Academic Leadership

The road to success is rarely linear and never easy. But with courage, hard work, perseverance, and dedication to duty, Jim Ovia, founder and chairman of Zenith Bank, proves we can achieve the unthinkable. Jim has been called the Godfather of Banking by Forbes Africa. And this should be no surprise. In a time of tension between military and civilian regimes, periods of incredible economic instability, and a decaying infrastructure, Jim founded Zenith Bank in Nigeria.

Starting and running a small business is hard! These 21 authors have done the hard work and overcome the risks. Their stories will help every listener to empathize with the challenges of being an entrepreneur and to join in and celebrate the victories. The stories provide lessons in grit, determination, and faith. Whether you have "made it" in your business, are still struggling, or have just started thinking about getting into business, these lessons will be useful in motivating you through difficult days or circumstances.

Discover the secrets behind business success. This comprehensive academic book delves deep into the world of business strategy, providing a detailed insight into essential practices for the growth and sustainability of organizations. From the fundamentals of strategic management to competitive analysis and strategic decision-making, this guide will equip you with the tools and knowledge necessary to face the challenges of today's corporate world.

Fiorina shares the lessons she's learned from both her difficulties and triumphs. Drawing on her experience as a pioneering business and nonprofit leader, a politically active citizen, and a parent, she diagnoses the largest problem facing our country today: untapped potential. Too often American men and women are held back by systems that prevent them from working and flourishing. Too many people lose hope for themselves.

In Project Management: The Black Experience, Eric presents his direct and honest experience as an African American project manager in a White-dominated corporate world. He shares his 14+ years of experience and insights in the IT project management space of surviving as a Black project manager. This journey begins with a small-town kid from Bluefield, West Virginia, seeking to achieve his dreams but faced with the reality of his “good enough isn’t good enough”, as his parents taught him at an early age.

Dr. Catherine "Cathy" DeAngelis has shattered numerous glass ceilings in medicine for herself and generations of women she's mentored. Raised in 1940s hardscrabble Pennsylvania coal mining country, Cathy's unyielding determination and indomitable self-belief steamrolled medicine's entrenched sexism. In a life filled with "firsts," she was named the first woman editor-in-chief of JAMA - the Journal of the American Medical Association.

With Cutler Dawson at the helm for the last 14 years, Navy Federal Credit Union, the world's largest credit union, has quadrupled the size of the organization and made it an industry leader in customer service. It is now one of the most fiercely trusted and smoothly run financial institutions in the world ranked by Fortune magazine as a Best Place to Work for eight years. This book reveals an honest and straightforward look at Dawson's leadership philosophy and guiding principles.

We’ve all had moments of feeling like we didn’t belong, but imagine being born into a world where fitting in was never an option. Michele Sullivan, who has a rare form of dwarfism, shares how her physical posture taught her the most effective relational posture with others, which helped her become one of the most powerful women in philanthropy.

While an uninterrupted life, free of misfortune may sound wonderful, it is in the challenge, in the change, that we learn the greatest lessons. This book has been written with 51 years of personal life experiences, and an overlay of close to 30 years of professional subject matter expertise in managing the continuance of business operations across the globe, come rain...or shine. Both aspects have resulted in significant lessons learned...stories of continuity and resilience.

Sara Potecha was one of the first women to graduate from West Point. The lessons she learned at the Academy and in the Army - about life and leadership, courage and character, resolve and resilience - have served her well in both military and civilian roles. Those skills have inspired this powerful book for leaders who aim to, like Sara, come out ahead even in the face of adversity and care for their own teams thoughtfully and with heart.

Steve Jobs. The co-founder of Apple. Macintosh computers, iMacs, iPods, iPhones, iPads, iTunes. What an amazing legacy. What an amazing leader. Steve Jobs definitely put a ding in his universe. Don't you want to put a ding in your universe? In Put a Ding in Your Universe, I will walk you through Steve Jobs's "Top 10 Rules for Success". This is not another retelling of the life story of Steve Jobs. This book is a compilation of the wisdom of one of the most successful and innovative business leaders of our generation.

The path to your best opportunity is not a straight line - there are many twists and turns, ups and downs. The Walker family story is an inspiring and candid journey from rural farming to manufacturing and the lessons learned along the way. The founder’s son, Bob Walker, shows how faith in God and godly wisdom provide a sure foundation for starting and operating a successful business - along with courage, the willingness to take risks, and a tenacious dream to remain independent.

Dr. Orison Swett Marden triumphed over his tragic childhood to become a man who was revered by millions and who became known worldwide as "The Father of the American Success Movement".

Many think that a start-up needs to raise millions of dollars from investors to create a big and successful business. Or that a business owner needs to hire employees as fast as they can. That’s just simply not true. In Bootstrapped to Millions, you’ll explore numerous ways to build a business that continues to grow year after year without needing to hire employees or pour your hard-earned profit back into the business. Starting a business today has never been easier, but it takes focus, determination, and a clear vision to create a successful business.

Garrett Thompson’s life took a twist when he left the medical field to become an entrepreneur, and started Nexus, Inc. Making health products had turned into his passion, and with the help of his management team, Nexus Inc. has developed a secret product that could change the world! Through this captivating story listeners will be exposed to the leadership traits that positively influence people. Learn what it means to truly care and sacrifice for your employees, family, and community when facing the toughest of tests.

This audiobook reveals the lives, lessons, and rules of success that have inspired Donald Trump and Winston Churchill and completely transformed the way we think about leadership. This audiobook reveals what it takes to be a powerful leader and will inspire you to be a great leader, too.

Entrepreneur Stuart Skorman, the founder of Elephant Pharmacy, Hungryminds.com, Reel.com, and Empire Video, grew up in a retailing family in Ohio. He worked every kind of job, from cab driver to professional poker player to CEO. In this entertaining, personal account of his coming-of-age in the business world, Skorman gives an insider's view of what it takes to start a business from the ground up.

Serve 2 Win, the first in a series of business guidebooks by entrepreneur coach and serial business owner, Mitch Durfee, offers an unusual approach to launching a small business. The single most successful basis for any entrepreneurial endeavor is that of being of service. Not only does a service-to-others approach attract customers and clients, it rewards business practitioners with an unshakeable sense of purpose, undergirded by the inherent happiness of using their expertise to assist others in need of help.

Ken Pasternak’s distinguished career as a banker, management consultant, executive educator, author, and keynote speaker has provided a wealth of experience with people and organizations internationally. In this book, he shares some of the most memorable stories from his wide-ranging travels and his many encounters with celebrities, and draws out truths that still apply today in both life and business. From leadership to life skills, culture to kindness, these are stories that will make you laugh and make you think, and might just change your perspective on life.

GameStop Corp. is the world's largest video game and related merchandise retailer by the sheer number of its retail stores. GameStop had a relatively humble beginning in contrast to its place on the Fortune 500 list for the past few years. The company was founded in the latter months of 1982 by James B. McCurry and Gary M. Kusin and started functioning from a regional mall in Dallas, Texas. McCurry and Kusin went to Harvard Business School together, where they developed a friendship that made them stand out from their classmates.