PRAISE FOR VISIONARIE$ ARE MADE NOT BORN
“Whether you aspire to lead a big organization, a start-up or anything in between, you must read Visionarie$ are Made Not Born. It will improve your perspective and approach.”
NORMAN BOBINS, Non-executive Chairman, The Private Bank; Former CEO, LaSalle Bank
“Lloyd Shefsky's effortless story telling opens up doors to some of the country's great business minds, in a way that makes us feel like we've been there right alongside him, enjoying the same cup of extra strong coffee for which he is famed. Reading these chapters reminds me that Lloyd has a gift for bouncing between strategy and tactics. A great read for anyone who spends their days striking the balance between operational effectiveness and long-term multi-generational strategy.”
GARVIN BROWN, Chairman, Brown-Forman Corporation
"During my thirty seven years in the private equity business I have been involved with a number of true visionaries but I never analyzed what made them so. Lloyd Shefsky has nailed it, clearly describing the elements of vision and how they apply through his fascinating profiles of thirteen successful visionaries. I could not put this book down.”
JOHN CANNING, Founder and Chairman, Madison Dearborn Partners
“The stories are great and superbly told. The lessons are profound, providing a whole new way of looking at how business visionaries do their thing, explained in ways we all can emulate. Don’t miss Visionarie$ are Made Not Born. It’s a great book to give to a rising entrepreneur, friend, colleague or family member!”
MAXINE CLARK, Founder, Build-A-Bear Workshop
"I could recommend this book just on the basis of the interesting biographies of successful entrepreneurs, but the insights into the processes that made these visionaries successful is the real importance of the book. Lloyd's book codifies his keen business insights..."
JAMES B CLOONAN, Chairman, American Association of Individual Investors
“A great collection of profiles of visionaries of our time, full of insights and captivating detail about leaders that changed our world.”
DANIEL DIERMEIER, Provost, The University of Chicago
“Shefsky’s great story telling reveals new lessons on visionaries and their insights every aspiring leader should devour and embrace, particularly those seeking successional victory. This book speaks to the heart and America’s heartland sustainable breakouts that make our capitalism so exceptional. It’s so good I’m giving it to my son.”
KEN FISHER, Founder and Executive Chairman, Fisher Investments and Four Time New York Times Bestselling Author.
“How to be a visionary? Imbibe the wisdom contained in this intriguing book of real life achievers. You’ll also be inspired….”
STEVE FORBES, Editor-in-Chief, President and CEO, Forbes
“Lloyd Shefsky has always offered readers, clients, and students the keys to entrepreneurial success. Here it is from the mouths of the moguls themselves, from the Wirtzes to the Perots, Kay Koplovitz to FedEx’s Fred Smith. Shefsky gets behind the myths and the mystique and gets down to the invaluable nuts and bolts.”
DAVID FRIEND, Vanity Fair Creative Development Editor
"Lloyd Shefsky utilized a story telling technique to describe the challenges and ultimate success of a few handfuls of remarkable business leaders, many of which are long admired friends of mine. Leading… often takes a bumpy and lonely path requiring enormous work and tough-minded resilience….It is a quick and effective read.”
CHRISTOPHER GALVIN, Former CEO, Motorola, Inc.; CEO and Co-Founder, Harrison Street Capital, LLC
“Lloyd Shefsky has done it again with his inspiring, superb story-telling. Visionarie$ Are Made, Not Born is the natural progression of his books on entrepreneurs and reinvention, with this twist: This one answers an age-old question. And nobody is better suited to answer that question than Lloyd, himself a visionary, who gained his unique perspective from a career built on getting up close and personal with some of the best visionaries of our time.”
HERB GREENBERG, Co-founder, Pacific Square Research; CNBC contributor; financial journalist
"Lloyd Shefsky provides an informative and interesting perspective on the ‘vision thing.’
It is important for anyone interested in business."
JACK M. GREENBERG, Former CEO, McDonald’s
“Lloyd brings the reader inside the stories of a diverse and fascinating group of visionaries. Because he has not only studied the subject matter but knows these leaders,…he is able to bring to life themes and lessons.…There is much to be gained from reading this book.”
CHRISTIE HEFNER, Former Chairman, C.E.O., Playboy Enterprises, Inc.
"Once again, Lloyd has provided valuable lessons in leadership, not in theory, but with real world examples….This book should provide inspiration to anyone with initiative and an idea, of any kind and any size."
STAN KASTEN, President & CEO, Los Angeles Dodgers; Former President of the Atlanta Braves, Hawks and Thrashers and the Washington Nationals.
"Visionaries are fascinating people who manage to develop a larger picture of possibility than their immediate peers. Read Lloyd’s book and get inspired."
PHILIP KOTLER, S.C.Johnson Distinguished Professor of International Marketing, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University.
“Business visionaries have always been defined in retrospect: ‘You’ll know it when you see it.’ Shefsky provides a roadmap for seeing or becoming a visionary prospectively and proactively. What a valuable insight and tool!”
LARRY LEVY, Founder Levy Restaurants; Founder Diversified Real Estate Capital, LLC; Chairman, Del Taco
“Shefsky’s Visionarie$ are Made not Born will make a good primer for all business visionaries and would-be business visionaries. He breaks the art of vision down into practical, manageable concepts that just about anybody can understand and offers up noteworthy examples to illustrate. Anyone interested in sharpening their vision-making skills should read this book.”
ANDREW MILLS, President, Medline Industries, Inc.
“What if any of us could have founded Starbucks or Facebook? Lloyd Shefsky demystifies visionaries and makes their stories and approaches accessible to everyone. Read Visionarie$ Are Made Not Born if you’re ready to make your mark on our world.
MARK PINCUS, Founder & Executive Chairman, Zynga
“Upon reading Lloyd Shefsky’s new book, Visionarie$ Are Made Not Born, I was impressed…that he, like few others, understands innovation and the motivations of visionary entrepreneurs with what seem to be impossible ideas….So, hold your hat, you will be surprised and motivated by his analysis of these remarkable people.”
HEDY M RATNER, Founder and President Emerita, Women's Business Development Center
“Shefsky gets it! He pulls the cover off being a business visionary. Visionarie$ Are Made Not Born will show you the behavior you should learn and the results you should aim for. Whether you aspire to lead a big organization, a start-up or anything in between, you must read Visionarie$ Are Made Not Born. It will improve your perspective and approach.”
JOHN W. ROGERS, JR., Chairman, CEO & Chief Investment Officer, Ariel Investments, LLC.
“Lloyd’s book should be required reading in our high schools, colleges and beyond….It is inspiring, honest and, most important, practical. Lloyd not only crystallizes the fundamental elements of vision, but also demonstrates how to make that vision a reality.”
JOEL B. RONKIN, Chief Executive Officer, Fekkai Brands and LUXE Brands
“In his book “Visionarie$ Are Made Not Born,” Lloyd Shefsky presents fascinating reports of interviews with men and women who have used their visions to create highly successful businesses. His discussion of the elements of those visions provides extremely useful advice for those seeking to create new enterprises or to improve established ones.”
DAVID RUDER, Former Chairman, Securities & Exchange Commission
“Yes, this is an inspiring business book, giving proof that America is still the land of great opportunity for those who dare to dream, and work hard. But ask yourself this question: What characteristics do these visionaries share that I could help instill in my children, grandchildren, and any child who crosses my path?”
TERRY SAVAGE, Nationally Syndicated Financial Columnist
“Once again, Shefsky displays his unique abilities…to bring us Visionarie$ Are Made Not Born, a must have book. I’ve used Lloyd’s books in my classes with great success. This book has lessons for everyone.”
PRAMODITA SHARMA, Editor, Family Business Review; Sanders Professor of Family Business, University of Vermont
“Lloyd Shefsky has the great ability to enable visionaries to be comfortable in talking about themselves and what helped them become successful.”
MURRAY L. SIMPSON, Former General Counsel, Franklin Templeton Investments
“Each chapter is an intriguing story in itself. This book will help bright people with a keen passion overcome obstacles to achieve outstanding success. I can vouch for some of the book’s lessons based on my personal experiences as well as those of my Seattle neighbors at Amazon and Starbucks.”
JIM SINEGAL, Co-Founder, Director, and former CEO of Costco Wholesale
“Shefsky has done it again. In his third and most masterful book yet he’s synthesized the collective wisdom of numerous successful visionaries from various walks of life to share insights gleaned from their experiences. Shefsky leverages his years of experience as a corporate attorney, business school professor and entrepreneur to provide keen and unique perspectives from his interview subjects….I continue to…benefit from the wisdom he imparts in Visionarie$ Are Made Not Born. I highly recommend it to those just starting out on their career journey as well as those who have already made it – its chock full of insightful wisdom.”
AVI STEINLAUF, CEO of Edmunds
“No one knows entrepreneurs better than Professor Lloyd Shefsky. In mining that experience he discovers that vision is the most misunderstood element of successful leadership and management philosophy. The stories, his very creative and paradigm-breaking thinking and insight are compelling.”
JOHN WARD, Clinical Professor & Co-Director Center for Family Enterprises, Kellogg School of Management
“Professor Shefsky is a world renowned expert on entrepreneurship. His new book brings unique new insights to the reader. His interviews with top visionaries, revealed through this terse presentation, familiarize the reader with Shefsky’s latest findings and lessons.
This book is an excellent read for everyone involved with or interested in issues like vision, entrepreneurship and leadership. It is mind-broadening, as well as an excellent resource for future research.”
ISRAEL ZANG, Former Vice-provost, Tel Aviv University; Professor Emeritus and former Dean, Coller (previously Recanati) School of Management, Tel Aviv University; and former president, Academic College of Tel Aviv Jaffa