondering what the next killer app will be? Do you want to know how you can maintain and add to your value during these rapidly changing times? Are you wondering how the word love can even be used in the context of business? Instead of wondering, read this book and find out how to become a lovecat—a nice, smart person who succeeds in business and in life. How do you become a lovecat? By sharing your intangibles. By that I mean: Your knowledge: everything that comes from all the books that I’ll encourage you to devour. Your network: the collection of friends and contacts you now have, which I’ll teach you how to grow and nurture. Your compassion: that human warmth you already possess—in these pages I’ll convince you that you can show it freely at the office. What happens when you do all this? * You become a rich source of information to all around you. * You are seen as a person with valuable insight. * You are perceived as generous to a fault, producing surprise and delight. * You double your business intelligence in one year. * You triple your network of personal relationships in two years. * You quadruple the number of colleagues in your life who love you like family. In short, you become one of those amazing, outstanding people to whom everyone turns, who leads rather than follows, who never runs out of ideas, contacts, or friendship. Here’s the real scoop: Nice guys don’t finish last. They rule!