More than two hundred CEOs reveal their candid insights on how to build and foster a corporate culture that encourages innovation and drives results In Quick and Nimble, Adam Bryant draws on interviews with more than two hundred CEOs to offer business leaders the wisdom and guidance to move an organization faster, to be quick and nimble, and to rekindle the whatever-it-takes collective spark of a start-up, all with the goal of innovating and thriving in a relentlessly challenging global economy. By analyzing the lessons that these leaders have shared in his regular "Corner Office" feature in The New York Times, Bryant has identified the biggest drivers of corporate culture, bringing them to life with real-world examples that reflect this hard-earned wisdom. These men and women—whose ranks include Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn, Tony Hsieh of Zappos, Angie Hicks of Angie's List, Steve Case of Revolution (and formerly AOL), and Amy Gutmann of the University of Pennsylvania—offer useful insights and strategies for creating a corporate culture of innovation and building a high-performing organization that unleashes the passion and energy of its employees. As the world shifts to more of a knowledge economy, the winners will be companies that can attract and retain the best and brightest employees by creating an environment where they can grow, contribute, and feel rewarded. Through the wisdom of these leading chief executives, Quick and Nimble offers a keen understanding of the forces that shape corporate culture and a clear road map to bring success and energy to any organization.
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"In today's nonstop turbulence, innovation is critical to success. In Quick and Nimble, Adam Bryant distills important lessons from a range of leading CEOs about how to create and sustain a productive culture that nurtures not only innovation but also respect, engagement, and teamwork for everyone involved. And he does so in a lively, grounded voice that resonates with experience and perspective. A 'must read' for any leader serious about the company he or she is building and the difference it makes in the world."
— Nancy F. Koehn, James Robison Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School
“Bryant’s gift for asking incisive questions of remarkable people, and translating their insights into crisp and lucid prose, makes for joyful reading indeed—smart, provocative, and immensely useful!”
— Jim Collins, New York Times bestselling author of Great by Choice“Quick and Nimble is the definitive book on organizational culture. Adam Bryant offers an expert guided tour through the minds of the world’s most innovative CEOs, sharing insights that are both enlightening and immensely practical. This is a book that every leader needs to read—and reread.”
— Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Give and Take“Adam Bryant identifies the most important challenge facing business leaders today: how to achieve innovation at scale by building a culture that will marry the energy of a start-up with the discipline of a veteran organization. In Quick and Nimble, he has assembled an all-star team of CEOs to share—in their own words—how they have taken their companies to the next level.”
— Eric Ries, New York Times bestselling author of Lean Startup“A ‘must read’ for any leader serious about the company he or she is building and the difference it makes in the world.”
— Nancy F. Koehn, James Robison Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School“In Quick and Nimble, Adam Bryant unlocks the secret to creating and sustaining a culture of innovation: leadership. Bryant has translated his in-depth interviews with innovation leaders into lessons on how to build a creative, open, and ultimately innovative culture that will enable every organization to thrive and grow.”
— Bill George, professor, Harvard Business School“Bryant writes the Corner Office column for the New York Times, where he interviews CEOs every week for their insights about managing people and leading companies. Their wisdom on building innovative cultures is collected here. Far too many leadership books rely on the knowledge of consultants or on years-old stories to build their case; this book gets its ideas from the people actually running companies today.
— Washington PostIn an increasingly competitive and dynamic economy, every organization is charged with building a culture that supports innovation...Bryant offers an expert guided tour through the minds of the world's most innovative CEOs, sharing insights that are both enlightening and immensely practical.
— Adam Grant, The Huffington PostQuick and Nimble offers idea after idea on how to create a culture of innovation. It is full of workable ways to nurture critical thinking and create the chaos needed for innovation to thrive. The author's dedicated research proves that leaders who intentionally make culture a key element of their strategy pave the way for organizational success.
— T+D MagazineReams of practical advice for and from business leaders most--thankfully--with a human, caring touch.
— Kirkus ReviewsLeaders such as the editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue, the CEO of JetBlue, chef Mario Batali ... provide thoughts on leadership, management, and innovation...The big names lend the book a certain flair...[Bryant] breaks down the important elements of a successful corporate culture, and then describes the leadership strategies to build on it.
— Publishers WeeklyAdam Bryant gives us yet another welcome opportunity to listen in on his living laboratory of leadership conversations. In Quick and Nimble, he orchestrates discussion on the idea--and its practical application--that culture is not in 'support' of strategy; it is strategy. Bryant's gift for asking incisive questions of remarkable people, and translating their insights into crisp and lucid prose, makes for joyful reading indeed--smart, provocative, and immensely useful!
— Jim Collins, author of Good to Great and coauthor of Great by ChoiceQuick and Nimble is the definitive book on organizational culture. Adam Bryant offers an expert guided tour through the minds of the world's most innovative CEOs, sharing insights that are both enlightening and immensely practical. This is a book that every leader needs to read--and reread.
— Adam Grant, professor of management, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and bestselling author of Give and TakeAdam Bryant identifies the most important challenge facing business leaders today: how to achieve innovation at scale by building a culture that will marry the energy of a startup with the discipline of a veteran organization. In Quick and Nimble, he has assembled an all-star team of CEOs to share--in their own words--how they have taken their companies to the next level.
— Eric Ries, bestselling author of The Lean StartupIn Quick and Nimble, Adam Bryant unlocks the secret to creating and sustaining a culture of innovation: Leadership. Bryant has translated his in-depth interviews with innovation leaders into lessons on how to build a creative, open, and ultimately innovative culture that will enable every organization to thrive and grow.
— Bill George, professor, Harvard Business School, and former chair and CEO, MedtronicBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Adam Bryant is managing director and partner at the ExCo Group, where he works with hundreds of ambitious leaders rising through the ranks. As the creator and former author of the iconic “Corner Office” column in the New York Times, he has mastered the art of distilling real-world lessons from his hundreds of interviews and turning them into practical tools, presentations, and exercises to help companies strengthen their leadership benches. He also works with executive leadership teams to help drive their transformation strategies, based on a best-practices framework he developed for his widely praised book, The CEO Test: Master the Challenges That Make or Break All Leaders. Connect with him at @AdamBBryant on Twitter.
Jeff Gurner created the title role in the American premiere of A Prayer for Owen Meany at Playmakers Rep. He has appeared in productions on and off Broadway such as The Lion King, Five Course Love, The London Cuckolds, and Harrigan & Hart. His film and television credits include Law & Order: SVU, Third Watch, and Hey Joel!, an animated series for VHI.