Howard's Gift

Book excerpt: This work offers wonderful wisdom for navigating the inflection points in our lives." -- Mehmet Oz, MD An iconic teacher. A warm friend. A generous mentor. For more than 40 years, Howard Stevenson has been a towering figure at Harvard Business School: the man who literally defined entrepreneurship and taught thousands of the world's most successful professionals. Now - spurred by Stevenson's heart-stopping brush with death - his student, colleague, and dear friend Eric Sinoway shares the man's wisdom and inspiration. Through warm and engaging conversations, we hear Howard's timeless and practical lessons on pursuing both success and fulfillment, beginning with: - Create a vision of your own legacy through a process called "business planning for life." - Be entrepreneurial in driving your career ahead (even if you're not an entrepreneur). - Exploit the inflection points in your life - whether "friend," "foe," or "silent." - Cut risk in tough career and life decisions by shining the "light of predictability" on them. - Plan for the ripples, not just the splash from your actions and choices. Reading Howard's Gift is like having a wise, caring friend sit down and say, "Let's figure all this out together." And the deeply personal perspectives from guest contributors - such as CNN correspondent Soledad O'Brien, Teach for America Founder Wendy Kopp, two-time Super Bowl Champion Carl Banks, and legendary MTV Founder Bob Pittman - reinforce the practical lessons in this clear-sighted book that will help readers "define success in their own terms," and "live a life with no regrets.