Whether you’re fresh out of college with a diploma in hand, or a seasoned employee in search of a job, you will stand out from the more than 14 million unemployed if you read this book. More importantly, if you follow the book’s advice. Give yourself the advantage in today’s tough job market.

Congratulations, Harvey! My guess is that you will add another “bestseller” to your list while helping millions of people.

PS. One reporter’s opinion, “Your book is filled with good advice for anyone…not just job seekers!”

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Phil Jackson and Judy Jernudd

I had the opportunity to interview Mr. Jackson.  Granted a first impression doesn’t mean you know a person, yet after a few minutes with him, he makes a lasting impact. His unusual combination of competitiveness and Zen not only serves him well as a coach, but it is who he is.

Judy’s Take: During the interview his answers are thoughtful due to his presence with the questions. He listens. His “in the moment” attitude is contagious. You feel yourself becoming more centered and focused because he is.  Everything about him projects sincerity and wisdom. Even some of his players, who’ve publicly admitted resisting his Zen coach approach, give him credit for his meditative teachings. He listens and delivers answers with the message he wants to get across. He looks directly at you when he talks and forms a connection.

Coach Jackson has written a number of books you might want to check out about his leadership style and what makes him win.  One of my favorites that I recommend to leaders is “Sacred Hoops: Spiritual Lessons of a Hardwood Warrior.”

Gold Star Action: Answering questions in a job interview, to a reporter, in a sales presentation, or conversations in general should be void of sounding scripted or canned. Treat every question with importance.  Think before you speak.  Looking into the eyes of the person asking the question is a powerful way to connect. And be present. Master these skills and people will relate to you more positively and you will create a greater impact.

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Gold Star Action: Dream big and work hard to make your dreams come true is not a new concept.  Magic Johnson tells you not just what you need to do, but how to do it.  What is it you really want? When people come to Startegic to re-invent themselves, we find it is a hard question for many people to answer.  How determined you are to get what you want is usually a key predictor of success or failure.  Every successful person I know works with an executive coach,  mentors or advisers.  Once your why is in place, continue to develop what you know and find the right people to help you learn what you need to grow. Part of Magic’s success can be attributed to is his winning personality.  It helps to be likable and grateful.

Magic Johnson and Judy Jernudd

Earvin “Magic” Johnson could write a book about what it takes to achieve extraordinary entrepreneurial success. In fact, the former LA Lakers superstar has done exactly that in his recent release, “32 Ways to Be a Champion in Business.” One of the “Top 50 Greatest NBA players,” wasn’t content to rest on his basketball fame and fortune laurels.  No, he wanted to become a businessman.  Correction, a successful businessman.

Impression: The first thing you notice about Mr. Johnson, beside his imposing athletic stature, is how present he is in front of the audience of a thousand at the Book Expo Convention in Los Angeles. Even before he is presenting the lessons of his business success,  he is sending a message: “I’m glad to be here.” You know two things about him within seconds. This giant of a man, quick to smile, is a “people person” and you want to like him.

Speaking Tip: Whether you are in professional services, an entrepreneur, or CEO of a Fortune 500 company, every presentation and speech counts.  None are throwaways. When you are trying to motivate your team, influence decision makers, deliver a sales presentation or simply introducing yourself, your presence is essential.

Lesson: Conveying an “I’m glad to be here” attitude sets the tone for you in a couple of ways.  Your audience becomes more comfortable with you and you start to relax.   One of the main reasons people look as though they would rather be facing a “root canal” is because they are not prepared.  Once you know what you want to say and how you want to it, you can focus on your message and relate it to the audience.

Recommended Read: Mr. Johnson quickly moved past his basketball fame and onto his entrepreneurial success story.  This post is a quick overview of some of the highlights of his speech, but do yourself a favor and read 32 Ways to be a Champion if you’re serious about becoming a successful entrepreneur or growing your business.

The Story: First, he knew how to score on the court, but knew nothing about business. Many people have great ideas, but lack the skills to develop them.  He sought out some of the brightest business people he knew to mentor him. He discovered upfront he would need a solid business plan and financial support to make his dreams a reality.  You might think his marquee name would magically open the bank’s vaults.  They took his meetings and his autograph, but kept their money.  He quickly learned about persistence in the world of business,  financing, franchises and partnering.

The second challenge he faced was the uncharted markets where he wanted to do business.  His dream was to serve the under-served urban communities.

Success: Today, as CEO of Magic Johnson Enterprises, his relationships, franchises and partners include Starbucks, Best Buy, Burger King, 24-Hour Fitness, AMC Theatres and T.C.I. Fridays serving ethically diverse urban communities.

Little Known Fact: MJE is in partnership, not a franchise, with Starbucks.  After Mr. Johnson approached Howard Schultz about a potential partnership, he invited him to visit his Magic Johnson Theater.  Mr. Schultz was impressed and the rest, as they say, is coffee brewing history.

Know your Customer: A quick story about the Starbucks in Magic Johnson’s communities. He told Mr. Schultz, “these people aren’t going to like the muzak played in most Starbucks.  And about those scones…” Yes, his Starbucks serves sweet potato pie.

Lesson: Are you giving your customers what you want them to have or want they want? If you don’t know the answer, ask them. A few years ago, we did just that.  We asked each of our clients what they wanted more of and how we could best help them and their teams succeed.

Prior to those conversations, we thought we were in the communication business; sales presentations, media training and executive presence.  The feedback: “Yes, you show us how to present ourselves, make sales and help our leaders develop executive presence but you really are helping us learn the qualities of successful people.” Wow! The feedback changed the direction of our company — while communication is its core,  our clients told us that we are in the business of developing sales stars, leadership stars, and star performers at work.  Ask your clients if you have any doubts how you can best serve them. You will be stunned by what you will learn about your abilities and your business!

Biggest Suprise: Faith at work? Magic says that he has much to be thankful for in his life and he acknowledges it at work. Before company meetings or meals he invites people to pray privately. As he says, “Faith seems to be working at MJE.”

Gold Star Action Recap: Dream big and work hard to make your dreams come true is not a new concept.  Magic Johnson tells you not just what you need to do, but how to do it.  What is it you really want? When people come to Startegic to re-invent themselves, we find it is a hard question for many people to answer.  How determined you are to get what you want is usually a key predictor of success or failure.  Every successful person I know works with an executive coach,  mentors or advisers.  Once your why is in place, continue to develop what you know and find the right people to help you learn what you need to grow. Part of Magic’s success can be attributed to is his winning personality.  It helps to be likable and grateful.

Your thoughts?

Up next- Anne Mulcahy, CEO of Xerox

Stay tuned!

Judyth

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Attention leaders: You’re making a big mistake when you don’t talk with your employees. Leaving people in the dark about the challenges during these tough economic times potentially creates additional problems for the company. Leaders might think if they ignore talking directly about the problems, employees will continue doing business as usual. We call it the “Ostrich Approach” to leadership…it doesn’t work. In fact, the opposite is true.

Employees tend to become more frightened as they play out worst case scenarios in their mind. Is their job at stake? Is the company or division going to make it? Will they be asked to cut back on hours? What is expected of them during the economic downturn? When an employee’s security is threatened, they begin speculating and become fearful. Once this animal is loose in a company, production starts to fall, morale sinks, employees lose focus and your bottom line shrinks. Many of these distractions are avoidable.

GOLD STAR ACTION: Leaders, you might not know all of the solutions, but now is the time to communicate, and communicate often. These are adults who can relate to straight talk. Even when you have bad news to deliver, it is less stressful to hear it directly from leaders rather than the rumor mill. We recommend in-person talks/meetings or webcasts and video casts when in-person meetings aren’t possible.

Many leaders try to communicate through e-mail rather than talk with people, but the challenge is that you can’t get an emotional read from text. Reassurance, concern and trust come through your voice, posture, demeanor, tone and facial expression. Leaders, start talking!

Stay tuned!

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Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Judy Jernudd

You’re sitting in a meeting, when the person next to you asks an important question. You thought about asking the exact same question, but you didn’t.

For instance, what question would you risk asking if you were sitting in the audience with about four hundred strangers listening to keynote speaker, Jeff Bezos, the Amazon.com chief? He was wrapping up his talk about the virtues of Amazon and demonstrating the Kindle wireless reader. While Mr. Bezos raved about the benefits of the product people in the audience, including me, started thinking it would be cool to own one.

As Mr. Bezos was about to leave the stage, without hesitation, a woman in the audience stood up and asked, “Are you going to auction off a Kindle before you leave?” It was clear Mr. Bezos hadn’t been asked the question before, but he acknowledged it would have been a good idea. In a flash, he demonstrated some on-the-spot decision making. He held up the Kindle and said, “Since you asked the question, it’s yours.” Wow! She asked and she received! Talk about immediate gratification.

Mr. Bezos invited the woman on stage to give her the $359.00 Kindle. About twenty photographers started snapping her pix as she stood on stage with Jeff Bezos, her gift in hand, smiling in a sea of flashbulbs. She went from being one of many in the audience to a stand-out on stage…with a new Kindle! Those of us in the audience applauded her highlight moment, although you could hear many moans of…”Oh! Gee, why didn’t I ask that question?”

GOLD STAR ACTION: Your goal might not be about receiving a free Kindle or standing on stage with a billionaire, but the next time you’re in a situation with a question on your mind, just ask. What do you have to lose? It might be your highlight moment.

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