Driven To Succeed:  How Jim Shorkey Built and Grew His Automotive Industry Empire, And Why Veering Off Course Was All Part of His Master Plan
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In just over a decade, Jim Shorkey expanded his Western Pennsylvania automotive dealership, a company that had been in his family for decades, into a six-dealership conglomerate that is consistently among the top performing companies in any industry in the region.

Then he exited the business, ceding control of the company to yet another generation in his family.

What seemed by many to be a curious decision at the time was for Jim a choice that was in the cards.

Or, technically, a journal.

In his personal journal, he made a special notation in December of 2007 as to what his next step would be: to help other business owners and leaders achieve the same level of success, if not higher, that he had.

He knew the road to get there wouldn’t be easy.  After all, he was STILL the head of a growing business himself, in an industry that was months away from being brought to its knees by the severe impact of the economic recession, a downturn that sent many of Jim’s competitors packing.

But Jim’s resilience helped him get through it, as it had many times prior.   When others were crafting “recession plans”, he was devising a “prosperity plan”, a 15-page manifesto designed to get all of his people on the same page, and to step up their games so that the company can not only “get through” the recession, but actually be in a better position to succeed on the back end.

And succeed they did.

The company’s subsequent success not only enabled Jim to be in a position to walk away, but also afforded him the credibility and the gravitas to be successful in the next step of his life’s work.

Enter Jim’s newest venture, Results From Thinking (or “ReThink” for short), a platform upon which Jim and his team can work with entrepreneurs and professionals from throughout the region in order to help them become more successful in their professional and personal endeavors.

Cars may be in his blood, but giving back is in his heart, and with his new venture, Jim Shorkey gets to do just that.  On this edition of “The Raja Show”, Jim and Raja talk one-on-one about Jim’s path to success, and his mission to give back through his experience to guide others onto their own paths.

With “Christmas For Geeks” In the Rear View Mirror, How Does America’s Largest Tech Giant Measure Up With Its Newest Rollout?  Silicon Valley Marketing Guru Regis McKenna Was at Apple Day, and He Tells All
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One of, if not THE most highly-anticipated day in the tech community’s annual calendar has come and gone,

During Wednesday’s “Apple Day”, Apple CEO Tim Cook, much like the company’s iconic founder, Seve Jobs, before him, took to the stage to announce the latest line of gadgetry to emerge from the Silicon Valley powerhouse.

And as is the custom with the annual event, especially in the years since Jobs’ passing in 2011, Cook did so amid rampant industry speculation as to the health of the company, and whether or not its competitors, be they Microsoft computing, Droid phones,or other standouts, have finally caught up to Apple’s groundbreaking technology.

So what’s the verdict?  Will Apple’s suite of new kids on the tech block, including the iPhone 6s, the iPad Pro, the new-and-improved Apple TV unit, and even the “gold” Apple watch, be enough for Apple to reestablish itself as the tech industry leader?

On this edition of “The Raja Show”, Raja addresses this question, the answer to which will go a long way to determine the future of tech in the U.S.  And joining him in the discussion will be a man who knows a thing or two about how things work at Apple, both historically, and in the present day, Silicon Valley Marketing icon Regis McKenna.

Anybody who read the landmark Walter Isaacson biography of Steve Jobs knows the influence that Regis had on the early days of Apple, to the point where he is widely credited as having a significant hand in designing the iconic Apple logo.  In addition to helping bring Apple to market, Regis had similar roles with such tech luminaries as Microsoft, EA, Compaq, AOL, Intel, and many more.  He remains one of the most influential figures in the growth and development of companies throughout the Silicon Valley.

In addition drawing on his influence on the growth and development of Apple through the years, Regis was also in attendance during Apple Day, and he’ll talk with Raja about what he saw, what he thinks about where Apple is headed going forward, and how effectively Tim Cook et al are continuing the vision crafted by Steve Jobs through the years.

Whether or not you’re a self-proclaimed tech geek or a luddite, you won’t want to miss the insights of one of the most influential figures in the history of tech business.

Time To Play The “Game”:  When Jack Stack Opened His Books, He Bridged the Gap Between Employee and Manager, Changed the Way Businesses Operate, and Established Himself As a National Business Thought Leader In the Process
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They thought it was crazy.

They told him not to do it.

They said it was an unnecessary step.

But in 1983, Jack Stack had no other choice. Faced with the daunting task of turning around a dying division of International Harvester, (a missive that would save over 100 jobs), Jack took a bold step that had been practically unheard of up until that point:  he opened up the company’s financial books to its employees.  Even though others thought such information was to be made available on a strictly “need to know” basis, Jack showed them, line by line, what the company was up against, and provided the employees with quantifiable, actionable objectives based on those initial numbers.

And it worked!

Not only did Jack turn around the fortunes of International Harvester some 32 years ago, but since then, his style of “open book management” has worked many times over, including Jack’s signature company, SRC Holdings.  Dubbed a “management mecca” by BusinessWeek, SRC Holdings is a conglomerate of over three dozen companies, and 1,200-plus of the most engaged “employee owners” you’d ever want to meet, each one knowing not only THAT his or her efforts matter, but, thanks to open book management, knowing HOW and WHY they matter.

Jack’s simple, but groundbreaking step has been a gamechanger for business in America, as business large and small continue to thrive, simply by keeping their employees in the loop.  As for Jack, he has parlayed his experience into writing one of the “must haves” of any business bookshelf, “The Great Game of Business”, contributing frequently to leading business publications such as Inc Magazine, and positioning himself as one of the most sought-after strategy consultants and thought leaders in American business.

On this episode, Jack joins Raja on “The Raja Show” to tell his story.   They’ll talk about how the idea of open book management came to be, the importance of employee engagement in the workplace, and how mastering a game such as chess or fantasy football really isn’t all that different from mastering the basic principles of business.    Whichever side of the “manager/employee” line you fall on, you’ll want to know more about how the idea of open book management can help you succeed in business.