COO Forum® - Blog #StrategyCOO Forum® - Blog #Strategyhttps://www.cooforum.net/blogs/tag/strategyThu, 16 Apr 2026 14:59:42 -0700http://zoho.com/sites/<![CDATA[2025 COO Forum Year In Review]]>https://www.cooforum.net/blogs/post/2025-coo-forum-year-in-review2025 was a year that tested operations leaders in new ways. As organizations navigated economic uncertainty, accelerating AI adoption, shifting workforce dynamics, and increasing pressure to do more with less, one thing became clear: strong operations leadership mattered more than ever.]]>

Celebrating Over 20 years of Serving Operations Executives

2025 was a year that tested operations leaders in new ways - and elevated the role of the COO in the process. As organizations navigated economic uncertainty, accelerating AI adoption, shifting workforce dynamics, and increasing pressure to do more with less, one thing became clear: strong operations leadership mattered more than ever.


At COO Forum, this year was defined by candid conversations, practical insights, and a growing community of COOs committed to learning from one another. From in-person chapter sessions to national discussions and shared resources, 2025 reinforced why peer-based perspective is such a powerful advantage for operations leaders. This year-in-review looks back at the moments, themes, and progress that shaped our community - and sets the stage for what’s ahead.


Yet alongside that progress, the year also carried a bittersweet note for COO Forum. While we celebrate our member successes, we also mourn the loss of our founder and Director Emeritus, William E. "Bill" Shepard.

Bill founded COO Forum more than 21 years ago, driven by a simple but powerful insight, that chief operating officers lacked a peer-based community where they could connect in confidence and learn from one another. Drawing on more than three decades of executive leadership experience, including roles as CEO, Divisional President, and COO, Bill created a trusted space for operations executives to grow, share, and lead more effectively.


Bill’s vision continues to live on in the COO Forum community he built—one that remains committed to the spirit of connection, learning, and support he embodied so well.

We miss you and will forever be thankful for all you have done.


Bill's spirit of operational excellence and supporting others can be found in the actions of each of our members, Directors and staff here at COO Forum. Let's take a moment to look back at a year of accomplishments and more importantly, giving back to the community.


Member Accomplishments:



  • Named as one of The Change Makers 2025 by Austin Woman Magazine

  • Featured in an article by Pulse 2
  • Ranked on the Inc. Magazine 2025 Female Founders 500 list
  • Spotlighted on a podcast
  • Listed as a Distinguished Engineer by The University of Texas at Austin
  • Interviewed on a LinkedIn Live event
  • Served as a mentor at at the Kansas City Business Journal's 12th Annual Mentoring Monday event
  • Recognized by the Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles Business Journal, and the San Diego Business Journal for leadership and impact across Southern California communities
  • Named a qualified nominee for the LA Times Studios 2025 Inspirational Women Forum & Leadership Award
  • Moderated a discussion focused on employee advocacy in recruitment practices alongside leaders from various industries
  • Highlighted by Women We Admire as one of The Top 50 Women Chief Operating Officers of 2025
  • Recognized as a 2025 Woman You Need to Know
  • Selected to Chair the E2D - Eliminate the Digital Divide Board
  • Participated in The Torchbearers Event
  • Named one of Albany Business Review’s 40 Under 40 honorees
  • Honored for 35 years at their company
  • Promoted to CEO at American Red Cross of Wisconsin

Member Company Accomplishments:


  • Recognized by Computerworld as one of the Best Places to Work in IT
  • Ranked #7 among large organizations on the new list of top ten employers for retention and engagement
  • Named an Achievers on the Rise by NGLCC and Partners in the National Business Inclusion Consortium
  • Honored as one of Built In’s 2025 Best Places to Work
  • Celebrated their 10th anniversary
  • Acquired 33 additional pharmacies across Canada in multiple transactions, expanding their national footprint to 325+ locations
  • Named one of Canada’s Top Growing Companies by The Globe and Mail’s Report on Business for the sixth consecutive year
  • Recognized as one of Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures in the prestigious enterprise category for 2025
  • Celebrated their 60th anniversary
  • Earned the "IoT Security Product of the Year" in the 9th annual IoT Breakthrough Awards
  • Certified by Great Place To Work US for the seventh year in a row
  • Recognized by the Georgia Department of Education as a CSI Progress School
  • Completed their 500th transaction
  • Played a key role in advancing the data center industry on a groundbreaking hyperscale project
  • Honored at the 2025 NECA Project Excellence Awards for their work on the SCB Headquarters project
  • Named a World's Most Admired Company by Fortune
  • Featured on the premiere episode of The Fixer a new reality series
  • Recognized as a Global Winner for Small Office: PepsiCo Africa; Global Winner for Large Office: FWD Bangkok in the SBID International Design Awards 2025
  • Named Mid-Atlantic Partner of the Year by Juniper Networks
  • Recognized as the OutSystems Partner 2024 of the Year in the New Logo ARR AMER category

  • Selected as a USA TODAY TopWorkplace for 2025, for the third consecutive year

  • Honored as one of The Washington Post Top Workplaces for the third year in a row

  • Obtained the Department of Defense Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification Level 2

  • Ranked #16 on the 2025 Alaska Business Top 49ers list

  • Named one of the Vet100 - a list celebrating the fastest-growing veteran-owned businesses

  • Designated a Data Privacy Week 2025 Champion by the National Cybersecurity Alliance

  • Voted Large Business of the Year by The Chamber of the Iowa Great Lakes

  • Named Partner of the Year at the AHLA HotelPAC Luncheon

  • Featured on an episode of The American Dream

  • Recognized as one of the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For in 2025

  • Honored as one of Fortune’s Best Workplaces in Chicago 2025

  • Earned a Silver Stevie Award in the 2025 International Business Awards for Achievement in Customer Satisfaction

  • Received the Best Customer Experience Insight award at the 2025 Esomar Awards

  • Celebrated their 7th anniversary

  • Inaugurated their new Bangalore office

  • Recognized as a USA Today Top Workplace

  • Made the 2025 Inc Regionals Midwest list for the 4th year in a row

  • Earned a spot on Spring Culture Excellence Top Workplaces

  • Named Snowflake's 2025 Americas Data Cloud Services Growth Partner of the Year

  • Celebrated as one of Consulting Magazine's 2025 Best Firms to Work For for the seventh year in a row

  • Ranked as one of Crain's Best Places to Work in Chicago 2025

  • Recognized as one of Greater Toronto's Top Employers for the third year in a row

  • Highlighted on the 2025 Inc. 5000 list for America’s fastest-growing companies

  • Recognized 25 attorneys as Super Lawyers or Rising Stars in Thomson Reuters 2025 list of Illinois Super Lawyers

  • Named three practice groups and twelve attorneys in the Chambers and Partners Global 2025 rankings

  • Made The Legal 500 United States 2025 list

  • Honored in Bloomberg Law's Leading Law Firms

  • Named 47 attorneys to the 2026 edition of the Best Lawyers in America

  • Selected for inclusion in the International Employment Lawyer’s 2026 IEL Elite list

  • Celebrated 25 years

  • Made the USA Today 2025 Top Workplace list

  • Participated in the Crain’s Chicago Business webcast, "Keeping Current: How to Stay Compliant in Maintaining Existing and New Electrical Technologies”

  • Recognized as one of the Top 100 Staffing Companies to Work For at the 2025 World Staffing Summit

  • Named one of Staffing Industry Analysts' 2025 Best Staffing Firms to Work For

  • Appointed to the Inc. Regionals Southwest list

  • Selected as one of Inc. Magazine’s Best Workplaces of 2025

  • Named one of Austin Business Journal’s Fastest Growing Companies of 2025 for the third year in a row

  • Recognized by the National Association for Business Resources as one of the Best and Brightest Companies to Work For in multiple categories, including Iconic, Brilliance, and Top 101 in the Nation

  • Acknowledged at the 2025 Nonprofit and Corporate Citizenship awards for introducing The Achievery, an online learning platform offering curricula in STEM, digital literacy, social-emotional learning, college and career readiness

  • Won an Emmy for Outstanding Interactive for Cousin Hodie Playdate

  • Nominated for TCA Awards in “Outstanding Achievement in Children’s Programming” for Odd Squad, Donkey Hodie, and Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood

  •  Recognized with awards at the Serious Play Conference for four games

  • Received NINE Children’s & Family Emmy Awards nominations

  • Named one of the Best Places to Work in Virginia for the 12th time

  • Acknowledged by Inc. Magazine as one of the Fastest-Growing Companies in the Mid-Atlantic for 2025

  • Celebrated 25 years

  • Attained the Workplace Culture Leader Award at the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce’s 2025 We Mean Business Awards

  • Achieved the Department of Defense’s CMMC Level 2 Certification

  • Recognized for several Partner Awards: 2024 Rising Star Partner of the Year; Vendor Award; 2024 Q4 Gold Partner; 2025 Rising Star Partner

  • Celebrated their 6 year anniversary

  • Named one of Inc. Magazine’s Best Workplaces of 2025

  • Highlighted by The Channel Company on the 2025 MES Midmarket 100 List

  • Earned the top 10 in Charlotte Business Journal's Fast 50

  • Recognized as a 2025 Top Workplace by the Albany Times Union, marking the eighth consecutive year receiving this award

  • Celebrated 9 years

  • Achieved ISO 13485:2016 certification

  • Received 16 Telly Awards across a variety of categories, including Education, Animation, Editing, Social Impact, and Not-for-Profit

  • Earned the title Best and Brightest Company to Work For in Detroit, Chicago, Dallas, and across the Nation

  • Named the “The Best of the Best Medium Business” at the 2025 Metropolitan Detroit’s Best and Brightest Companies to Work For awards

  • Won an AI Breakthrough Award - for the third year running

  • Opened an office in New York City to better serve their growing East Coast customer base

  • Received the Auto Sensor Innovation of the Year award from the 2025 Merit Automotive Awards

  • Named to TIME's list of America's best midsize companies for the second year in a row

  • Voted 2025’s Best Mobile Phone Company in Avery County

  • Moved up the Qualified Remodeler Top 500 list - from #399 to #307 in just one year

  • Recognized as a 2025 best practices agency

  • Celebrated their 7 year anniversary

  • Earned the 56th spot on the 2025 MEP Giants list

  • Named one of the Best Places to Work by the North Bay Business Journal for the 7th year in a row

  • Received the Best of Bloomingdale Community Choice Award in Banking Services

  • Recognized as one of the Best Banks to Work For in the entire country by American Banker Magazine

  • Announced the opening of their new headquarters and manufacturing facility in the heart of Silicon Valley

  • Made Inc. Magazine's 2025 PowerPartner Awards list

  • Earned two Silver wins at the 2025 The Stevie Awards for Women in Business:  Achievement in Developing and Promoting Women; Achievement in Customer Satisfaction

  • Awarded CyberVadis Gold 2025 for cybersecurity and data protection

  • Celebrated 30 years

  • Named a 2025 Iowa Top Workplace by the The Des Moines Register


Member Community Service:


  • Helped California residents fleeing from the massive and fast-moving wildfires that destroyed thousands of homes 
  • Supported families displaced by home fires
  • Collected 2,800 units of blood in the 2025 Greater Chicago Blood Drive
  • Provided critical relief and recovery/clean-up assistance to those affected by wildfires, severe weather and floods
  • Supported an Honor Flight in Quincy, Illinois
  • Collected and delivered over 1,500 pairs of socks to the Marion VA Medical Center
  • Cleaned cots used at a shelter welcoming residents impacted by a home fire

  • Worked with Rise Against Hunger to fight hunger and package food for those in need

  • Organized initiatives to raise funds and collect food donations for the Okoboji and Spirit Lake Schools Backpack Programs

  • Delivered trays of fruit, vegetables, meat, and cheese to show appreciation to the Spencer Fire Department and Clay County Sheriff's Office

  • Raised funds and collected food and personal care item donations to benefit the Estherville Lincoln Central Community School's Backpack Program

  • Donated $1,042 to People for Pets, a local animal rescue that provides food, medical care, and shelter for animals in need

  • Raised $1,036 to support the families caring for community youths 

  • Delivered 88 fully-stocked backpacks to Abide

  • Contributed $500 each to the Le Mars and ELC Backpack Programs, helping provide food to local youth and families in need

  • Awarded $12,000 to the Le Mars Community Music Boosters in support of local music education and student opportunities

  • Donated $500 to the Sioux City Public School System to help fund: STEM, Arts, and Career Education as well as essential needs like warm coats, school supplies, and graduation gowns

  • Provided $995 of “Jeans Day” money raised throughout the year to the Emmet County Community Christmas Project

  • Supported Iowa Lakes Community College with a $12,000 donation to enhance fine arts and culture experiences for students

  • Championed two Giving Tree programs

  • Hosted a blood drive, collecting 38 units of blood helping save up to 114 lives

  • Delivered care baskets and donated hats and gloves to support local programs

  • Packed meals for Families Forward Charlotte

  • Organized Tiger Town Takeover, volunteering at THOMPSON Child & Family Focus

  • Volunteered for a variety of activities - from building houses in Uruguay to organizing food donations in Atlanta

  • Supported the planting of 1,000 trees at BAIF’s Wagholi campus, promoting community well-being

  • Processed thrift store donations, stocked shelves at a food pantry

  • Partnered with the non-profit organization Helping Mamas to support their Mommy & Baby Supply Drive, packing nearly 400 essential kits for families in need

  • Collaborated with the Saratoga Senior Center to assist with spring lawn care for local seniors

  • Gave time to fight hunger and care for the planet - volunteering with DC Central Kitchen, Greater Chicago Food Depository, Second Harvest Food Bank, and joining Gaylord Opryland for an Earth Day clean-up in Nashville

  • Packed school supply kits

  • Supported Wreaths Across America by sponsoring more than 270 wreaths to honor fallen U.S. veterans

  • Assisted homeowners in need by tackling everything from repairing code violations and correcting faulty electrical installs to lighting upgrades, fixture replacements, and garage and porch work in Rebuilding Together Metro Chicago for National Rebuilding Day

  • Volunteered for the 2025 Illinois Prairie Path Annual Trail Cleanup

  • Raised $45,000 to support the American Cancer Society

  • Provided bags of rice, warm packed lunches, backpacks with school supplies to support the children’s learning, and pre-loved clothes and toys for Unified Gives Back outreach program

  • Celebrated its 11th Annual Day of Service across Virginia - volunteering to support local nonprofits

  • Volunteered at Feed My Starving Children, packing 306 boxes, bagged 66,096 meals, and provided 181 children meals for an entire year

  • Packed meal bags for 100 Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Iowa families

  • Filled 2,000 bags and sorted 10,000 pounds of red potatoes in a single shift, setting a new record at Food Bank of Iowa

  • Assisted Polk County veterans at the Food Bank of Iowa veterans’ mobile food pantry

  • Participated in holiday food distribution, home repairs, Habitat builds, gift wrapping and hands-on volunteering across the country

  • Adopted holiday families through Children & Family Urban Movement and Volunteers of America Michigan

  • Supported local communities and holiday programs by sorting clothing, stocking food shelves and packaging groceries

  • Provided free breast cancer screenings through the partnership between the Kentucky Primary Care Association and United Healthcare

  • Teamed up with Secret Santa, Inc to give a classroom of students some holiday magic

  • Partnered with CityTeam to help provide meals for individuals and families in need

  • Supported the YMCA of San Diego County Giving Tree by adopting 41 angels and providing gifts for children and families in need

  • Volunteered time at the Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child donation center, helping pack and scan donation boxes

  • Collaborated with Atrium Health’s Project Pink, raising over $2,100 for breast cancer awareness screenings in our community


Looking Forward to 2026

As we close out 2025, we are excited to kick off year 22 at COO Forum! We will continue to bring innovation to how we deliver on being the #1 Peer Community for Operations Executives. Watch out for exciting new developments in the months to come.

Everyone at COO Forum wishes you a healthy, prosperous, and peer-filled new year!

]]>Wed, 31 Dec 2025 17:47:55 +0000<![CDATA[2024 COO Forum Year in Review]]>https://www.cooforum.net/blogs/post/2024-COO-Forum-year-in-review2024 was a year of firsts and twentieths for COO Forum. We celebrated 20 years of serving Operations Executives and the broader operations community. ]]>

Celebrating 20 years of serving Operations Executives!

2024 was a year of firsts and twentieths for COO Forum. We celebrated 20 years of serving Operations Executives and the broader operations community. From our humble beginning in Silicon Valley to our reach across many of the world's time zones, we continue to honor our mission: provide Operations Executives the best peer-based, professional development experience in the world.


Take a look below to read more about our firsts and the many accomplishments of our members.




COO Forum by the Numbers:

  • 330 hours of chapter meetings
  • 16 hours of monthly Executive Sessions
  • 18 hours of monthly Presenter Series sessions
  • 12 hours of workshops
  • 2024 State of Operations Report
  • Over 40 new members
  • Launched our first learning Cohort: Executive Change Leadership
  • Held our first all-member conference in Indianapolis



We are also extremely proud of what our members accomplished in 2024:

Member Accomplishments:


  • Selected into Leadership Greater Chicago’s 40th Class of the Signature Fellows Program

  • Recognized by Black Leaders Worldwide™ as a 2024 Woman to Watch

  • Elected president of the Illinois Environmental Council 

  • Nominated for the 2024 Inspirational Women Forum and Leadership Awards by L.A. Times B2B Publishing

  • Named as one of seven EdLoC members leading the charge in policy reform

  • Newly-Appointed to a board of directors 

  • Named Top Nonprofit Executive in the Social Advocacy category at the Orange County Inspirational Women Forum and Leadership Awards

  • Recognized in The Software Report’s The Top 50 Women Leaders in SaaS 

  • Featured as an Ambassador for Women in Construction at New York Build Expo

  • Selected as Executive In Residence at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford

  • Named Leader of Influence in Los Angeles Business Journal

  • Moderated Mastering Difficult Dialogues for Effective Leadership at the Airport Minority Advisory Council's She Soars - Women in Aviation Summit

  • Presented at the IndustryWeek Operation's Leadership Conference

  • Delivered Powerhouse Perspective: Empowering Leaders for Business Breakthroughs podcast

  • Appeared on leadership podcasts 

  • Earned advanced degrees




Member Company Accomplishments:



  • Recognized in Energage's Top Workplaces USA List for 2024

  • Named one of Chicago Tribune's Top Workplaces for the 4th year in a row

  • Ranked #14 on USA TODAY's list of Top Workplaces for companies with 500-999 employees

  • Placed in the top 5 of Best Companies Group's Best Places to Work in Technology list

  • Awarded Ad Age's #1 Best Places to Work for 2024

  • Named one of the 2024 World’s Most Ethical Companies® by Ethisphere Institute for the 17th year in a row

  • Won the 2024 QSR Media Awards Brand Collaboration of the Year

  • Named Automotive Software Supplier of the Year

  • Received the Best Overall Connected Healthcare Solution in the 8th annual MedTech Breakthrough Awards 

  • Recognized as one of the Best Workplaces in Technology by Great Place To Work US and Fortune Magazine
  • Named a Top Employer of Gen Z for four consecutive years

  • Recognized as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere for 10 consecutive years

  • Received the Recharge Igniter Award for 2024

  • Named a Gold winner in the Achievement in Web Design category in The Stevie® Awards

  • Placed #22 for the Top 49ers list from Alaska Business Magazine
  • Ranked 3rd in Austin Business Journal's Fastest Growing Companies 2024
  • Named among Highest-Scoring Businesses on Inc. Magazine’s Annual List of Best Workplaces for 2024
  • Landed a spot on USA TODAY’s 2024 Top Workplaces list
  • Recognized with a Silver Award in the category of Front-Line Customer Service Team of the Year - Technology Industries at The Stevie® Awards
  • Ranked #15 on Charlotte’s Fast 50 list for 2024

  • Rated Best Cell Phone Service in Watauga County for 2024

  • Received the prestigious 2023 GA Chapter Corporate Champion by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
  • Named Top National Auto Insurer on CRASH NETWORK’s 2024 Annual Insurer Report Card for the fifth year
  • Received the Community Impact Award by Twin Cities Business for the Mental Health Collaboration Hub
  • Won 6 Muse Awards
  • Recognized in the 2025 Legal 500 UK Rankings

  • Placed #28 on Business North Carolina's N.C. Mid-Market Fast 40 list

  • Nominated for Best After-School Program for the 2024 Reader’s Choice Awards hosted by Parenting OC Magazine

  • Honored with the Supplier Champion Award at the 19th annual Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Supplier Diversity Achievement Awards

  • Named Best Places to Work by North Bay Business Journal two years in a row

  • Received Industrials Deal of the Year in the Deals Over $100 Million category by The M&A Advisor's 15th Annual International M&A Awards

  • Awarded a Top Workplaces 2024 honor by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

  • Ranked #1 Best Place to work in South Carolina for 2024

  • Named a Top Workplace by the Washington Post

  • Nominated in the financial services category in 2024 Best of Bloomingdale

  • Awarded the Silver Medal at the EuroTier Innovation Awards

  • Became a corporate member of Women in Manufacturing

  • Selected for Kansas City Business Journal's Fast 50: Fastest-Growing Businesses in the Kansas City Area

  • Featured in the latest issue of Stanford Social Innovation Review

  • Named a Top Rated IT & Engineering Staffing Firm for the first half of 2024 by Great Recruiters

  • Recognized in the 2024 Spencer Radio Group People’s Choice Awards

  • Named a Global Leader in the content and language industry by Slator

  • Awarded the UKG Aspire 2024 Innovation Award 

  • Recognized with three awards at the 2024 Golden Trumpet Awards ceremony

  • Received two prestigious 2024 MarCom Awards

  • Named one of Computerworld’s Best Places to Work in IT for 2025

  • Nominated for four Children’s & Family Emmy Awards across Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood and Donkey Hodie

  • Ranked in the Inc. 5000 (multiple companies)

  • Named a 2024 Top Workplaces winner from Chicago Tribune

  • Opened new offices, won major deals, completed mergers and acquisitions



While all of these accomplishments are a source of great pride at the COO Forum, we are equally proud of our members' dedication to making their communities a better place. 

Member Community Service:

  • Held company-wide blood drives

  • Donated for hurricane relief

  • Assembled care kits for a local domestic violence shelter

  • Used Volunteer Time Off to ring the bell for the Salvation Army

  • Raised Denim for Dollars donations for Feed Our Children

  • Donated over $1 million to local schools through the Communication 4 Education program

  • Participated in the Move for Mental Health Walk

  • Restocked local schools' supply closets

  • Helped pack 39,312 meals that will feed 108 children for a year

  • Built a playground in West Englewood for Brightpoint

  • Sorted and distributed over 3,000 pounds of meat sticks to support those in Metro Detroit

  • Brought books to life for Think Together students

  • Joined forces with Rise Against Hunger to pack over 10,000 meals for those in need worldwide

  • Funded 100,000 meals for children around the world

  • Participated in a sorting event at Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina

  • Volunteered for gardening, cleaning and painting at Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte

  • Packed 100 Mother's Day bags for those at Horizons for Homeless Children

  • Participated in the annual United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania's Big Book Drop for 30,000 children

  • Supported the Native Village of Eyak to provide funds to the Cordova School District

  • Participated in the American Cancer Society's Walk and Roll event

  • Donated dozens of bags and hundreds of clothing items to benefit the IBEW Local 701 Women’s Committee 2024 Clothing Drive and IBEW Local 134 Helping Hand Fundraiser

  • Participated in numerous American Red Cross relief efforts

  • Packed over 20,000 meals for those in need around the world

  • Good Neighbor Campaign raised $166,212 for local nonprofit organizations

  • Boxed meals for Feed My Starving Children

  • Restored veteran headstones at a local cemetery

  • Volunteered to feed over 800 families for Thanksgiving in Washington County

  • Chef for the Day at Ronald McDonald House Charities

  • Participated in the Chicago Volunteer Legal Services’ 29th Annual 5K - Race Judicata

  • Led the 2024 Autism Hero Walk at the Detroit Zoo

  • Volunteered with Nourish Up in Charlotte

  • Collected coats and winter gear to benefit the Coats for Kids Drive

  • Sponsored two local families this holiday season for Adopt-a-Family




Looking Forward to 2025 

As we close out 2024, we are excited to kick off our 21st year in 2025. What can you expect from COO Forum in the new year?

First, we will continue to deliver on our mission of supporting Operations Executives through our monthly chapter meetings, Executive Sessions, national presenters and workshops.

Second, we are adding more learning programs for members through our diversity of partners such as The Change Architects, Double Gemini and The Breakthrough Co.

And finally, we are looking forward to innovating and learning alongside our members. Watch out for special opportunities to capitalize on unique meet-ups, author panels and more.

Here's to 2025!
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]]>Sun, 29 Dec 2024 21:14:23 +0000<![CDATA[2023 COO Forum Year in Review ]]>https://www.cooforum.net/blogs/post/2023-coo-forum-year-in-review2023 has been a year of growth, accomplishment, giving and some sadness here at COO Forum®. We are very proud of what our nearly 200 Operations Execut ]]>

Our Operations Executives are the best members in the world!

2023 has been a year of growth, accomplishment, giving and some sadness here at COO Forum®. We are very proud of what our nearly 200 Operations Executives have contributed to both the business world and their local communities. And we are excited for what 2024 will bring. 


Let's take a look at 2023.



COO Forum by the Numbers:

  • 330 hours of Chapter Meetings
  • 16 hours of monthly Executive Sessions
  • 16 hours of monthly Presenters Series sessions
  • 8 hours of workshops
  • 4 new Special Operations Forums launched
  • Ops & Hops™ Event- Charlotte
  • 2023 State of Operations Report
  • Over 60 new members!

Member Accomplishments:



  • Rang the bell on the NYSE as part of Black Women on Boards
  • White House visit for the SBA Women's Business Summit
  • Made the #3 spot on Top 30 Franchise Executives
  • Nominated for Amazing Women in eCommerce
  • Published in Forbes
  • Achieved Maxwell Leadership Certification
  • Awarded Black Engineer of the Year, Hall of Fame 
  • 2 promoted to CEO positions
  • Earned Counselor of Real Estate title
  • 2 awarded ON Conference Top 100 COO Award
  • 50 Women to Watch for Boards 2023 winner
  • Joined a Chicago's Mayor-elect Environmental Subcommittee
  • Won Volunteer of the Year
  • And more!


Member Company Accomplishments:



  • 9 earned a spot on Inc. 5000 List for fastest-growing companies
  • Made the Financial Times Fastest-Growing List
  • 15 won Best Places to Work awards
  • 3 were named to The Charlotte Fast 50 Awards
  • Added to the S&P SmallCap 600
  • Made Top 25 Title Producers in the US
  • Awarded Top Ten US Asian Business Award
  • Won First place in CalCCA Clean Power awards
  • Nominated for multiple Reed's Awards 
  • Top 5 Dealer with Smith System
  • Won Devie's Best In Automotive Innovation award
  • Awarded West Michigan's Best and Brightest Companies
  • Named Best Companies for Women to Advance
  • Won Nonprofit of the Year - Carlsbad
  • Made Newsweek's Top 100 "Most Loved Workplace" in America
  • Finalist for Automotive D.R.I.V.E. Award for Innovation
  • Won Top Digital Strategy Award 
  • Won Female Leadership Award
  • Celebrated 20, 30, 45, 60, and 65th year company anniversaries
  • Named to 50 Women of Wonder in Franchise Dictionary
  • Won Top Austin Business Awards 
  • Named Top Franchise Supplier 2023 
  • Awarded Top 100 Corporate Philanthropy in the Bay Area 
  • Achieved the Gold Seal with GuideStar
  • Opened new offices, won major deals, completed mergers and acquisitions
  • And more!

While all of these accomplishments are a source of great pride at the COO Forum, we are equally proud of our members' dedication to making their communities a better place. 

Member Community Service:


  • Supported Feed My Starving Children
  • Created an philanthropic Employee Discretionary Fund
  • Attended the National Philanthropy Day Breakfast
  • Served at Second Helpings
  • Volunteered at Fall Fix-up and local Day of Service projects
  • Participated in Be the Match Field Goals for Charity
  • Hosted a blood drive
  • Participated in cemetery cleanup
  • Supported foster care
  • Completed the Army 10-miler 
  • Danced at the Sneaker Ball 
  • Ran the Pink Divas and Gents 5K
  • Supported childhood cancer fundraising 
  • Collected back-to-school supplies 
  • Fought to end violence against women 
  • Supported animal welfare 
  • Raised funds for Good Neighbor Day 
  • Pledged to complete 100,000 acts of kindness
  • Sponsored a Red Cross Heroes Breakfast 
  • Traveled as guardians on the Old Glory Honor Flight 
  • Supported Breast Cancer Awareness 
  • Volunteered at food banks
  • Hosted book drives 
  • And more!

Sadly, 2023 was also marked with the loss of member Mike Neal.


Mike was a wonderful contributor to his peers at the COO Forum. We all miss his smile and timely insights. Donations in honor of Mike may be made to the University of Memphis , Mike Neal Scholarship Fund.

Looking Forward to 2024 

2024 is shaping up to be another tremendous year of growth and accomplishment for the COO Forum! 

First off, we will be celebrating our 20th Anniversary in 2024! That's right, our humble organization has paved the way for Operations Executives since 2004. Sure, we were the first peer organization to focus on the COO. However, our innovation hasn't stopped there.

Help us celebrate in 2024. We would love to have you become one of the COO Forum's best members in the world!
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]]>Sun, 26 Nov 2023 16:02:01 +0000<![CDATA[COO Forum's Must-Read Books]]>https://www.cooforum.net/blogs/post/COO-Forum-Must-ReadsWhich book has kept you riveted, page after page? What about the one that was so insightful that you had to put its ideas to work right away? The COO Forum and its members have provided a list of their favorite books. Which one appeals to you?]]>

Books We Love! 

The COO Forum loves books! We're always reading books ourselves - and recommending them to other operations executives. That being said, we thought we'd start our own recommended book list. So far, the books range from self-improvement, culture, and leadership to strategy, innovation and more! Don't see your favorite business book on the list? Make a suggestion and we can add it!



Book titled, Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard

Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard

​By Chip Heath and Dan Heath
Why is it so hard to make lasting changes in our companies, in our communities, and in our own lives? The primary obstacle is a conflict that’s built into our brains.  Psychologists have discovered that our minds are ruled by two different systems—the rational mind and the emotional mind—that compete for control. The rational mind wants a great beach body; the emotional mind wants that Oreo cookie. The rational mind wants to change something at work; the emotional mind loves the comfort of the existing routine. This tension can doom a change effort—but if it is overcome, change can come quickly.


Book titled, The Savage Leader

The Savage Leader

​By Darren Reinke
What does it mean to “be a leader?” How do we become one? What does it take? In today’s world, it takes more than being a great decision maker, strategic thinker, and risk manager. It takes mastering the inner game to become a “Savage Leader.” In this book, Darren Reinke will show you how by guiding you through 13 key principles that will help you develop and master the inner qualities and traits you need to become a leader.


Book titled, This is Strategy

This is Strategy: Make Better Plans

​By Seth Godin
This is Strategy is a modern classic that offers perspectives you'll find yourself returning to again and again. Rather than providing step-by-step formulas, Godin offers something more valuable: a new way of seeing and thinking about the challenges you face. You'll discover how to identify your "smallest viable audience" and make remarkable work they can't ignore, understand and influence the systems shaping our world, prioritize long-term thinking over instant gratification and make smart, purposeful choices that shape a better tomorrow.


Book titled, Think Again

Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know

​By Adam Grant
Intelligence is usually seen as the ability to think and learn, but in a rapidly changing world, there's another set of cognitive skills that might matter more: the ability to rethink and unlearn. In Think Again, Adam Grant investigates how we can embrace the joy of being wrong, harness the advantages of impostor syndrome, bring nuance into charged conversations, and build schools, workplaces, and communities of lifelong learners. It's an invitation to let go of views that are no longer serving us well and prize mental flexibility, humility, and curiosity over consistency.
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Book titled, Start with Why

Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action

​By Simon Sinek
START WITH WHY asks (and answers) the questions: why are some people and organizations more innovative, more influential, and more profitable than others? Why do some command greater loyalty from customers and employees alike?  START WITH WHY shows that the leaders who have had the greatest influence in the world all think, act and communicate the same way—and it's the opposite of what everyone else does. Sinek calls this powerful idea The Golden Circle, and it provides a framework upon which organizations can be built, movements can be led, and people can be inspired. And it all starts with WHY.
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Book titled, Begin With We

Begin With We: 10 Principles for Building and Sustaining a Culture of Excellence

​By Kyle McDowell
In Begin With WE, McDowell examines the root causes of dysfunction in business, highlighting the plague of a “me-oriented” paradigm, and provides the remedy with his framework, The 10 WEs. These guiding principles are the cornerstone of Kyle’s leadership philosophy and establish the foundation required for a Culture of Excellence. Kyle’s inside-out approach cultivates courageous “WE-oriented” leaders who recognize the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
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Book titled, Chief Inspiration Officer

Chief Inspiration Officer: How to Lead the Team Everyone Wants to be On

​By Val Ries
In today’s competitive landscape, attracting and retaining top talent is crucial. When you lead a team with an inspiring culture, you don’t just meet expectations—you exceed them. Val Ries, a seasoned leadership expert, reveals the secrets to unlocking your team’s full potential, boosting engagement and driving success. With real-life examples and actionable techniques, Chief Inspiration Officer is perfect for C-suite and upper management leaders aiming to revitalize their approach, HR professionals seeking resources for change management or leadership training and anyone who wishes to inspire their entire organization.
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Book titled, Never Lose a Customer Again

Never Lose a Customer Again

​By Joey Coleman
While new customers experience joy, euphoria, and excitement, these feelings quickly shift to fear, doubt, and uncertainty as buyer's remorse sets in. Across all industries, somewhere between 20%-70% of newly acquired customers will stop doing business with a company with the first 100 days of being a new customer because they feel neglected in the early stages of customer onboarding. In Never Lose a Customer Again, Coleman offers a philosophy and methodology for dramatically increasing customer retention and as a result, the bottom line. 
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Book titled, Your Next Five Moves

Your Next Five Moves

​By Patrick Bet-David
Both successful entrepreneurs and chess grandmasters have the vision to look at the pieces in front of them and anticipate their next five moves. In this book, Patrick Bet-David “helps entrepreneurs understand exactly what they need to do next” by translating this skill into a valuable methodology. Whether you feel like you’ve hit a wall, lost your fire, or are looking for innovative strategies to take your business to the next level, Your Next Five Moves has the answers.
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Book titled, The One Minute Manager

The One Minute Manager

​By Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson
The One Minute Manageroffers an efficient management approach designed to optimize productivity and performance through focused, concise interactions. The core tenets of One Minute Management provide a framework for establishing clear goals, providing targeted praise, and delivering constructive feedback—all in under a minute. This time-saving method empowers employees through open communication, instills accountability, and creates an environment that encourages continuous growth and skill development.
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Book titled, The Ai-Driven Leader

The Ai-Driven Leader

​By Geoff Woods
The difference between growing your business and going out of business is your ability to think strategically. The problem is, most leaders are stuck in the operational weeds, struggling to find the time to make better strategic decisions. This challenge is only heightened by the rise of AI. While you know AI is the future, current demands leave you with no time to explore its benefits. Meanwhile, your competition is gaining an edge by integrating AI. The time to act is now.
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Book titled, Stop Overthinking

Stop Overthinking

​By Nick Trenton
Stop Overthinking is a book that understands what you’ve been through, the exhausting situation you’ve put yourself into and how you lose your mind in the trap of anxiety and stress. Acclaimed author Nick Trenton will walk you through the obstacles with detailed and proven techniques to help you rewire your brain, control your thoughts and change your mental habits. What’s more, the book will provide you scientific approaches to completely change the way you think and feel about yourself by ending the vicious thought patterns.
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Book titled, The Coaching Habit

The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever

​By Michael Bungay Stanier
In Michael Bungay Stanier's The Coaching Habit, coaching becomes a regular, informal part of your day so managers and their teams can work less hard and have more impact. A fresh, innovative take on the traditional how-to manual, it combines insider information, research based in neuroscience and behavioral economics and interactive training tools to turn practical advice into practiced habits. Witty and conversational, The Coaching Habit takes your work--and your workplace--from good to great.
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Book titled, The 80/20 Principle

The 80/20 Principle

​By Richard Koch
Be more effective with less effort by learning how to identify and leverage the 80/20 principle: that 80% of all our results in business and in life stem from a mere 20% of our efforts. By  concentrating on the things that count, we can unlock the enormous potential of the magic 20% and transform our effectiveness in our jobs, our careers, our businesses and our lives. 
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Book titled, The One Thing

The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth About Extraordinary Results

​By Gary Keller
People are using this simple, powerful concept to focus on what matters most in their personal and work lives. By focusing their energy on one thing at a time, people are living more rewarding lives by building their careers, strengthening their finances, losing weight and getting in shape, deepening their faith, and nurturing stronger marriages and personal relationships. In The ONE Thing, you'll learn to: cut through the clutter, achieve better results in less time and build momentum toward your goal. You'll be able to dial down the stress, revive your energy and master what matters to you.
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Book titled, Empowered COO

Empowered COO: Eliminate Burnout, Resentment and Self Doubt as a Second-in Command

​By Rachel Lebowitz
Empowered COO is your go-to guide to help you eliminate self-doubt, resentment, and burnout as a Second-In-Command and to learn how to empower yourself to be at your best, personally and professionally.
In this book, Rachel dives into the human psychology of the Visionary/Second-In-Command relationship. You will learn how the law of inverse attraction works in this relationship. Knowing the common pitfalls and challenges, you will learn how to    communicate more effectively with your Visionary, create boundaries and have clarity on priorities. This is a step by step outline   to empower and reclaim your true self.


Book titled, Death by Meeting
Death by Meeting
​By Patrick Lencioni
In his latest page-turning work of business fiction, best-selling author Patrick Lencioni provides readers with a cure for the most painful yet underestimated problem of modern business: bad meetings.  And what he suggests is both simple and revolutionary. 
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​Lencioni provides a framework for his groundbreaking model, and makes it applicable to the real world. Death by Meeting is nothing short of a blueprint for leaders who want to eliminate waste and frustration among their teams and create environments of engagement and passion.


Book titled, Good Leaders Ask Great Questions
Good Leaders Ask Great Questions
​By John  C. Maxwell
John Maxwell, America's #1 leadership authority, has mastered the art of asking questions, using them to learn and grow, connect with people, challenge himself, improve his team, and develop better ideas. Questions have literally changed Maxwell's life. In GOOD LEADERS ASK GREAT QUESTIONS, he shows how they can change yours, teaching why questions are so important, what questions you should ask yourself as a leader, and what questions you should be asking your team.


Book titled, Fire Starter
Fire Starter
​By Jason Barnaby
Are you stuck? Uninspired? Do you want to make a change, but you have no idea where to start? Not only do I understand you, I was you! Join me on this journey of people just like you who said enough is enough. You'll hear from five Fire Starters including myself about our personal quests to match our passion and purpose with our daily work. Don't waste another moment thinking this is something reserved for the lucky. It's not! Igniting the Fire Starter Within goes behind the scenes to share insight and practical steps to find your fire, fan your flame and tend your tribe.


Book titled, Who Not How
Who Not How
​By Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy
When we want something done, we've been trained to ask ourselves, "How can I do this?" But there's a better question to ask. One that unlocks a whole new world of ease and accomplishment. Expert coach Dan Sullivan suggests the question we should ask instead is, "Who can do this for me?" Making this shift involves retraining your brain to stop limiting your potential based on what you alone can do and instead focus on the nearly infinite and endless connections between yourself and other people as well as the limitless transformation possible through those connections.


Book titled, 10x is Easier than 2x
10x Is Easier Than 2x
​By Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy
Achieving 10X growth is exponentially easier than striving for 2X growth. Being a 10X entrepreneur is nothing like what most people think. 10X is not the outcome; it's a counterintuitive process you can apply every time you want exponential growth in your life and business. To make 10X possible, you must focus on expanding what Dan defines as your four most important freedoms—time, money, relationship and purpose. As both your professional and personal life fills up with 10X more unique and collaborative relationships, you will realize that your most powerful purposes in all areas become 10X more lasting and positive for everyone involved. 


Book titled, Thrive: A Collaboration Manifesto
Thrive: A Collaboration Manifesto
​By Darrin Murriner, Kirsten Moorefield & Scott Dust, Ph.D.
​More employees than ever report working in dysfunctional cultures which takes a toll on their ability to collaborate. People are often stuck in endless meetings and email chains, disengaged from work, failing to see why their work matters and how to make an impact—and they feel it. They crave change. You could be the catalyst in your organization for more collaborative relationships and powerful problem-solving. Unlock the potential of your people to produce work they are deeply proud of and that makes our world an increasingly better place.


Book titled, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
​By Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D.
​After decades of research, world-renowned Stanford University psychologist Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D., discovered a simple but groundbreaking idea: the power of mindset. In this brilliant book, she shows how success in school, work, sports, the arts, and almost every area of human endeavor can be dramatically influenced by how we think about our talents and abilities. People with a fixed mindset—those who believe that abilities are fixed—are less likely to flourish than those with a growth mindset—those who believe that abilities can be developed. Mindset reveals how great parents, teachers, managers, and athletes can put                                                 this idea to use to foster outstanding accomplishment.


Book titled, Digital Body Language
Digital Body Language: How to Build Trust and connection, No Matter the Distance
​By Erica Dhawan
​Humans rely on body language to connect and build trust, but with most of our communication happening from behind a screen, traditional body language signals are no longer visible -- or are they? In Digital Body Language, Erica Dhawan combines cutting edge research with engaging storytelling to decode the new signals and cues that have replaced traditional body language across genders, generations and culture. This book will turn your daily misunderstandings into a set of collectively understood laws that foster connection, no matter the distance. 



Book titled, Leaders Eat Last
Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't
​By Simon Sinek
​​In his work with organizations around the world, Simon Sinek noticed that some teams trust each other so deeply that they would literally put their lives on the line for each other. Other teams, no matter what incentives are offered, are doomed to infighting, fragmentation and failure. Too many workplaces are driven by cynicism, paranoia and self-interest. But the best ones foster trust and cooperation because their leaders build what Sinek calls a "Circle of Safety" that separates the security inside the team from the challenges outside.



Book titled, Lean In
Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead
​By Sheryl Sandberg
Lean In  combines personal anecdotes, hard data and compelling research to change the conversation from what women can’t do to what they can. Sandberg, COO of Meta (previously called Facebook) from 2008-2022, provides practical advice on negotiation techniques, mentorship and building a satisfying career. She describes specific steps women can take to combine professional achievement with personal fulfillment and demonstrates how men can benefit by supporting women both in the workplace and at home.



Book titled, The Digital Mindset
The Digital Mindset
​By Paul Leonardi and Tsedal Neeley
The Digital Mindset introduces three approaches—Collaboration, Computation, and Change—and the perspectives and actions within each approach that will enable you to develop the digital skills you need. With a digital mindset, you'll ask the right questions, make smart decisions and appreciate new possibilities for a digital future. Leaders who adopt these approaches will be able to develop their organization's talent and prepare their company for successful and continued digital transformation.

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Book titled, Measure what Matters
Measure What Matters
​By John Doerr
In Measure What Matters, Doerr shares a broad range of first-person, behind-the-scenes case studies to demonstrate the focus, agility and explosive growth that OKRs have spurred at so many great organizations. The benefits are profound. OKRs surface an organization's most important work. They focus effort and foster coordination. They keep employees on track. They link objectives across silos to unify and strengthen the entire company. Along the way, OKRs enhance workplace satisfaction and boost retention.

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Book titled, Atomic Habits
Atomic Habits
​By James Clear
Atomic Habits will reshape the way you think about progress and success and give you the tools and strategies you need to transform your habits--whether you are a team looking to win a championship, an organization hoping to redefine an industry or simply an individual who wishes to quit smoking, lose weight, reduce stress or achieve any other goal. This book will teach you how to make time for new habits, overcome a lack of motivation and willpower, design your environment to make success easier, get back on track when you fall off course...and much more.


Book titled, Go Slow to Grow Fast
Grow Slow to Grow Fast
​By Brent R. Tilson
In this book, author Brent R. Tilson brings to life the classic challenge that all business leaders face as they push their businesses through the conflict of growth and business capability. The practical tools, methodologies and advice are thought-provoking yet simple. Brent’s innovative use of a business’s “Lifeline,” combined with his “Quad 4” methodology, helps leaders gain an understanding of how their business is performing today and creates a road map for the future.

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Book titled, Radical Candor
Radical Candor
​By Kim Scott
The idea is simple:  You don't have to choose between being a pushover and a jerk. You can be kind and clear at the same time. Radical Candor is about caring personally and challenging directly, about soliciting criticism to improve your leadership and also providing guidance that helps others grow. It focuses on praise but doesn't shy away from criticism―to help you love your work and the people you work with. Radically Candid relationships with team members enable bosses to fulfill their three core responsibilities: create a culture of Compassionate Candor, build a cohesive team and achieve results collaboratively.

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Book titled, Journey Well
Journey Well, You Are More Than Enough
​By Byron Edgington and Mariah Edgington
​Journey Well, You Are More Than Enough: Mindset Matters is book number two in the Journey Well series of uplifting, affirmative, self-improvement books. Our mindset creates our reality. Our thoughts, and what we tell our subconscious, determine the quality of our lives, the goals we achieve, the happiness we have and the way we live. Journey Well, You Are More Than Enough: Mindset Matters "is dedicated to those who believe as we do, that there’s a better, brighter, gentler and more compassionate world waiting for us all, and that world gets its genesis in our collective mindset, our thoughts.”



Book titled, Rocket Fuel
Rocket Fuel
​By Gino Wickman and Mark C. Winters
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.
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.


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Book titled, Ignite. Engage. Retain.
Ignite. Engage. Retain.
​By George C. Murray
Award-winning author George Murray asks leaders and business owners…if your company is struggling to find new employees, you are not alone. If you find new people, but they soon leave, usually for more money, you are not alone. If you are working hard to engage those who have worked for you for a while—-or are brand new—-this book has answers to help so you are successful. It's all related to the company's culture in how you Ignite, Engage, and Retain with both long-term and new employees. Make those people feel important and needed. Make your company a place "where you'd like to work" at all levels. with both long-term and new employees. Make those people feel important and needed. Make your company a place "where you'd like to work" at all levels.


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Book titled, An Everyone Culture
An Everyone Culture
​By Robert Kegan and Lisa Laskow Lahey
In most organizations nearly everyone is doing a second job no one is paying them for—namely, covering their weaknesses, trying to look their best and managing other people’s impressions of them. There may be no greater waste of a company’s resources. The ultimate cost: neither the organization nor its people are able to realize their full potential. What if a company did everything in its power to create a culture in which everyone—not just select “high potentials”—could overcome their own internal barriers to change and use errors and vulnerabilities as prime opportunities for personal and company growth?


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Book titled, Plan to Pivot
Plan to Pivot
​By Gerry Starsia
The speed of information flow, globalization, massive amounts of data, artificial intelligence, economic forces and changing demographics are all factors that need attention and consideration as organizations decide what to do, how to do it and when to stop doing what they are doing and pivot towards opportunities and success. By applying the principles of agile project management laid out in Plan to Pivot, organizations develop the muscle memory necessary to observe markets and consumer demands, connect deeply with customers and bring products and services to consumers in order to deliver value more efficiently. 


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Book titled, Idea to Impact
From Idea to Impact
​By Igor Pistelak and Elizabeth Sale
Why do many transformations fail and only a few succeed? Because most companies focus purely on technology and completely forget about their people. It’s ironic that although we live in one of the most connected times ever, organizations today are probably the most disconnected they have ever been. Idea to Impact offers you a simple and accessible guide to the best transformation practices based on proven methods. It takes you through the steps of transformation DNA (Daily Needed Actions) and explains how work complexity and people morale interweave throughout the change process.


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Book titled, Beyond Disruption
Beyond Disruption
​By W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne
Disruption dominates innovation theory and practice. But disruption, for all its power, is destructive—displacing jobs, companies and even entire industries. Are we missing an alternative approach to innovation and growth? Beyond Disruption redefines and expands the existing view of innovation by introducing a new approach, nondisruptive creation, that is free from the destructive displacement that happens when innovators set out to disrupt. Kim and Mauborgne reveal the distinct advantages of nondisruptive creation, showing how this new approach to innovation allows companies to grow while also being a force for good. 

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Book titled, Traversing the Traction Ga[
Traversing the Traction Gap
​By Bruce Cleveland and Wildcat Venture Partners
Vision, groundbreaking ideas, total commitment and boundless enthusiasm characterize most startups, but they require capital to go from promising product to scalable business. More than 80 percent of all early-stage startups fail. Most of them can build a product, but the vast majority stumble when it comes time to take those products to market due to poor “market engineering” skills. Traversing the Traction Gap exposes the reasons behind that scary failure rate and provides a prescriptive how-to guide, focused specifically on market engineering techniques, so startups can succeed.

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Book titled, Trust and Inspire
Trust & Inspire
​By Stephen M. R. Covey, David Kasperson, McKinlee Covey, and Gary T. Judd
We have a leadership crisis today, where even though our world has changed drastically, our leadership style has not. Most organizations, teams, schools and families today still operate from a model of “command and control", focusing on hierarchies and compliance from people. But because of the changing nature of the world, the workforce, work itself and the choices we have for where and how to work and live, this way of leading is drastically outdated. Trust and Inspire calls for a radical shift in the way we lead in the 21st century, and Covey shows us how.

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Book titled, Dare to Lead
Dare to Lead
By Brene Brown
 Daring leadership in a culture defined by scarcity, fear and uncertainty requires skill-building around traits that are deeply and uniquely human. The irony is that we’re choosing not to invest in developing the hearts and minds of leaders at the exact same time as we’re scrambling to figure out what we have to offer that machines and AI can’t do better and faster. What can we do better? Empathy, connection and courage, to start.


Book titled, Riding Shotgun
Riding Shotgun: The Role of the COO
​By Nate Bennett and Stephen Miles

The role of Chief Operating Officer is clearly important. In fact, it's arguable that the number two position is the toughest job in a company. COOs play a critical part in executing the strategies developed by top management. And, in many cases, they are being groomed—or test-driven—as the firm's CEO-elect. Riding Shotgun provides unique insight into this little-understood role. The authors develop a framework that illustrates who the COO is, why a company should create this position and what the challenges associated with this job entail. Drawing heavily on first-person accounts from top executives, the authors offer a set of strategies to inform individuals who aspire to serve as COO.


Book titled, The Compound Effect
The Compound Effect
​By Darren Hardy

Do you want success? More success than you have now? And even more success than you ever imagined possible? That is what this book is about. Achieving it. No gimmicks. No hyperbole. Finally, just the truth on what it takes to earn success. As the central curator of the success media industry for over 25 years, author Darren Hardy has heard it all, seen it all and tried most of it. This book reveals the core principles that drive success. The Compound Effect contains the essence of what every superachiever needs to know, practice and master to obtain extraordinary success. 



Book titled, Be a Better Team By Friday
Be a Better Team by Friday
​By Justin Follin

As your company’s growth accelerates, the heat turns up and teams break down. It gets harder to work together when things get tough. This book reveals the surprisingly simple skills required to get your team to the top. Fast. Learn proven strategies to inspire your teams to think bigger, communicate better, collaborate more effectively and achieve your most ambitious goals. This isn’t just theory. The seven proven practices detailed inside are actionable tactics focused on getting remarkable results while improving morale.



Book titled, From Impossible to Inevitable
From Impossible to Inevitable
​By Aaron Ross and Jason Lemkin

Why are you struggling to grow your business when everyone else seems to be crushing their goals? If you needed to triple revenue within the next three years, would you know exactly how to do it? Doubling the size of your business, tripling it, even growing ten times larger isn't about magic. It's not about privileges, luck, or working harder. There's a template that the world's fastest growing companies follow to achieve and sustain much, much faster growth. Whether you have a $1 billion or a $100,000 business, you can use the same insights to learn what it really takes to break your own revenue records.



Book titled, Essentialism
Essentialism
​By Greg McKeown

Essentialism is more than a time-management strategy or a productivity technique. It is a systematic discipline for discerning what is absolutely essential, then eliminating everything that is not, so we can make the highest possible contribution toward the things that really matter. By forcing us to apply more selective criteria for what is Essential, the disciplined pursuit of less empowers us to reclaim control of our own choices about where to spend our precious time and energy—instead of giving others the implicit permission to choose for us.



Book titled, What to Say When You Talk to Yourself
What to Say When You Talk to Yourself
​By Shad Helmstetter

The international self-talk best-seller. Each of us is programmed from birth on. And as much as 75% or more of our programming may be negative or working against us. In this newly updated and revised eBook edition, Shad Helmstetter shows the reader how to erase and replace past mental programs with healthy, new programs that can be positively life-changing. Considered by many to be one of the most important and helpful personal growth books ever written.



Book titled, The 6 Types of Working Genius
The 6 Types of Working Genius
​By Patrick M. Lencioni

Beyond the personal discovery and instant relief that Working Genius provides, the model also gives teams a remarkably simple and practical framework for tapping into one another’s natural gifts, which increases productivity and reduces unnecessary judgment. What sets this book—and the model behind it—apart from other tools and assessments is the speed at which it can be understood and applied and the relevance it has to every kind of work in life, from running a company to launching a product, to managing a family.
  


Book titled, The Culture Blueprint
The Culture Blueprint
​By Robert Richman

The Culture Blueprint is a systematic guide to building a company culture. This book is about fostering committed, enthusiastic employees. Distilling his years of experience teaching culture-building to companies like Google, P&G and Amazon, Robert Richman says that, in order to thrive, companies must do more than satisfy their employees; they must create passionate ones. The Culture Blueprint will teach you how to develop a culture that does just that.        

                


Book titled, Lead Yourself First
Lead Yourself First
​By Raymond M. Kethledge and Michael S. Erwin

Solitude is a state of mind, a space where you can focus on your own thoughts without distraction, with a power to bring mind and soul together in clear-eyed conviction. But these days, handheld devices and other media leave us awash with the thoughts of others. We are losing solitude without even realizing it. To find solitude today, a leader must make a conscious effort. This book explains why the effort is worthwhile and how to make it. Through gripping historical accounts and firsthand interviews with a wide range of contemporary leaders, Raymond Kethledge and Michael Erwin show how solitude can enhance clarity, spur creativity, sustain emotional balance and generate the moral courage necessary to overcome adversity and criticism. 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    


Book titled, Inside the Box
Inside the Box
​By Drew Boyd and Jacob Goldenberg

The traditional attitude toward creativity in the American business world is to “think outside the box”—to brainstorm without restraint in hopes of coming up with a breakthrough idea, often in moments of crisis. Sometimes it works, but it’s a problem-specific solution that does nothing to engender creative thinking more generally. Inside the Box demonstrates Systematic Inventive Thinking (SIT), which systemizes creativity as part of the corporate culture. This counterintuitive and powerfully effective approach to creativity requires thinking inside the box, working in one’s familiar world to create new ideas independent of specific problems.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 


Book titled, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
​By Patrick Lencioni

Equal parts leadership fable and business handbook, this definitive source on teamwork by Patrick Lencioni reveals the five behavioral tendencies that go to the heart of why even the best teams struggle. He offers a powerful model and step-by-step guide for overcoming those dysfunctions and getting everyone rowing in the same direction.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        



Book titled, Crossing the Chasm
Crossing the Chasm​
​By Geoffrey A. Moore

  In Crossing the Chasm, Geoffrey A. Moore shows that in the Technology Adoption Life Cycle there is a vast chasm between the early adopters and the early majority. While early adopters are willing to sacrifice for the advantage of being first, the early majority waits until they know that the technology actually offers improvements in productivity. The challenge for innovators and marketers is to narrow this chasm and ultimately accelerate adoption across every segment. This third edition brings Moore's classic work up to date with dozens of new examples of successes and failures, new strategies for marketing in the digital world and Moore's most current insights and findings.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               


Book titled, The Culture Code
The Culture Code​
​By Daniel Coyle

  In The Culture Code, Daniel Coyle goes inside some of the world’s most successful organizations and reveals what makes them tick. He demystifies the culture-building process by identifying three key skills that generate cohesion and cooperation, and explains how diverse groups learn to function with a single mind. Drawing on examples that range from Internet retailer Zappos to the comedy troupe Upright Citizens Brigade, to a daring gang of jewel thieves, Coyle offers specific strategies that trigger learning, spark collaboration, build trust and drive positive change.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           


Book titled, A World Without Email
A World Without Email​
​By Cal Newport

  We have become so used to an inbox-driven workday that it's hard to imagine alternatives. But they do exist. Cal Newport makes the case that our current approach to work is broken, then lays out a series of principles and concrete instructions for fixing it. In A World without Email, he argues for a workplace in which clear processes define how tasks are identified, assigned and reviewed. Each person works on fewer things (but does them better) and aggressive investment in support reduces the ever-increasing burden of administrative tasks. Above all else, important communication is streamlined and inboxes and chat channels are no longer central to how work unfolds.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            


Book titled, Traction
Traction
​By Gino Wickman

The Entrepreneurial Operating System® is a practical method for achieving the business success you have always envisioned. In Traction, you'll learn the secrets of strengthening the six key components of your business. You'll discover simple yet powerful ways to run your company that will give you and your leadership team more focus, more growth and more enjoyment. Successful companies are applying Traction every day to run profitable, frustration-free businesses—and you can too.                    

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              


Book titled, Catalyst
The Catalyst: How to Change Anyone's Mind
​By Jonah Berger

The Catalyst identifies the key barriers to change and how to mitigate them. You’ll learn how catalysts change minds in the toughest of situations: how hostage negotiators get people to come out with their hands up and how marketers get new products to catch on, how leaders transform organizational culture and how activists ignite social movements. This book is designed for anyone who wants to catalyze change. It provides a powerful way of thinking and a range of techniques that can lead to extraordinary results. Whether you’re trying to change one person, transform an organization or shift the way an entire industry does business, this book will teach you how to become a catalyst.        



Book titled, Tribes
Tribes
​​By Seth Godin

It's human nature to seek out tribes, be they religious, ethnic, economic, political or even musical (think of the Deadheads).  Now the internet has eliminated the barriers of geography, cost and time. Social media gives anyone who wants to make a difference the tools to do so. With his signature wit and storytelling flair, Godin presents the three steps to building a tribe: the desire to change things, the ability to connect a tribe and the willingness to lead.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          


Book titled, Extreme Ownership
Extreme Ownership
​​By Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

In gripping, firsthand accounts of heroism, tragic loss, and hard-won victories, Jocko Willink and Leif Babin learned that leadership - at every level - is the most important factor in whether a team succeeds or fails. Detailing the mindset and principles that enable SEAL units to accomplish the most difficult combat missions, Extreme Ownership demonstrates how to apply them to any team or organization, in any leadership environment. A compelling narrative with powerful instruction and direct application, Extreme Ownership challenges leaders everywhere to fulfill their ultimate purpose: lead and win.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              


Book titled, The Checklist Manifesto
The Checklist Manifesto
​​By Atul Gawande

We live in a world of great complexity, where even the most expert professionals struggle to master the tasks they face. Acclaimed surgeon and writer Atul Gawande finds a remedy in the simplest of techniques: the checklist. In riveting stories, Gawande takes us from Austria, where an emergency checklist saved a drowning victim who had spent half an hour underwater, to Michigan, where a cleanliness checklist in intensive care units virtually eliminated a type of deadly hospital infection. He explains how checklists actually work to prompt striking and immediate improvements. And he follows the checklist revolution into fields well beyond medicine, from homeland security to investment banking to skyscraper construction and businesses of all kinds.                                                  


Book titled, Own Your Culture
Own Your Culture
​​By Bretton Putter

In Own Your Culture, Bretton Putter peels back the layers of company culture and provides leaders with actionable steps and tools they can use to define and embed it in their companies, based on more than 50 interviews with leaders around the world. In this book, you will learn how to understand the consequences of the good and bad decisions that affect culture, develop a checklist of activities that will strengthen your culture and your business and prepare for the inevitable changes in how companies adapt to remote/hybrid work in this uncharted environment.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                


Book titled, Linchpin
Linchpin
​​By Seth Godin
There used to be two teams in every workplace: management and labor. Now there's a third team - the linchpins. These people figure out what to do when there's no rule book. They love their work, pour themselves into it and turn each day into a kind of art.
​Have you ever found a shortcut that others missed? Seen a new way to resolve a conflict? Made a connection with someone others couldn't reach? Then you have what it takes to become indispensable, by overcoming the resistance that holds people back.              Linchpin will show you how...                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    


Book titled, ADKAR
ADKAR: A Model For Change in Business, Government and Community
​​​By Jeffrey M. Hiatt
Learn how to build awareness, create desire, develop knowledge, foster ability and reinforce changes in your organization. The ADKAR Model is changing how we think about managing the people side of change and provides a powerful foundation to help you succeed. The ADKAR model has emerged as a holistic approach that brings together the collection of change management work into a simple, results oriented model. This model ties together all aspects of change management including readiness assessments, sponsorship, communications, coaching, training and resistance management.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               


Book titled, Culture Decks Decoded
Culture Decks Decoded
​​​By Bretton Putter
Leaders who invest in their culture do so because they understand that it’s the only sustainable competitive advantage they have complete control over. Culture Decks Decoded will help you understand what culture is as well as its common misconceptions. You will learn why culture is the most vital asset to attract and retain A+ talent and how to get the most from your team by building a clearly defined culture that inspires, supports and enhances job satisfaction and people’s ability to get more done.  This book will give you the pieces you need to create a culture deck that captures and defines your own unique company culture.                                                                                                                                                                                                


Book titled, The 4 Disciplines of Execution
The 4 Disciplines of Execution
​​​By Chris McChesney, Sean Covey and Jim Huling
The 4 Disciplines of Execution (4DX) is a simple, repeatable, and proven formula for executing your most important strategic priorities in the midst of the whirlwind. By following the 4 Disciplines—Focus on the Wildly Important; Act on Lead Measures; Keep a Compelling Scoreboard; Create a Cadence of Accountability—leaders can produce breakthrough results, even when executing the strategy requires a significant change in behavior from their teams.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              


*Book images and descriptions have been adapted from Amazon, where all are available for purchase.

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