Be Fearless by Jean Case and Make Some Noise

BE FEARLESS by Jean Case outlines “5 Principles for a Life of Breakthroughs and Purpose”: make a "big bet," take bold risks, learn from failures, reach beyond your bubbles, and let urgency conquer fear. Splitting the book into those 5 parts, Case relates numerous examples in chapters with titles like “Be Audacious,” “Get Uncomfortable,” and “Fail in the Footsteps of Giants.” Business teachers and students, particularly those curious about social impact investing, will be drawn to this text and will appreciate its ties to our school motto: “to commit minds to inquiry, hearts to compassion, and lives to the service of humanity."  BE FEARLESS has received positive reviews from Melinda Gates, Adam Grant, Eric Schmidt and many other philanthropists and business professionals. 

To hear Case speak about BE FEARLESS, watch this video of an interview with her from CBS News:

Inspired? Motivated? Look for a copy of BE FEARLESS on our shelves soon. UPDATE: Hear Case speak locally on March 11 at 7:00pm at The Cornog Auditorium on New Trier's Northfield Campus in a program sponsored by Family Action Network.

  

A former Harley-Davidson communications director, Ken Schmidt, who is acknowledged as a motivational - if unconventional - speaker has also just written a new business book, MAKE SOME NOISE. He defines an organization’s “noise” as what is said about it by its various stakeholders such as employees, management, suppliers, current and future customers, investors, the media and even people in the communities where the organization operates. Schmidt advocates pursuing a “full-throttle” approach that focuses on company strengths and the power of a work culture that stresses “competing to dominate.” Drawing on his own experience, he describes the changes made in order to turn around sales and attitudes towards Harley-Davidson as well as offering suggested strategies for any business.The motorcycle analogies which Schmidt employees will make the text more interesting for our students as they read about his assertive tactics and try to appreciate the many factors involved. Read an excerpt: the first chapter is available on the amazon page for MAKE SOME NOISE.  As Schmidt writes, “nobody’s going to get hurt …  you’re going to get a huge kick out of your ride, remember it, and benefit from what it’s about to teach you. ... So come on. Let’s go before someone chickens out.”