Jonathan Gartner

Much of what passes for thought leadership these days is a provocative idea packaged in a pithy way designed to generate clicks.

That is most definitely NOT what Tom Marks writes in his The Second Best Business Book Ever Written. Rather, Marks identifies three key sources of human behavior – Desire, Emotion and knowledge – and links thought leadership around these ideas to three areas of influence – Wisdom, Trust and Ethics.

Of course, none of these ideas are new which is why Marks traces them back to the classic Greek Scholars, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and the lesser known, Aspasia. Deriving lessons from these original thought leaders, as well as from the worlds of sports and Broadway musicals, Marks makes the compelling case that market leadership, as well as thought leadership, is predicated upon these eternal truths. Having experienced living and working in non-Western cultures, I can say that whether your world view is rooted in ancient Greek philosophers ,or Buddha, or Confucius, these truths that have stood the test of time can be wonderful guides to business and personal success.