ACG NJ Princeton Event, December 13, 2016

You're invited to explore leadership and innovation with David Behrman, CEO and Publisher of Behrman House on Tuesday, December 13th at Westin Princeton at Forrestal Village.

David Behrman, an attorney and former McKinsey consultant, is the third generation leader of a 95-year-old educational publishing business. After evaluating the environmental changes in the worlds of digital content delivery, education, and publishing, he and his team made a conscious decision to invest in and innovate for the future. The result has been a dramatic increase in the firm’s productive output, acquisition of two significant competitors, and revenue and profitability growth in a relatively stagnant industry.

Behrman House, under his leadership, made a strategic decision to face environmental disruptors head on.  They realized the “new normal” was here to stay.  Success required execution of multiple initiatives, including changes in product strategy, leadership structure, innovation practices, and overall firm culture. The firm needed to become more nimble.  And more market-aware.  David summarized, “I knew if we wanted the business to survive and thrive we had to make a substantial investment in technology and change both our business model and the way we worked internally.  We decided to invest—we took a big risk to stay relevant today and to be here for the future.”

What processes did they employ to evaluate the threats and opportunities? What challenges did they encounter?  How did they deal with them, and how are they still addressing them? Are you facing similar challenges?

You are going to want to hear this story, regardless of the field you operate in.  Innovation, investment, and transformation change the dynamics of legacy organizations of all kinds.  Risk and fear of change can hold them back if not properly addressed.  Your approach and your actions today will affect long-term success, sometimes even survival.  Is change and the opportunity for growth worth the uncertainty and the risk?

Find out more about practices you can use to foster innovation in your work.  Practices that will build your leadership skills and the strengths of your organization. Register now for this dynamic program