A Book and a Chat with David J. Friedman

My guest on today’s “A Book and a Chat” is David J. Friedman.

David spent 27 years leading and building RSI into one of the largest independently-owned employee benefits consulting firms in the country. During that time, he won awards for just about every category of business success – from leadership to growth to quality to being a Best Place to Work. After selling the company to a large publicly-held insurance brokerage, he retired from the industry to pursue his writing and speaking interests.

Always a writer, he was editor-in-chief of his High School newspaper; he has produced short articles and documents throughout his career. However, he didn’t focus his efforts on writing a book until his past year. The data was obviously there for once David set about writing “Fundamentally Different” it took him only five weeks to get what he had been teaching for many years, down in a format to share with all.

Fundamentally Different is a business book, and yet it’s not only a business book, as many who have read the book or listened to one of David lectures, it is a also a something that will help in your way of life.

The lessons within “Fundamentally Different” are based on David’s own experiences and reflections as a leader of a high-performance organization. On a business level it teaches leaders and organizations the 8 key steps to institutionalizing their most important values, and provides lots of stories and examples to illustrate just how to do it.

However, as mentioned it is not only a business book, and that’s what makes it doubly powerful and impactful. At RSI, David wrote, developed, and taught a series of 30 values and principles that he calls “Fundamentals.” His book includes an insightful, thought-provoking essay on each of the 30 Fundamentals, each filled with stories and practical examples of how they apply in our daily lives.

They include such concepts as “Check the ego at the door”, “Communicate to be understood”, “Set and ask for expectations”, “Speak straight”, and “Be quick to ask and slow to judge.” Everyone who reads the book comes away with lots of “aha” moments and practical ideas that can make a meaningful difference in their lives – at work, at home, with their families, and with their friends.

As one reviewer put it…

If there was a "Chicken Soup for the Soul" for Business, "Fundamentally Different" would be that book. David Friedman has shared the basic building blocks for creating a business culture that are the foundation of any business that wants to strive for excellence or sustain success. As a change management consultant, and Executive Coach I would recommend this for every employee, manager, leader, and business owner. And as a Executive In Residence who teaches professional development and Leadership this should be a must read for every student who plans to be a part of the workforce. An enjoyable read with valuable takeaways, for business and Life.

So listen now and share an interesting and entertaining show as I chat with my special guest today Chat with David J. Friedman

Barry
Direct link to the show
A Book and a Chat with David J. Friedman

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from
"David J. Friedman"

You can find out more about my guest and their books at:
"David J. Friedman - Fundamentally Different"

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

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