Advertising Executive Says Nature Can Teach Us About Business

Feb. 11, 2010 - PRLog -- From the teamwork lessons that we can learn from whales to effective communication lessons from honey bees, Tom Porter’s new book All I Need to Know about Business I Learned from a Duck, provides advice to business leaders from an unusual source – Mother Nature.

With its quirky title and uncommon approach to the topic, some say Porter is charting new territory in the business book category.  James Autry, former Meredith Corporation top executive and author said, “Tom Porter has, in effect, created a new piece of wisdom literature.”  Robert Fritz, author of the international best seller The Path of Least Resistance for Managers said, “Tom Porter has pointed to the primal insight that understanding natural forces are as relevant in the boardroom as they are in the woods, and has done so with wit, wisdom, and delight.”

“The idea for the book came from a quote that I read by Albert Einstein, ‘Look to nature and you will understand everything better,’” Porter said.  “One year ago when I was considering whether to write a book or not, nearly all the lead stories in newspapers and news broadcasts were about unprecedented institutional fraud and corporate greed.  So with Einstein’s quote in the back of my mind, I began an investigation into the principles and lessons that have created abundance in the natural world for billions of years, hoping to discover something that might in some small way help reset our moral standards and create new possibilities for running and growing American businesses.”

Porter admits his book isn’t for everyone.  “I wrote it for people who are owners, supervisors or soon-to-be supervisors of small to medium-sized businesses.  Recent college graduates can also glean important, practical tips about leadership, communication, work-life balance as well as best business practices.”  There are a total of 88 business lessons from nature as well as a robust resources section at the back of the book for readers who want to investigate and learn more about a particular topic.

About the author:  After 22 years of running his advertising agency, Porter & Associates, Tom sold his company and went to work for a specialty insurance organization, Homesteaders Life Company where he served as Vice President of Marketing for 3 ½ years.  In May, 2009 Porter opened Asset-Based Marketing a company that goes beyond just branding and fully integrates employees, customers and vendors into the brand.  He is currently writing a workbook that will be used in workshops for organizations that want to incorporate the ideas and principles provided in his book into daily business standards and practices

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Business Lessons from Nature is the subtitle for my new book: All I Need to Know about Business I Learned from a Duck. This book will change your worldview. Never again will you separate business theory and practices from Mother Nature as you once did.