PHOENIX -- What makes some leaders able to drive their businesses to greater success and stand out as more than just a figurehead? To Bill Taylor, author of Mavericks of Work: Why the Most Original Minds in Business Win, it's a different way of thinking.
A maverick is a business leader who believes that the only way to win big in business today is to stand for a set of ideas that are distinctive, compelling and that challenge conventional wisdom, said Taylor, who based his book on case studies of 32 distinctive companies. Similarly, next month, [image-nocss] Taylor, the founding editor of Fast Company magazine, will bring leaders of three such companies to the main stage at the Convenience Retailing Conference (CRC) to discuss their experiences and their unique ways of thinking.
My goal is to spark people's imagination, to get the audience to think better and aim higher, Taylor told CSP Daily News. I hope to present a set of ideas and some really intriguing stories and case studies that allow the very busy people in the audience to do that which none of us has enough time to do but is probably the most important thing to do as a leader, which is to somehow or other look up from all the day-to-day pressure and all the short-term headaches and the ferocity of the competitive fray and ask yourself, Are there new and exciting, intriguing ways to think about our business?'
The three leaders joining Taylor after his keynote address will be Dennis DiFlorio, president of retail banking and operations for Commerce Bank; Gamal Aziz, president and COO of the MGM Grand Hotel; and Peter van Stolk, president and CEO of Jones Soda.
Taylor said he expects convenience retailers at the conference will be able to take new ideas and new ways of thinking away from the discussion to put to work in their companies.
We live in a world where the only way to out-compete your rivals is to out-think your rivals, he said, and I think the panel we put together will present a set of ideas and a collection of case studies that amount to a new and better and smarter way to do business. There will be a lot of great fodder that folks can think about applying to their own business.
DiFlorio joined Commerce in 1988 as the operations director and was named senior retail officer in 1993. Since then, his responsibilities have grown steadily to encompass the overall management of Commerce's rapidly expanding network of more than 400 stores. He was promoted to his current position in November 2004.
In addition to store operations, DiFlorio oversees such vital areas as information technology, training, security and human resources for Commerce's retail operations. He also plays a crucial role in the continuing cultivation of the bank's overarching WOW! the Customer service culture.
I think the audience is going to really enjoy the ideas and very unexpected principals by which Commerce has built probably the best-run retail bank in the country, said Taylor. It's certainly the most entertaining retail bank in the country. And Dennis DiFlorio has really been the go-to guy in all of this.
Before his promotion to president of MGM Grand, Aziz served as executive vice president of hotel operations from September 2000 to July 2001.
His responsibilities entail the daily management of MGM Grand, one of the world's largest hotels, which includes four additional sub-branded hotel products under one roof: the exclusive Mansion; SKYLOFTS a rare and private sanctuary of 51 two-story AAA Five Diamond accommodations with expansive views of the Las Vegas skyline; The West Wing 700 chic and stylish rooms; and The Signature the world's first condo-hotel towers featuring a tranquil non-gaming, non-smoking residential-style environment.
The image you have of innovation in Las Vegas is literally [blowing up a site] and building something new that's bigger and better, said Taylor. But what Gamal decided several years ago is, We're not going to do that model anymore. We're going to create a model of continuous innovation: new restaurants, new shops and new experiences.'
It's more like a snake constantly shedding its skin. For the world of business in general, most people feel you've got to go with the big-bang theory' and do one or two radical things to change the business. And the genius of Gamal is he's done an ongoing, nonstop series of small innovations, which, if you look back after a year or two, add up to a really massive innovation.
And marketing maverick van Stolk has a unique approach to promoting his products, an intense connection to his consumers and an uncanny ability to predict trends.
When van Stolk entered the highly competitive beverage industry, he quickly learned the rules and just as quickly rejected them. He has focused on setting his products apart from the rest and developing an emotional bond with his customers.
Jones Soda is a classic lifestyle brand of the younger generation, said Taylor, [and we're] all struggling to understand what makes the 20-something crowd [tick]. Peter van Stolk has proven himself to be a master at creating a lifestyle brand that really resonates with the young crowd. His secret is that he shares ownership of the brand with his customers.
The Convenience Retailing Conference, produced by Leadership Network Corp in partnership with CSP Information Group, runs Sunday through Wednesday, February 11-14, in Phoenix. Taylor will speak on Monday, February 12. For more information about the event, click here.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.