The "Who Knew?" Guru

The findings of a recent Wall Street Journal ranking of the most influential business thinkers might surprise you. Only one of the top five thinkers is an actual traditional business guru -- which is not only interesting, but good news for my boss, Karen Salmansohn -- who is herself an unconventional business guru, with her best selling books -- like HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT A PENIS and GUT: HOW TO THINK FROM YOUR MIDDLE TO GET TO THE TOP, and BALLSY: 99 WAYS TO SCORE EXTREME BUSINESS SUCCCESS. So it seems Karen is part of a big trend. Meaning? I'll probably have my job working for her for a long time to come!

I spotted this trend in an article Erin White wrote for WSJ called "New Breed of Business Gurus Rises." Below are those top five. Check it out: 4/5ths of the bulk of them are a psychologist, 2 journalists, and a celebrity CEO.

1. Author and "traditional" consultant Gary Hamel
2. Journalist Thomas Friedman
3. Author and Journalist Malcolm Gladwell
4. Former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates
5. Harvard psychology professor Daniel Goleman

Each of these thinkers has done their share to change the way we "do" business. But rather than focusing on how they've changed business, we must focus on what this shift away from "traditional" gurus means for business.

Examining this trend leads us to many conclusions, but the main reason people are looking to unconventional gurus is because "time-strapped managers are hungry for easily digestible advice wherever they can find it." That's according to Thomas H. Davenport, a management professor at Babson College and the compiler of the ranking.

Today's most pressing business concerns include weighty issues like globalization, innovation, and motivation. Rather than relying on didactic, esoteric business theories and policies, managers are looking for easily digestible, yet still profound, pieces of advice. And they've found it in these not-so-run-of-the-mill advisers.

This new culture of gurus presents managers with a win-win situation. Because each business-expert comes from a different walk of life, people are getting a broader range of information. Each brings with them a special qualification or knowledge in a particular area that provides a more eclectic pool of information.

One dynamic missing in this pool, however, is women. Not one woman made it in the list of the Wall Street Journal's top 20. The lack of a woman's presence proves that there is another pressing business issue to be understood, namely, diversity. If you'd like to help solve our nation's diversity issues, I recommend you check out some of my boss Karen Salmansohn's unconventional business books -- which you can see in the book section on this site. Buy a few not only for yourself but friends -- and you will be doing your part to help to make sure there might be a woman business thinker on that list next year in WSJ!


Holley Simmons Reporting!

Ballsiness = Happiness

This morning I was driving to work with my boyfriend, when to the right of our car, we saw a Drake's Delivery Truck, painted with images of dancing pastries - including the infamous Drake's Coffee Cake.

My boyfriend holds up his coffee-to-go cup, and challenges, "Hey, Karen, why don't you ask the driver for a Drake's coffee cake for our coffees?"

Since I literally wrote the book on "Ballsy" I decide to do just that.

I roll down my window -- get the truck driver's attention -- point to my coffee-to-go cup, and shout, "Hey! Can you spare two coffee cakes for our coffees in here?"

The driver smiles and nods affirmatively.

He reaches over to his right, retrieves 2 coffee cakes, and defenestrates them at us.

(PERSONAL SIDE NOTE: Wow. I'm so happy I finally got to use that word "defenestrate" in my writing. I remember memorizing this word waaaay back when studying for my S.A.T.'s - and reading this recommended vocab word meant "to throw through a window." Immediately I wondered, "When the heck am I ever going to use THAT bizarre word?" Cut to 20 odd years later, on an odd morning...and voila: "Coffee Cake Defenestration occurs!)

With our coffee cakes in one hand, my beau and I wave a large appreciation "thanks" to the driver with our other free hands.

The driver beamed merrily.

Indeed all around us -- everyone in cars within a nearby Coffee Cake Defenestration radius was smiling joyously.

In talking about this a bit with my boyfriend, I realized that ballsy actions tend to create happy emotions.

When you risk and do things outside your norm, you tend to feel more alive -- more liberated - and this leads to more happiness in general.

If I look back at the aftermath of the many ballsy things I've done -- in my career -- and dating life -- I can absolutely remember feeling that adrenaline rush of glee coursing through my veins each time.

But this success formula is NOT simply a one-way thing where...

Ballsiness = Happiness

It also goes the other way around....

Happiness = Ballsiness

For example, this morning I was already in a happy state of mind driving to work with my beau -- which got me feeling feisty, frisky -- ballsy!

And if I look back at my state of mind BEFORE I did the various ballsy actions in my life, I also remember being in a happy/feisty/frisky mood.

The life lesson here?

The happier you are -- the ballsier you will be.

Indeed...in my career coaching I'm always recommending people try to do what they can to be overall happy people FIRST AND FOREMOST, if they want to score extreme success.

I say: Money doesn't bring you happiness. But happiness brings you money.

The happier you are, the more energy you have to jump over obstacles -- and the more ballsiness you have to take those leaps.

With this in mind, here's an important CAREER TIP FROM MY BOOK BALLSY:

"Consciously focus on the FUN - and NOT the fear!" Today...if you ARE feeling afraid to make a risky move, rile yourself into a fun frame of mind first. Force yourself to focus on the FUN of the action -- and NOT the fear of the action -- and do that ballsy thing you know you want to do! You'll literally be HAPPY you did!

That's the first time I've done THAT in a hotel room!

Today I did my LIVE Sirius radio show of BE HAPPY DAMMIT from my hotel room here in Atlanta, where I spoke last night to a jampacked auditorium of 3,500 designers, at the fabulous HOW DESIGN CONFERENCE.

This was the first time I got to do my radio show in a bathrobe in a hotel room - and I not only liked it, but it was ultra-appropriate, since today's radio show was a LOVE SEX LOVE theme!

As for my keynote seminar last night...it was based on my career book, BALLSY -- WAYS TO SCORE EXTREME SUCCESS -- the sequel to my big best seller HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT A PENIS, in which I say: "A woman doesn't need a penis to succeed. Just balls."

I also say there's "bad ballsy" and "good ballsy."

Although you might not need a penis to succeed -- you should not try doing it without a heart and brain.

Make sure while you're being ballsy, you're also being warm hearted, wise, polite, reasonable.

Unfortunately there are still many women who think that to succeed in business they have to imitate men -- and imitate stupid, obnoxious men. Not true. I believe a woman doesn't have to make a choice:

1. feminine

or

2. successful

PICK ONE ONLY.

You can be both.

In fact, I consider myself a "feminine-ist." I'm strong, but enjoy being all the things that make me a woman.

But I digress...

BALLSY is a book and a seminar for both men and women...which affirms that you don't need to work longer hours to succeed - just ballsier hours.

Some of its time-after-time tested techniques include:

Mom was wrong. It's okay to talk to strangers. The more people you know the luckier you will be.

Network often -- but view it as "netplaying"! Focus on having fun - rather than extracting.

Cold-call at hot times -- early morning, or after hours, when gatekeepers might not be around, and high work ethic bosses pick up their own phones!

Make sure you create your own "career pick up line" -- that one-to-two-liner which grabs and persuades. The more "remakable" you are - the more "marketable" you are.

Plus, make sure your "career pick up line" has what I call an "extrinsic" not "intrinsic" benefit!

Not only is self-branding important, but so is knowing how to find the right niche and target audience.

With this in mind, always find out what the very best chocolate is -- then get your unique peanut butter on the very best chocolate.

very best chocolate = proven money making opportunities + unmet needs

For me...

very best chocolate = billion dollar self-help book industry

my unique peanut butter = my highly-graphic and edgy-voiced self-help books for lazy, busy, smart people

Also key: Avoid places where there are too many people trying to get their peanut butter on the same exact chocolate. Make sure you find the VERY best chocolate with the hungriest target audience -- and make sure you have really unique peanut butter.

Basically:BE OF SERVICE! QUELL FEARS! SOLVE PROBLEMS! TALK TO THE IGNORED!

I encouraged the HOW designers to go out there and be ballsy -- but always the GOOD ballsy -- to use their new ballsy powers, for good, not evil.

When I returned to my room after dinner, one attendee had done a GOOD ballsy maneuver.

Inspired by my "chocolate/peanutbutter metaphor" she dropped off a Reese's Peanutbutter Package for me in my room -- with a well written, funny note.

I'd like to reward her for her GOOD ballsy maneuver, by telling you her name is Sally Shephard - and she's an out of the box designer/thinker with a cool site! Check it out!

And today keep in mind the words of Eleanor Roosevelt: "Every day do one thing which scares you!"

Do at least one GOOD ballsy thing today -- and feel free to write me about it here on my blog!

MAY 21st -- SOHO HOUSE EXTREME SUCCESS SEMINAR - IN NYC!

Behind every wildly successful business person is always a ballsy story of how they got there!

Indeed you don't need to work longer hours -- just ballsier hours!

Monday May 21st at 7pm at the exclusive NYC SOHO HOUSE I will give you pointers on how to become your ballsiest, most successful self -- from my best selling book BALLSY!

Some sneak peek pointers:

The more people you know, the luckier you will be. Mom was wrong. It’s Okay to talk to Strangers. And ...there are specific hot times to cold call. (tip #4)

If at first you don’t succeed you're doing something stupid. Why you shouldn't just seek compliments, but seek criticism. (tip #6)

It doesn’t matter how good your beef tenderloin is. Don’t try to sell it to a vegan store. How to better target in on your target audience. (tip #20)

Whenever possible, play with people who are better than you. How to meet the Supermodelers in your career -- and why you should be other peoples' Supermodeler (tip #39)

Come join me and NOT ONLY will receive my time-after-time tested techniques for achieving extreme success...

BUT ALSO FREE, FREE, FREE: 1 week pass to Yogaworks, Sweetriot chocolate, FizzyLizzy beverages, Vibrel sexual enhancer - plus even MORE FREE STUFF!

How did I get all this very cool FREE stuff?

Simple -- I was a ballsy gal and snagged it for you!

DATE: MAY 21ST

TIME: 7PM - 8:30 PM

FEE: $35.00 per person

NEW: PAYPAL SIGN UP AT MY SITE -- see seminars page on left column!

LOCATION: SOHO HOUSE AT 9TH AVE. BETWEEN 13TH/14TH