Norm is up there on my list, along with John Jantsch, Chip Conley, and Bo Burlingham. But most of these guys (yeah, I know – all men) are great writers about business as well as small business owners/entrepreneurs.

If there was one person I would like to meet and talk with it would probably be Ari Weinzeig of Zingerman’s Community of Businesses. I would ask him how he sees the connection between leadership, culture, and service. And if I did get a face-to-face, I would trick him into going for a drive with me! Captive audience and me at the wheel asking questions, driving and driving!!

my hero  wasnt a consultant, altho i  like norm a lot, he is so  down to earth a nd  sensible,  AND also  COVEY…

.   but my   hero  is  named  thelma,  she made a lot of  money and   ran her store  for about  40  yrs…she loved  doing it and made it work  financially and   mentally…. she  was a  great  antique dealer…. the store  was  a labor of  love and exciting to her   up to the  very  end…

she was a huge  destination  store and i  would   probably   try and  have her talk  to me about that…and also her  buying  strategies….  she  usually    got  top  dollar.and people  drove  for miles  to   buy  from her….

@rich-brooks

Yes’sir, I did! I absolutely love that book. He touched on something near the end of the book that was brought out even further in Chip Conley’s book Peak and another by a team of authors entitled Firms of Endearment - this idea that the essence of a truly great business lies not in the product or service, nor in the image and positioning, but at the heart of the culture.

It is the idea that people matter more than money, and that caring about what you do for others and what you bring to them is what makes for a great business. Do that well and consistently and the money will certainly come.

Bill Gates had some pretty good ideas and hired better business people than himself.