Academic Leadership

Les Gold has been in business since age 12, when he started selling used golf clubs from his dad’s basement. Now he owns Detroit’s biggest pawnshop, American Jewelry and Loan, and is the star of the hit reality TV show Hardcore Pawn. In this entertaining, honest book, Gold takes you inside some of his weirdest, wacki­est deals and steals. From the monkey his dad once took in to pawn to the deal Gold made for a stripper pole, he has no boundaries for what he considers to be part of his business - and neither should you.

Super Agent. Maverick. Reformer. Iconoclast. Dealmaker. Dentist? Jerry Argovitz has worn many hats in his remarkable life, both inside and outside of the world of sports. As a player agent representing and advising some of the biggest names in the game, Argovitz challenged the NFL both at the negotiating table and in the courtroom, earning a reputation as one of the most powerful men in professional sports.

Ed Whitacre is credited with taking over the corporate reins at General Motors (GM) when the automotive manufacturer was on the brink of bankruptcy during 2009 and turned the company around in magnificent fashion. In this business memoir, the native Texan explores his unique management style, business acumen and patriotism. It was President Obama who reached out to Ed Whitacre to come out of retirement and take over GM in 2009.

Jack Welch lifted GE from a conglomerate with a market value of about $12 billion to one of the world's largest and most widely-admired companies, with a market value of more than $500 billion. In Jack, the author reveals the strategies and philosophies that put him at the top.

A charismatic, heart-warming business memoir that's filled with life lessons on overcoming obstacles, Copy This! is a book for every business owner looking to grow a company, every manager helping his team perform, every visionary trying to launch a new idea, and for every mother and father of a child suffering from dyslexia or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

What does it mean to create a “model”? First, we naturally tune our attention toward role models during early childhood and take data to form an accurate model of our world. And from there, we model and remodel ourselves to become more like the ideal person we conceptualize in our imagination. Business Model gives listeners a front-row view of Williams’ own life experiences that gave rise to his unique business model. Listeners will be treated to countless inspiring perspectives on self-transformation, business success, and transcending adversity.

We Took the Risk dives into the personal journeys of 25 executives who, through their own combination of traits, took on the challenges of an early US renewable energy industry. Far from being a self-improvement book or a glorified “who’s who” run down, this book provides a backdrop by which to juxtaposition your own career journey. Author Tom Weirich lets you view the beginnings of the industry as if you were there, lock in step with these entrepreneurial leaders, as they sift through decisions that would forever impact the trajectory of renewables in the US.

Richard Branson, one of the world's most famous and admired business leaders, argues that it's time to turn capitalism upside down - to shift our values from an exclusive focus on profit to also caring for people, communities and the planet. As he writes: "It's a vibrant and definite sea change from the way business was always done, when financial profit was a driving force. Today, people aren't afraid to say, Screw business as usual!-and show they mean it."

Join Nyimpini Mabunda on his journey from his childhood in an apartheid-era homeland to the CEO's office at one of the world's best-known businesses. In a career spanning Procter & Gamble, Nando's, Diageo, Boston Consulting Group, Vodacom and General Electric in South Africa, the UK and Uganda, Mabunda shows why he strives for continuous and active improvement of his business acumen and leadership skills.

Despite Jack Ma's massive influence in China and in the global tech world, his inspirational rags-to-riches story is relatively unknown to the general American public. Never Give Up: Jack Ma in His Own Words is a comprehensive guide to the inner workings of arguably the most prominent figure in the global tech world in the past 20 years - comprised entirely of Ma's own thought-provoking and candid quotes.

Jim McNerney was one of Jack Welch's top protégés at General Electric and a finalist to replace the retiring Welch as CEO. McNerney lost that competition in 2001, but since then he has emerged as one of the most effective leaders of his generation.

Este libro cuenta la extraordinaria historia de una compañía global y una familia danesa que durante noventa años ha defendido el derecho al juego de los niños, y también el de los adultos, quienes deben dedicar tiempo a cuidar de su niño interior. La historia de LEGO se construyó a partir del acceso privilegiado de Jens Andersen a los archivos de LEGO y a las múltiples entrevistas que tuvo con Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, expresidente y CEO de Grupo LEGO, nieto del fundador Ole Kirk Christiansen.

Paul Owhadi’s improbable entrepreneurial journey began as a first-generation immigrant coming to America with just a few hundred dollars in his pocket. Having learned a remarkable level of self-reliance, as a child sent to a French boarding school at age four, he was educated in London—and then headed to New York City and a whole new life. After an education and a career in urban planning and city management—one of the youngest city managers in the country—he excelled at creating and transforming cities for the betterment of its people.

Ever wondered what it takes to rise from near-death to extraordinary success? This book is for anyone looking for inspiration, resilience, and powerful business insights. Uncover the dual journey of Antonio Iozzo, who battled addiction while rising as a visionary leader, providing you with the strength to overcome your own challenges. Get inside the mind of a CEO managing a multibillion-rand empire while facing a crippling addiction, so you can apply these lessons to your personal and professional life.

The original American entrepreneur! One of the great historical business leaders shares his observations on making money. A must-listen for anyone interested in business.

Phil Knight, o homem por trás da Nike, sempre foi uma figura envolta em mistério. Agora, neste livro franco e surpreendente, ele conta sua história. Com 50 dólares emprestados pelo pai, ele abriu em 1963 uma empresa com uma missão simples: importar do Japão tênis de alta qualidade e baixo custo. Mas o caminho até tornar a Nike uma das marcas mais emblemáticas, inovadoras e rentáveis do mundo não foi fácil, e Knight fala em detalhes dos riscos que enfrentou, dos concorrentes implacáveis e de seus muitos triunfos e golpes de sorte.

Rahul Bajaj is a billionaire businessman, the chairman emeritus of the Bajaj Group and a former member of Parliament. This book is not just the story of Rahul Bajaj but the story of India. The author takes us through the country's transformation from the time Rahul Bajaj's mother was imprisoned during the freedom struggle to the prism of his eventful life. Based on unrestricted interviews, the book is full of anecdotes, business learnings and political asides. It is, at its core, a moving human story.

Sir Bob Reid is former chairman of Shell UK, British Rail, ICE Futures Europe, and deputy governor of the Bank of Scotland, among much else. His is a story of determination and achievement shot through with political upheaval, economic reversal, and industrial catastrophe. His first posting was to Borneo. Stints in Africa, Thailand, and Australia followed, after which he became chair of Shell UK, responsible for all oil exploration, production, refineries, and coastal shipping.

Here is a bold new history of economics, the dramatic story of how the great economic thinkers built a rigorous social science without peer.

A powerful story of grit and determination, passion and resilience, A.M. Naik: The Man Who Built Tomorrow presents a rare look at the person behind the leader and the many worlds he inhabits—from business and industry to nation-building and philanthropy.