Imagine It Forward
Courage, Creativity, and the Power of Change
Published on 20. September 2018
Book
Hardback
416 pages
978-0-7535-4571-3 (ISBN)
Description
Change is the only constant. Learn to be a change-maker.
In Imagine It Forward, Beth Comstock, the former vice chair of GE, describes her twenty-five year efforts to be an instigator of change at every level of business. When she first moved from NBC to parent company GE in 1998, she was ignored as a woman in a man's world, treated as an outsider because she didn't have a business background, and ignored as a mere PR person. But CEO Jeff Immelt realized even then that the industrial giant, like so many businesses, had to change fast in order to stay relevant in a world where Google, Facebook, and an explosion of internet companies were transforming how goods and services were marketed, made, and sold.
In a deeply personal journey filled with practical takeaways from two plus decades of initiating change at the top levels of one of the largest corporations in the world, Comstock lays out the challenges, opportunities, tools, and practices needed to embrace change, whatever industry you are in, and make it part of every management decision.
In Imagine It Forward, Beth Comstock, the former vice chair of GE, describes her twenty-five year efforts to be an instigator of change at every level of business. When she first moved from NBC to parent company GE in 1998, she was ignored as a woman in a man's world, treated as an outsider because she didn't have a business background, and ignored as a mere PR person. But CEO Jeff Immelt realized even then that the industrial giant, like so many businesses, had to change fast in order to stay relevant in a world where Google, Facebook, and an explosion of internet companies were transforming how goods and services were marketed, made, and sold.
In a deeply personal journey filled with practical takeaways from two plus decades of initiating change at the top levels of one of the largest corporations in the world, Comstock lays out the challenges, opportunities, tools, and practices needed to embrace change, whatever industry you are in, and make it part of every management decision.
Reviews / Votes
If there is one skill that more individuals and companies need to hone it's imagination. And if there is one person who can teach us how to do it, it's Beth Comstock. Woven together through own journey, Comstock offers us simple and practical steps on things we can all do to prepare ourselves for the future...or even invent it. -- Simon Sinek, New York Times Bestselling Author of START WITH WHY and LEADERS EAT LAST Full of wisdom about how to thrive in a bureaucracy-and then transform it into an innovation machine. Beth Comstock is one of the most effective and admired executives of our time, and she tells the engrossing inside story of how she rose to the upper echelons of GE and spearheaded a sea of change * Adam Grant * Beth Comstock has written a wonderful book, full of excellent insights and lessons from her hugely successful career. She has recently been elected to the advertising all of fame, and after reading this you will know why. This book is of great value to almost virtually any leader and her stories and examples are told in a breezy way that makes it a joy to read. -- Phil Knight, founder of Nike and New York Times Bestselling Author, SHOE DOG Beth Comstock is just as creative and bold in her approach to writing a business book as she is in running a business. Unafraid to get candid and personal, unusually generous in sharing her insights, this is a book for anyone who wants to see around corners - and to vanquish the fear that holds them back from acting on what they see -- Susan Cain * Susan Cain, New York Times bestselling author of QUIET * This book is a rare gift... an honest, behind-the-scenes look at power, success and influence, combined with vulnerability and practical advice. A book you won't soon forget * Seth Godin * Beth is a true force of smart, practical, and most of all, inspiring executions in the new business world. There are few people who I think 'get it,' and she's at the top of that list * Gary Vaynerchuck, Entrepreneur & Author, CRUSHING IT * Imagine It Forward is like having a coach on your shelf to help you lead forward. Beth shares her lessons on summoning candor, courage and action to make meaningful change happen in any organization. -- Kim Scott, New York Times Bestselling Author, RADICAL CANDOR Imagine It Forward offers an experienced look at how nonlinear, ever evolving change saved one of America's oldest, most traditional companies and brought it into the digital, socially conscious, irreverent era we now live in. Beth Comstock's account of her unconventional career at a very conventional corporation, General Electric, is frank, funny and spot on about the need to abandon the top-down methods of the past in favour of greater collaboration, disruption and prioritizing the needs and wants of customers and consumers over profit * -Joichi Ito, entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and director of the MIT Media Lab * Beth Comstock has a track record of innovating, leading, and being an agent of change. In Imagine It Forward, she proposes thought provoking ways to envision your future and build strategy around it * Sophia Amoruso, founder and New York Times bestselling author of #GIRLBOSS * Imagine It Forward offers good examples of teaching bravery not perfection -- in education and work. Beth offers valuable lessons that should help readers challenge themselves to risk more in pursuit of a better future for themselves and their organizations * Reshma Saujani, Founder & CEO, Girls Who Code *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Ebury Publishing
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 162 mm
Thickness: 37 mm
Weight
648 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7535-4571-3 (9780753545713)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
09/2018
Virgin Digital
€13.99
Available for download
Persons
BETH COMSTOCK's mission is to understand what's next, navigate change and help people and organizations do the same. She is the former Vice Chair of GE, where she led efforts to accelerate new growth and innovation, initiated GE's digital and clean-energy transformation, seeded new businesses and enhanced GE's brand value and inventive culture. As President of Integrated Media at NBC Universal, Beth oversaw TV ad revenue and new digital efforts, including the early development of hulu.com.
Written about and profiled extensively in the media, from the New York Times to Forbes, Fortune, and Fast Company, she is also on the Forbes list of the most powerful women in the world.
Written about and profiled extensively in the media, from the New York Times to Forbes, Fortune, and Fast Company, she is also on the Forbes list of the most powerful women in the world.