John Sviokla

Mitch Cohen

The Deluxe Edition of The Self-made Billionaire Effect includes seven videos of authors John Sviokla and Mitch Cohen expanding on the book’s themes and their findings, along with behind-the-scenes insights into what makes self-made billionaires unique.A study of self-made billionaires reveals the key distinction between “producers” and “performers” There are about 800 self-made billionaires in the world today. What enables this elite group to create truly massive value, and what can the rest of us learn from them? John Sviokla and Mitch Cohen set out to answer this question with the first systematic study of 120 self-made billionaires, including extensive interviews with icons like Steve Case, Mark Cuban, and T. Boone Pickens, Jr. The authors conclude that self-made billionaires aren't necessarily smarter, harder working, or luckier than their peers. The key difference is what they call the “producer” mindset, in contrast to the far more common “performer” mindset. Performers strive to excel in well-defined areas, and they are essential to any company. But producers are even more valuable because they redefine what's possible, rather than simply meeting pre-existing goals and standards. Producers think up entirely new products, services, strategies, and business models, with dramatic results. This book offers fresh stories and insights into producers' habits of mind. It also provides corporate leaders with a new approach to selecting and managing breakthrough talent, and advice about innovation and value creation for aspiring leaders or entrepreneurs.

How Extreme Producers Create Massive Value

The Self-made Billionaire Effect Deluxe

J. J. Sviokla

The authors present the results of their landmark systematic study of 120 self-made billionaires—including extensive interviews with Steve Case, Mark Cuban and T. Boone Pickens Jr.—focusing on their conclusion that self-made billionaires have the “producer” mindset, or the tendency to redefine what's possible and think up entirely new products, services, strategies and more.

The Self-made Billionaire Effect

You can read this book as intimate history, or as poetry, or simply as a tool for learning another language. Many of these writers have had long and successful careers as writers, editors, film producers. It will broaden and deepen your understanding of the world. Although Berlin is no longer a divided city, the unique situation of two centers of creative activity side by side stitched life and art together intensely. Everyday activities became political; ideology clashed with economics-and love. The stories and poems in this book-poems are bilingual German and English-give glimpses of this frontier of two progressive visions of the future, as both sides start afresh, to build a new Germany. The divided city of Berlin offered a rare opportunity for two strong ideologies to exist side by side without being at war or simply opposing the "other." Mitch Cohen, the enterprising editor, as an American, discovered that he was able to pass unrestricted through the Brandenburg Gate, both ways, a privilege not accorded to Germans on either side. This allowed him to personally meet and talk with the contributors to this unique anthology. He noted that both East Berlin and West Berlin continued to draw the talented, the ambitious-and to be the cultural centers for both Germanies, in a creative ferment heightened by real world situations confronting Berliners in their daily lives. Over half the writers in this book were born after the end of World War II, which had wrought utter devastation throughout Germany. The recovery, even with the Marshall Plan, required a new outlook on what it meant to be German. And in the middle of that national psychic shock, they were thrust into the global ideological struggle between the Western powers and the Soviet Union, dubbed "The Cold War." These circumstances made a divided Berlin a very interesting time and place in which to live. Fiction may be a very useful tool for us to learn better how to live our human lives, by presenting situations that we can visit in our minds. An anthology like Berlin, however, adds an ingredient of immediacy, because these poems, these stories, have a sharper edge, the edge of reality. You don't have to live there to feel the heightened emotion; these writers create a portrait of a city that was like no other. What a treasure that is!

Bilingual Anthology of Life in the Divided City 1945-1989

Berlin

Imagine what Atari might have achieved if Steve Jobs had stayed there. Or what Steve Case could have done for Pepsi if he hadn't left for a start-up that eventually became AOL. Scores of billionaires worked for established corporations before they struck out on their own. People like Michael Bloomberg and Mark Cuban went on to build iconic household brands. Why didn't their former employers hang onto to these people? And why are most big companies unable to create as much value as the world's 800 self-made billionaires? Billionaires aren't necessarily luckier, smarter or harder working than the rest of us - and they rarely build something brand new. The key difference is their mindset. They redefine what's possible - and they are critical to any company looking to create massive value. The Self-Made Billionaire Effect breaks down the five critical habits of massive value creators, so you can learn how to identify, encourage, and retain them - and even become one yourself. It will forever change the way you think about talent and business value. 'The first billion is the hardest. The Self-made Billionaire Effect is a good starting point. Great research. Great stories. Great opportunity.' T. Boone Pickens, Chairman, BP Capital Management 'Invaluable for entrepreneurs and managers. I recommend it highly.' William Sahlman, Harvard Business School

The Self-Made Billionaire Effect

Bert Papenfuß-Gorek

Aton-Notate

Imagine what Atari might have achieved if Steve Jobs had stayed there to develop the first massmarket personal computer. Or what Steve Case might have done for PepsiCo if he hadn’t left for a gaming start-up that eventually became AOL. What if Salomon Brothers had kept Michael Bloomberg, or Bear Stearns had exploited the inventive ideas of Stephen Ross? Scores of top-tier entrepreneurs worked for established corporations before they struck out on their own and became self-made billionaires. People like Mark Cuban, John Paul DeJoria, Sara Blakely, and T. Boone Pickens all built businesses—in some cases, multiple businesses—that are among today’s most iconic brands. This fact raises two profound questions: Why couldn’t their former employers hang on to to these extraordinarily talented people? And why are most big companies unable to create as much new value as the world’s roughly 800 self-made billionaires? John Sviokla and Mitch Cohen decided to look more closely at self-made billionaires because creating $1 billion or more in value is an incredible feat. Drawing on extensive research and interviews, the authors concluded that many of the myths perpetuated about billionaires are simply not true. These billionaires aren’t necessarily smarter, harder working, or luckier than their peers. They aren’t all prodigies, crossing the billionaire finish line in their twenties. Nor, most of the time, do they create something brand-new: More than 80 percent of the billionaires in the research sample earned their billions in highly competitive industries. The key difference is what the authors call the “Producer” mind-set, in contrast with the far more pervasive “Performer” mind-set. Performers strive to excel in well-defined areas, and are important. But Producers are critical to any company looking to create massive value because they redefine what’s possible, rather than simply meeting preexisting goals and standards. Combining sound judgment with imaginative vision, Producers think up entirely new products, services, strategies, and business models. Big companies tend to reward Performers and discourage the unconventional ways of Producers. But it’s the latter who integrate multiple ideas, perspectives, and actions, and who trust their insights enough to make game-changing bets. This book breaks down the five critical habits of mind of massive value-creators, so you can learn how to identify, encourage, and retain such individuals—and maybe even become one yourself. The Self-made Billionaire Effect will forever change the way you think about talent and business value. In honor of The Self-Made Billionaire Effect purchases, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP is making a significant contribution to DonorsChoose.org, an online charity that connects public school teachers in need of classroom materials and experiences with individual donors who want to help. PwC's gift will support financial literacy projects around the country.

Berlin, Contemporary Writing from East and West Berlin

Discover and cultivate the secret traits of self-made billionaires with THE SELF-MADE BILLIONAIRE EFFECT by John Sviokla and Mitch Cohen Imagine what Atari might have achieved if Steve Jobs had stayed there. Or what Steve Case could have done for Pepsi if he hadn't left for a start-up that eventually became AOL. Scores of billionaires worked for established corporations before they struck out on their own. People like Michael Bloomberg and Mark Cuban went on to build iconic household brands. Why didn't their former employers hang onto to these people? And why are most big companies unable to create as much value as the world's 800 self-made billionaires? Billionaires aren't necessarily luckier, smarter or harder working than the rest of us - and they rarely build something brand-new. The key difference is their mindset. They redefine what's possible - and they are critical to any company looking to create massive value. The Self-Made Billionaire Effect breaks down the five critical habits of massive value-creators, so you can learn how to identify, encourage, and retain them - and even become one yourself. It will forever change the way you think about talent and business value. John J. Sviokla is the head of Global Thought Leadership with PricewaterhouseCoopers. He is a frequent speaker on innovation, growth, and customer behavior. In addition to working with clients, John serves on PwC's Advisory Leadership Group and Global Thought Leadership Council. He was on the faculty of the Harvard Business School for ten years and has written for Harvard Business Review, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and Sloan Management Review. Mitch Cohen is PwC's Vice Chairman. During his 33 years at the firm and 20 years as a partner, Cohen has held a variety of leadership roles and served numerous Fortune 500 clients.

Mitch Cohen

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