Front Runners: Lap Your Competition With 10 Game-changing Strategies for Total Business Transformation - Hardcover

Mahesh Rao, a dynamic, creative, and highly-skilled executive consultant with more than twenty years of business experience, holds fourteen U.S. and international patents. In 2005, he won the Japanese government's Most Valuable Patent award. Mahesh has received numerous corporate, client, and industry accolades for leading large corporate teams through projects and for coaching senior executives at Fortune 100 companies to become successful transformation leaders and organizational innovators. He has also founded startups that were taken through acquisition. Mahesh Rao's extensive travel, keen cultural awareness, and proficiency in five languages—along with his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management and a previous degree in engineering—contribute to his ability to see processes clearly, from the big picture to the details.AUTHOR HOME: Saratoga, CA

“Having led transformational efforts both as a management consultant and as a corporate executive, I found Rao's insightful, step-by-step approach on executing a business transformation to be an essential tool for managers looking to build or maintain their company's leadership position.” --Paul Brown, President, Global Brands and Commercial, Hilton Worldwide “Any business transformation has strategic and tactical components. To make them work in unison is an art and a science. Mahesh, in his Front Runners, offers an exceptional framework that pulls all the key elements together in a well-choreographed fashion. I highly recommend this book for all business leaders.” --Chakib Bouhdary, EVP and Chief Strategy & Customer Value Officer, SAP “In Front Runners, Mahesh Rao has written a smart, concise guide for business leaders looking to transform their company. This book provides valuable frameworks, approaches, and tips on how companies can improve their performance. Try any number of ideas in this book and not only will your business grow, but so will you!” --David G. Thomson, Best-Selling Author, Blueprint to a Billion: Mastering the 7 Essentials of High-Growth Companies “Front Runners is a must read for any executive when faced with the need to drive transformational change in their organization. The ten-step process is the perfect roadmap for the business transformation journey and can be applied at the department, business unit, or broader organizational level. The book is easy to read, structured for quick learning and provides the tools and skills for immediate application.” --Kevin A. Peters, President, North America Retail Office Depot “When Mahesh Rao talks about business strategy, he does so with the insight of a practitioner and corporate leader. His 'ten game-changing strategies' offer readers fresh perspectives for transforming their enterprises—in good times and more challenging times. Those seeking new ideas for differentiating themselves and their organizations will find much value in this book.” --Prof. Dipak Jain, Dean at INSEAD Business School “Front Runners is a practical and no-nonsense 'how to' book for general managers charged with reviewing, developing, and executing successful business strategies. Through a structured and disciplined approach, it teaches how to go from strategy development to results utilizing a number of effective tools and techniques. Front Runners is a thoughtful yet pragmatic book – a must-read for any business leader.” --Ana Dutra, CEO, Korn/Ferry Leadership and Talent Consulting “Front Runners is a must-read for every company seeking a competitive edge. The new world economy forces corporations to transform themselves by making transformation part of every employee's DNA, and Mahesh Rao offers a blueprint for how to go about it.” --Joseph M. DePinto, President and CEO, 7-Eleven, Inc. “The principles in Mahesh Rao's book not only help transform companies, but help transform leaders within companies. This book will help you and those around you acquire the kinds of skills you need to be a true front runner.” 00Bill Boltz, Senior VP, Home Depot “I consider Mahesh Rao's Front Runners an action-packed transformational playbook—a must-read for every executive! I'll certainly be adding it to my reference material and to my suggested reading list.” --Alan Maxwell, Chief HR Technology Strategist, Lockheed Martin “Mahesh Rao has written a guide that businesses large and small can use to orchestrate constant improvement. The book is high-level enough to appeal to management, and contains enough nuts-and-bolts detail that all people can apply its directions to what they need to do. Grab the book and become a leader who puts your organization on a path to robust change!” --Bob Bozeman, General Partner, East Lake Ventures “We all know that change is inevitable. When the inevitable happens, will you be leading the pack or struggling to keep up? In his new book, Front Runners, Mahesh Rao provides a roadmap that will enable you to transform your business by embracing change. Going beyond simply making the case, Rao offers a practical and systematic approach to the process, filled with real life examples from his many years of consulting with Fortune 100 companies.” --Katherine E. Simmons, President & CEO, NETSHARE, Inc.“Front Runners provides the insight and mechanisms needed to transform companies from one generation of product to the next in the most effective way. Front Runners' approach will allow leading companies to maintain their innovation edge, and will help companies that are stuck to move on to the next generation with compelling products.” --Nick Ilyadis, VP and CTO, Infrastructure and Networking Group, Broadcom “Front Runners will give you insight into what makes a company great—what makes a small company seem big and what makes a big company stay nimble. The lessons on how to drive company performance are outstanding.” --Brad Cook, Global Vice President of Talent Acquisition, Informatica