Some of the most important decisions in history, from President Abraham Lincoln’s bold move to publish the Emancipation Proclamation to Harry Truman’s order to drop the atomic bomb, offer all of us lessons about how to make the tough choices that inevitably face us.

In his new book, Decisions, historian, author, and strategic public relations counselor Robert L. Dilenschneider gleans practical advice on how to make the best decisions from 23 men and women who shaped the world, including Henry Ford, Howard Johnson, and A.P. Giannini.

When life demanded it, each of the 23 individuals profiled in Decisions followed a path that Dilenschneider admires in order to reach their conclusions and subsequently act upon them.

What all of his profile subjects have in common, Dilenschneider tells host Dean Rotbart, is a sense of purpose. “They all knew who they were, and they constantly moved toward who they were.”

Each of us eventually has a Rubicon to cross. Knowing how others have faced their biggest challenges can help us make the best choices in our own lives, Rotbart says.

Dilenschneider is the founder of The Dilenschneider Group, a corporate strategic counseling and public relations firm based in Manhattan. In that capacity, he has advised numerous Global 500 corporations and CEOs.

In addition to Decisions, he is the author of several other popular books, including Power and Influence, and 50 Plus! Decisions will be turned into a PBS television series later this year.

Photo: Robert L. Dilenschneider, Decisions
Posted: January 6, 2020
Monday Morning Run Time: 58:19

For the third consecutive year, host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart turns the microphone over to his son, Maxwell, who reviews the top business lessons of the past year, gleaned from ten of the weekly guests appearing on Monday Morning Radio.

Among the priceless business insights and actionable tips for success included this week are the gift of struggle; the simple truths of great customer service; the proper care and feeding of bosses; how to build an ironclad brand; and the Bezos method of business growth and risk-taking.

Give Maxwell Rotbart less than an hour to start off the New Year, and he’ll give you a year’s worth of business magic.

Photo: Maxwell Rotbart, Guest Host
Posted: December 30, 2019
Monday Morning Run Time: 54:56

Jeffrey Gitomer is the all-time, best-selling author of sales books; better even than Dale Carnegie, Zig Ziglar, and Napoleon Hill.

Gitomer’s “Little Red Book of Selling” is a classic, not only for dedicated salespeople, but for anyone seeking to sell a product, service, idea, or even to market themselves.

Dean Rotbart, host of Monday Morning Radio, previously hosted a live weekly radio show - Newsroom Confidential - on KRLA 870 AM radio in Los Angeles. Back in 2006, when Gitomer had just published his second book – “Little Black Book of Connections,” Dean interviewed him about his methods and how they apply to everyone – not just professional salespeople.

This week, as an audio stocking stuffer, Dean plumbs the Newsroom Confidential archives to replay his actionable interview with Jeffrey Gitomer.

Photo: Jeffrey Gitomer, Little Red Book of Selling
Posted: December 23, 2019
Monday Morning Run Time: 27:31

Whether in business or your personal life, if you have a dream, don’t let anyone tell you that it’s impossible.

In fact, Jason Caldwell, this week’s guest on Monday Morning Radio, makes his living by teaching people how to move beyond the normal bounds of possibility and shatter all expectations.

Jason – an adventure racer who set a world record in 2017 for rowing across the Atlantic in 35 days, 14 hours, and 3 minutes – is the founder of Latitude 35 Racing, a global leadership training firm whose clients include Nike, Booking.com, and Santander Bank.

This week, Jason shares many of his hard-earned insights, and excerpts from his new book, Navigating The Impossible, with host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart.

Photo: Jason Caldwell, Latitude 35 Racing
Posted: December 16, 2019
Monday Morning Run Time: 38:56

On the rollercoaster of life, Ken D. Foster has seen the peaks and the valleys, working his way up from gas station attendant to head of a $200 million securities business, and back to the very bottom.

Ken finally found stability, and success, when he cleaned his slate of beliefs and behaviors and began anew. Now a best-selling author of five books, a podcaster, and an empowerment coach, Ken has released his newest book, The Courage to Change Everything, which provides daily strategies to overcome life’s greatest challenges.

As Ken explains to host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart, his approach to success is a hybrid of ancient and modern wisdom, Eastern and Western philosophies.

Photo: Ken D. Foster, Author
Posted: December 9, 2019
Monday Morning Run Time: 43:44

In the spirit of the 7th Annual GivingTuesday, this week’s podcast examines the growing number of small business owners who are creating 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundations to buttress their philanthropic efforts.

In the spotlight is Ryan McFarland, a sterling example of CEOs who are giving back in gratitude for their own success.

Ryan is the founder of Strider Sports International and its nonprofit sibling, the Strider Education Foundation, or SEF.

Ryan worked closely with Monday Morning Radio host Dean Rotbart, who is a National Ambassador for the All Kids Bike® movement, to set an audacious goal: teach every child in America how to bike before they reach the first grade.

Through SEF, the All Kids Bike® movement has already donated free bikes, helmets, and training programs to 136 schools in 26 states. And the campaign is just getting pedaling.

Ryan is Dean’s guest on this week’s Monday Morning Radio, sharing the ups-and-downs of simultaneously running a for-profit and not-for-profit organization.

To learn more about All Kids Bike® and support its efforts on GivingTuesday, visit www.allkidsbike.org. To donate now, click here.

Discover the science behind the All Kids Bike® movement by viewing the inaugural All Kids Bike® Health and Education Symposium – five panels featuring global experts on the physical, psychological, and academic benefits of early childhood biking.

Photo: Ryan McFarland (l) All Kids Bike® and Dean Rotbart, Host 
Posted: December 2, 2019
Monday Morning Run Time: 48:05

Karen Wickre has worked in Silicon Valley for more than 30 years, including stints as the editorial director of Twitter and a senior global communicator at Google, which she joined when there were only 500 employees. By the time she left, there were 50,000 people on the payroll.

During that time she became globally recognized as an über networker - connecting with the world’s elite and harnessing the power of her contacts.

A self-described introvert, Karen shares with host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart steps anyone can take to build and fill their own business network with meaningful connections.

[Be sure to pick up a copy of Karen’s book, “Taking the Work Out of Networking: Your Guide to Making and Keeping Great Connections,” available here.]

Photo: Karen Wickre
Posted: November 25, 2019
Monday Morning Run Time: 39 minutes and 5 seconds

Rob Kessler is on a mission – a mission to eradicate men’s ties.

Aware that 100% of business-casual shirts are designed for ties – yet 90% of the time men don’t wear neckties – he’s invented an entirely new category of shirts – goTIELESS.

Rob comes from good entrepreneurial stock. His pop, Richard Kessler, the Diamond Engagement Ring ‘King’ of Wisconsin, taught him a thing or two about sales and marketing. And it shows.

This week Rob tells host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart how he and his partners aim to collar the men’s fashion market.

HOLIDAY GIVING GUIDE:

• All Kids Bike® – ON A MISSION TO TEACH EVERY CHILD IN AMERICA HOW TO RIDE A BIKE IN KINDERGARTEN PE CLASS
  
  
• Chapel Dulcinea – The First (and Finest) Free Wedding Chapel in the World
  
  
• The Stories Behind the Smiles – Photographs and Essays Celebrating the Magic of a Healthy Smile (by Avital Rotbart)

Photo: Rob Kessler, goTIELESS
Posted: November 18, 2019
Monday Morning Run Time: 50 minutes and 23 seconds

Mary Fran Bontempo, an award-winning speaker, author, and humorist, just came out with a crisis management book called, “The 15 Minute Master.” The book promises to teach readers “how to make everything better 15 minutes at a time.”

With no advance warning, host Dean Rotbart decided to test the premise on Mary Fran, herself, using his stopwatch to give her exactly 15 minutes to explain her method, why it works, and how business people can apply her lessons both at work and in their personal lives.

“15 minutes could save you more than just car insurance premiums,” Rotbart says. “In a crisis, it could save your backside.”

Click here to hear Mary Fran Bontempo’s July 2017 interview on Monday Morning Radio.

Photo: Mary Fran Bontempo, The 15 Minute Master
Posted: November 11, 2019
Monday Morning Run Time: 22 minutes 32 seconds

It’s hard enough for American entrepreneurs to launch a new business and gain traction with American consumers.

Doing it from Istanbul, Turkey, primarily in Turkish, as Rasim Cin is doing, complicates the task exponentially.

Rasim is the visionary behind Woppy, a new subscription game-box company that aims to teach kindergarten-age kids STEM skills, without using digital technology. Woppy was recently a participant in the WSJ Tech Live global conference held in Laguna Beach, where Rasim and his team generated a great deal of positive buzz from the world’s high-tech whizzes.

Joining host Dean Rotbart for a discussion of the obstacles Woppy faces, and what other businesses can learn about working internationally, is Mel Ayan, an early-stage investor in Woppy.

Photo: Rasim Cin, Woppy
Posted: November 4, 2019
Monday Morning Run Time: 54 minutes, 25 seconds