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Dr. Kerry Healey

President of Babson College

JOHN MATTONE'S CULTURAL TRANSFORMATIONS: Lessons of Leadership and Corporate Reinvention from the C-Suite Elite builds on the wisdom and lessons of his 2013 bestseller, Intelligent Leadership. Working with co-author Nick Vaidya, managing editor, CEO magazine, they demonstrate how an organization's culture – specifically how it reflects and embodies the values and character of its CEO – is the key to creating an environment that intentionally seeks and embraces change in order to succeed in a global economy that is increasingly globalized, decentralized, and driven by the new, nimble, and bold.

Through revealing and candid interviews with 14 of the top CEOs in the world, John Mattone and Nick Vaidya provide an intimate look at the triumphs and, maybe more importantly, the wisdom gained through failure from some of the world's best CEO mentors. Through their experiences readers will be inspired to achieve more for their organizations – and themselves.

Cultural Transformations is a tremendous resource to teach leaders how to unlock their own potential by being willing to confront hard truths – better known as the truth – about themselves and then work relentlessly to improve their personal and professional abilities every day. And, by doing so, these same CEOs set examples and expectations for their leadership teams to emulate, embrace, and disseminate throughout the entire organizational structures. Mattone's leadership development process thoughtfully and thoroughly shows how creating a successful, dynamic, and supportive culture is the cornerstone to building a sustainable, flexible, and competitive business model that can survive and thrive in any market climate.

As president of Babson College – the world's recognized leader in entrepreneurship education, of which John Mattone is a proud alumnus – I, along with my fellow academic leaders, am currently confronting major challenges to the traditional models of higher education. Put simply, we need to transform or be rendered obsolete.

Our customers, students and parents, are increasingly questioning the conventional wisdom of a college education serving as an automatic ticket to career success. As costs continue to rise, student debts mount, and long-term outcomes become less certain there is increasing scrutiny of the return on investment for a college degree.

Adjusting and thriving during this period of rapid evolution requires individuals who can both lead and, more importantly, build leadership teams with the courage to drive a cultural transformation within academia where there is often deep-seated resistance to rapid change. As educators of the next generation of global leaders, the need for academic institutions to lead the charge to create a culture of learning that embraces technology and reflects twenty-first century realities cannot be overstated.

Cultural Transformations is an insightful, understandable, and actionable leadership book for any executive – from young, talented, aspirational Gen Y emerging leaders, to visionary entrepreneurs, to high-potential leaders rising through the ranks making the transition to seasoned executives, all the way to the C-level professional who is looking ahead to what's next and who's next, as they prepare their respective organizations for an uncertain but exciting future.

We have all heard the term “born leader” but the evidence shows that they are, unfortunately, in short supply. This dearth of exceptional leaders and leadership teams will continue to be a drag on economic growth, innovation, and the pursuit of big ideas that will motivate our best leaders and those they mentor to create and take advantage of opportunities others do not see.

What is exciting about Cultural Transformations is that it arrives at a time when we desperately need to learn from successful leaders like the CEOs interviewed here. We can learn from their ongoing journeys and see the common thread that runs between their success and John Mattone's unique and powerful approach to leadership development.

Mattone and Vaidya have given CEOs an invaluable tool to address their number one operating and business challenge: the massive leadership and corporate culture gap currently facing global organizations. Competition in the global marketplace is fierce, and companies that want to excel can no longer rely on leaders who are merely good enough. Elite leadership is in short supply across the board from business to government to our civil institutions.

One of the major obstacles to affecting change in any organization is overcoming the embedded resistance that is the predictable result of asking people to purposefully step away from their comfort zones, especially when there is no immediate crisis that requires a response. To overcome this pushback, John Mattone provides a groundbreaking Six-Step Model of Cultural Transformation that can be effectively applied to organizations of any type.

Cultural Transformations will be a cherished resource for executives who understand that while the future is not predictable, it can be expertly navigated if there is a corporate culture that embraces uncertainty and reacts quickly to an ever-changing landscape in order to gain a competitive advantage.

And, as important, the book is a powerful teaching tool and ideal for use in MBA and executive education programs, giving today's students and tomorrow's aspiring leaders an appreciation for how an organization's culture creates measurable results. Imagine the impact on a company that is hiring from a prospect pool and promoting from within candidates who have already embraced the concept of continuous self-improvement and already share this worldview with their mentors.

John Mattone and Nick Vaidya have provided a road map to empower leaders to unlock their potential and then go beyond what they thought was possible. By taking on the responsibility of making an honest self-evaluation of their own strengths and weaknesses, doing the hard work to improve their personal performance each and every day, and having the courage to share what they learn with their leadership teams, CEOs become the catalyst for cultural change throughout every level of their organizations.