Make Business Personal, Hug YOUR People!

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Upcoming Breakfast Event

Make Business Personal,  Hug YOUR People!

In the bestselling book Hug Your Customers, he showed you how to keep your customers happy – and your profits booming. In Hug Your People, Jack Mitchell brings back again High-Touch Service to our High-Tech World in elaborating on his big secret: hiring, motivating, and keeping your biggest asset – great employees!

Generously Hosted by ForbesLife

With
Jack Mitchell, Chairman and CEO of Mitchells/Richards/Marshs and celebrated author of Hug Your People & Hug Your Customers

In a day and time when social networking is the hottest buzz word and “relationships” are things that can happen virtually, author and CEO Jack Mitchell is committed to bringing back the human connection to our business and our lives.  “Motivating the workforce and employee retention are huge global challenges,” writes Mitchell, “and business leaders are eager for a detailed but simple blueprint that tells them how to assemble a happy and effective workforce that doesn’t desert them the minute the business across the street offers $10 more a week and an extra vacation day.” 

In his new book, HUG YOUR PEOPLE: The Proven Way to Hire, Inspire, and Recognize Your Employees and Achieve Remarkable Results (Hyperion; hardcover; March 4, 2008), Mitchell offers that blueprint in an easy-to-read, quick take-away format using five core principles – Nice, Trust, Pride, Include, Recognize – to create an engaged workforce that works together and engages customers. When used throughout an organization, they help businesses attract talent, lower marketing costs, maintain high gross margins, and build long term revenue.

“Hugging” is Mitchell’s definition of bringing humanity back into our lives, not just by embracing people but actually knowing those we do business with, understanding what motivates them, and better still, finding out what matters to them. While such changes may seem subtle, the spirit behind them is surely a worthwhile reminder of how to make work more enjoyable for everyone, such as for example Mitchell advises redefining “rules and regulations” as “expectations and standards” (for example rules are “unbending… cold and impersonal” while expectations are “flexible and freeing when they need to be”).

HUG YOUR PEOPLE is more than a book to Jack; it is part of his personal mission to bring civility and compassion back to the way we all conduct our business and our lives. It is a compelling blend of anecdotes from the author’s own life and a practical guidebook for building the relationships that Mitchell says are at the heart of every transaction. Jim Nantz of CBS Sports is among the early admirers, calling it “a book rich with wisdom. The Mitchell family secret for success should be read by everyone -- it’s like Mike Krzyzewski or Tony Dungy opening up their playbooks for the public.”

We hope that you are able to join us on July 10th to listen to Jack Mitchell speak about this new volume that will join Mitchell’s first book in becoming a crucial part of every business library.

In addition, everyone is invited to stay after the breakfast to tour The Forbes Galleries!

Praise for Hug Your People

“If you want to run a business, but hate American corporate culture, this book is the one to read. Here’s somebody whose advice you can use.”
- Paul Newman

“The quintessential handbook for caring for people.”
- Peter Helie, Chairman/CEO, Prudential Connecticut Realty

“Your book is spot-on and very useful for me. If we can replicate, on a large scale, what you do to “hug your people” we will have realized our goal of truly cherishing our people. Your book taught me a lot, Jack.  For providing me with some great ideas, many thanks.”
- Indra Nooyi, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Pepsico

 “In Hug Your People, Jack Mitchell explains how simple ideas, put into practice, will let your employees know how much you value them. Be nice to them. Trust them. Recognize them. Give them a hug. It works for Jack, it works for me, and it will work for you!”
- Ken Blanchard, author of The One Minute Manager and The One Minute Entrepreneur 

“If you look behind the scenes at any business that succeeds over the long term, you will find motivated, committed, energized employees.  Jack Mitchell is the grand master at motivating and inspiring employees to perform brilliantly -- and exceed their customers’ expectations every time.”
- Richard J. Harrington, President & CEO, The Thomson Corporation

“Hug Your People is totally inspiring. Jack Mitchell takes you on a journey that is as much about life as it is about business.  This book will not only help you become a better leader but also make you a better person. At Starbucks, we experienced first hand what the lessons that Jack imparts can do to help an organization.  If you want a more rewarding relationship with another human being, read this book.”
- Howard Behar, Director, Starbucks Coffee

“My endorsement of your last book applies equally well to this book, “I’ve always thought that the strength of an organization is defined by the culture and attitude of its people. At Richards, the people are wonderful – they make the difference. Now I don’t shop anywhere else.” But for this one let me say: In Hug Your People, Jack Mitchell shares terrific insight on how to develop and retain great employees – the key to running any successful business.”
- Richard Fuld, Jr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Lehman Brothers, Inc.

“It makes sense that well hugged associates will hug their guests even more but Jack Mitchell knows how to make it sound simple and brilliant at the same time. It is a powerful book about a powerful concept--the value of our people--our most important asset. Thanks Jack for reminding us all how important a HUG can be!”
- Maxine Clark, Founder and Chief Executive Bear, Build-A-Bear Workshop

“Jack Mitchell has done it again --- he’s written another wise, compassionate, and incredibly useful book. (Most people, upon reading it, will want to go work for Jack immediately.) But don’t let the title fool you --- this isn’t “soft” stuff. Jack’s inspiring approach to management and leadership, if followed, will deliver bottom-line business results.”
- Geoffrey Brewer, Editorial Director, Gallup Press

“Jack Mitchell truly inspires others to create a ‘culture of hugging’ that extends beyond the workplace and into our every day lives.  Simply put, Jack Mitchell’s approach to customers makes the world a better place.”
- Steve Adubato, Ph.D., Author, “Make the Connection,” Emmy Award-winning Anchor, Thirteen/WNET (PBS)

“The rush of business every day and the complexities that go along with it does not always allow us to stop and engage the way we should on the basics.  This book serves as a great and easy reminder to do just that -- build the right relationships with your employees and the rest is easy!”
- Nicholas M. Donofrio, Executive Vice President, Innovation and Technology, IBM Corporation

“Really good stuff, Jack - many, many underlines and folded page corners – the kind of book that made me think numerous times: “so and so must read this section!” Even those hugging things we are already doing are framed by you in a different way, which will help us improve these.”
- Sam Haigh, President and Chief Operating Officer, Benchmark Hospitality International

About Jack Mitchell

Jack Mitchell is Chairman and CEO of Mitchells/Richards/ Marshs, a three-generation family business that operates men’s and women’s specialty stores in Connecticut and New York that are nationally renowned for their brilliant service touches and strong relationships. Mitchell himself has been recognized as one of the top ten retail visionaries of his time by the Daily News Record, one of the most widely read retail trade publications in the country.

The author of the 2003 bestseller Hug Your Customers, Mitchell has just completed his second book, HUG YOUR PEOPLE:  The Proven Way to Hire, Inspire, and Recognize Your Employees to Achieve Remarkable Results, published in March 2008.

After completing a B.A. at Wesleyan University in 1961 and an M.A. at the University of California-Berkeley, Jack joined the family business, Ed Mitchell, Inc., which was founded by his parents, Ed and Norma, and later became Mitchells of Westport.  In 1995, Mitchells acquired Richards, the leading men’s clothing store in Greenwich, Connecticut, and in 2006, added Marshs of Huntington, Long Island, to the group.

Growing up in a close-knit family and raising four sons established patterns of thoughtfulness and caring in Jack that blended seamlessly into serving the public in the retail clothing business.  Under his leadership, Mitchells, Richards, and Marshs have become well known for employee engagement and longevity and providing exceptional customer service and high quality merchandise in an exciting, friendly, and visually dynamic atmosphere.

In 2000, Richards received “Store of the Year” honors in the annual Retail Design Awards competition held by the National Association of Store Fixtures (NASFM) and co-sponsored by VM+SD magazine.  In 2001, MR Magazine, the magazine of menswear retailing, named Mitchells/Richards Retailer of the Year.

In addition to running the retail stores with his brother, Mitchell has become an active speaker, keynoting at events for corporations including Morgan Stanley, Build-A-Bear, Payless, Nike, and Harvard University School of Business.

Jack shares with his family a number of Community Leadership Awards from the Anti-Defamation League, The Menswear Division of UJA-Federation of New York, and Sacred Heart University. Jack is on the Yale Cancer Board and Greenwich Hospital Board of Trustees.

www.hugyourpeople.com

About The Forbes Galleries

The Forbes Galleries are a unique treasure trove of collectibles located in the heart of Greenwich Village, tucked within the lobby of the Forbes Magazine’s headquarters.  The Galleries are home to the Forbes’ collection of artwork, historical memorabilia, toy boats, toy soldiers and more.  The Galleries are open free to the public 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. on Tuesdays through Saturdays. Thursdays are reserved for group tours and advance reservations are required. 

Motorcyclists
Barclay
The Forbes Collection, New York

For more information about visiting The Forbes Galleries, please visit www.forbesgalleries.com or call 212-206-5548.