industry experts
The Watercooler's contributing columnists, who include authors, marketplace leaders, educators, and other industry experts. Depending on what topic you're looking under, you will find someone who can help.
Strategy Development
Cambridge Group — www.thecambridgegroup.com
The Cambridge Group (TCG) helps clients develop and execute strategies through a superior understanding of profitable demand. TCG's strategy consultants apply Demand Strategy so clients can align their infrastructure, businesses, and resources to meet marketplace demand in a way that is meaningfully differentiated.
The Boston Consulting Group — www.bcg.com
BCG partners with clients to deliver customized solutions that resolve significant issues and create lasting competitive advantage. With decades of industry experience and functional expertise, BCG develops new insights, mobilizes organizations, drives tangible results, and makes companies more capable.
Whether you are creating a strategy or redefining an old one, these people and organizations can assist.
Customer Experience
Jeanne Bliss, CustomerBLISS — www.customerbliss.com
Jeanne is a valiant fighter for getting the customer on the strategic agenda, redirecting priorities and creating transformational changes to customer loyalty. Jeanne founded CustomerBliss to create clarity and a path for driving the customer loyalty commitment into business operations.
Peppers & Rogers Group — www.peppersandrogersgroup.com
Peppers & Rogers Group bases its solution framework on the facts about getting, keeping, and growing customer relationships. Peppers & Rogers identifies and differentiates customers in terms of value, behavior, and needs before recommending a strategy.
Rick Barrera — www.overpromise.com
Rick Barrera is a nationally acclaimed speaker, marketing consultant and author, known for his unique approach to brand building. Rick has helped hundreds of companies re-design their systems and implement a holistic approach to serving customers.
Looking to increase customer loyalty or engage customers differently? Check these people out!
Business Trends
Dr. James Canton, Institute for Global Futures — www.globalfuturist.com
Dr. Canton is CEO and Chairman of the Institute for Global Futures, a leading think tank that advises business and government on future trends, innovation, financial services, health care, population, life sciences, energy, security, workforce, climate change,
and globalization.
The latest in what's happening in the marketplace.
Assessment
Ann Herrmann-Nehdi, Herrmann International — www.hbdi.com
Ann Herrmann-Nehdi is CEO of Herrmann International, publisher of the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI®) which is based on extensive research on thinking and the brain. Multiple applications include creativity, strategic thinking, problem solving, management and leadership, teaching and learning, self-understanding, communication, and team/staff development.
Robert O. Brinkerhoff — email: robert.brinkerhoff@wmich.edu
As an expert in evaluation and training effectiveness and creator of the Success Case Method for evaluation of training, Brinkerhoff has worked with scores of leading corporations and agencies.
If you need to measure your training effectiveness, look no further.
Mergers & Acquisitions
Mitchell Lee Marks, Joining Forces — www.joiningforces.org
Marks advises executives on managing mergers, acquisitions, and other transitions; building teamwork; addressing inhibitors to productivity; and developing organizational cultures. He helps minimize the consequences of transitions, work team performance, and organizational effectiveness using transitions as opportunities by enhancing cultures.
Details and things you may not have thought of while you're going through change.
Onboarding
George Bradt, PrimeGenesis — www.primegenesis.com
Bradt is the Managing Director of PrimeGenesis, an executive onboarding organization. He has a unique perspective on helping executives accelerate transitions based on his combined senior line management and consulting experience.
All things to consider when orienting new employees.
Management, Leadership Development
Jack Stack, The Great Game of Business, Inc. — www.greatgame.com
The Great Game of Business, Inc. provides affordable training and coaching services, as well as publications, products, and tools.
Stephen M.R. Covey — www.coveylink.com
Stephen is the author of The Speed of Trust. Covey energizes audiences in business, government, associations, and non-profit organizations with his highly relevant take on the key to performance in this new, global economy.
Marcus Buckingham — www.marcusbuckingham.com
As a co-author of Now, Discover Your Strengths, Buckingham helped create StrengthsFinder, the personal assessment tool that helps people positively describe their ingrained talents.
Patrick Lencioni — www.tablegroup.com
Patrick Lencioni serves as president of The Table Group, where he writes books and articles related to leadership and organizational life, speaks to audiences interested in those topics, and consults CEOs and their teams so that they can apply his principles.
Robert E. Quinn — http://webuser.bus.umich.edu/requinn/website/
Quinn is particularly interested in issues concerning leadership, vision and change. He has been involved in the design and execution of numerous large-scale change projects and has worked with a large percentage of the Fortune 500 companies.
Jim Haudan — www.rootsofengagement.com
Haudan has a passion that goes beyond building his own successful company, Root Learning. For more than 20 years, he has been helping organizations and individuals unleash hidden potential by fully engaging people in the critical changes of their business. A frequent speaker on strategic business issues, Jim focuses on tapping the discretionary efforts of people – the kind that produces real results by engaging people to deliver on strategies. In 2008, Jim wrote The Art of Engagement: Bridging the Gap Between People and Possibilities.
Clinton O. Longenecker — www.twominutedrill.org
Longenecker is a nationally recognized authority on rapid performance improvement and leadership and is an active management consultant, educator, and executive coach. He has been described by Career Publications as “one of the top motivational speakers in the U.S. who can blend research, common sense, humor and conviction into a call for better performance.”
Creating programs to help grow the next generation of leaders in your business isn't easy. But here is where you can get help.
Creative Team Building
John Sweeney — www.bravenewworkshop.com 
As the head of Brave New Workshop, Sweeney's focus is using improvisation to teach businesses how to overcome business challenges. His message and methods have helped an extensive list of clients.
Carr Hagerman, Top Performer — http://topperformer.com
Hagerman discovered that what he learned as a street performer could be applied in business and service. His message is simple and clear, to see work as a way to improve the value of our own lives and the quality of our workmanship, and ultimately how we can make a difference with those we live with and serve.
Need a new, fun, or digital way to build teamwork? These people can assist!
Learning Design and Curriculum
Elliott Masie, The MAISE Center — www.masieweb.com
Masie is an internationally recognized futurist, analyst, researcher and organizer on the critical topics of workforce learning, business collaboration and emerging technologies. He heads The Maise Center, a think tank focused on how organizations can support learning and knowledge within the workforce.
