professor of ethics in business | Moscow | Bangkok | Fast Company
Rock Stars Of Business
by
Samuel GreengardTHEY'VE GOT RABID FANS. THEY'RE
PUBLICITY HOUNDS. A SINGLE CONVERSATION WITH THEM CAN COST
$100,000. NO, THEY'RE NOT CELEBRITIES - THEY'RE THE ROCK
STARS OF BUSINESS
THROUGHOUT HISTORY, CERTAIN PEOPLE HAVE plied their
knowledge of business to help others learn the ins and outs of
profit. They've stepped inside companies to offer wisdom about
speeding manufacturing, slashing costs, or motivating the troops.
But during the last decade, the concept has gone big-time. Today's
management gurus are the rock stars of the business world, complete
with adoring fans and, in some cases, private jets shuttling them
to engagements in
Moscow and
Bangkok.
They command fees between $50,000 and $100,000 for a single
appearance. Magazines from Fortune to
Fast Company quote them
endlessly. Publishers duke it out for the rights to release their
books on leadership, creativity, and performance. A few, such as
Stephen Covey and Tom Peters, are nearly household names, with tens
of millions of copies of their books in circulation. And they have
the power to change the business zeitgeist with a single successful
client.
"There are only about 25, maybe 50 management gurus in the world.
They are the heavyweight thinkers who mold the business ideas of
the day," says James Hoopes, a professor of ethics in business at
Babson College. "Today, senior executives are confused and looking
for answers, and business gurus promise, though they don't always
deliver, a recipe for success."
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