Nancy K. Austin

As the president of Nancy K. Austin, Inc., which is based in the Northern California coastal town of Capitola, she works with an imposing array of industry leaders to redefine excellence in management.
"I'm always on the lookout for those unique and inventive developments in corporate America that I write about, talk about, celebrate and critique," says Austin. "But I never forget that I'm talking to individuals. They want to know what it really takes to thrive in this new world of competition. It's no picnic out there: The whole world is changing the way it does business, and you have to change with it."

Her presentations, writing and consulting work are primarily centered on how leading-edge organizations build a new kind of business based on know-how, talent, and innovation. In the process, they create a new style of working together.

Austin's reputation skyrocketed internationally in 1985 with the publication of A Passion for Excellence: The Leadership Difference which she co-authored with Tom Peters. It is one of only two management books ever to rank #1 on national best-seller lists, and became an instant must-read. A celebrated commentator and writer on contemporary issues of concern to management, Austin founded her own company in 1985.

Austin is convinced that 'because of the seismic changes affecting every business, audiences of all kinds are looking for speakers who have something concrete and durable to offer. They don't want to hear platitudes that will merely cheer them up. They want speakers who will tell them the smart thing to do and how to do it. They are looking for presentations with meat."

Austin has spoken before business groups on six continents and travels about 70 percent of the time "to understand what top-notch companies are doing and to assess firsthand what works and what doesn't. It's the only way to stay a step or two ahead of the curve." She enjoys researching and writing about distinguished business leaders, competitiveness in the new economy, and what makes exceptional organizations tick. Austin is a contributing editor and management columnist for Working Woman magazine; her work also appears frequently in journals and other publications.

Nancy Austin holds B.A. and M.B.A. degrees from UCLA. After graduate school, she joined the Hewlett-Packard Company in Palo Alto, California, where she worked exclusively with HP managers around the world. Her extensive management experience led directly to the creation of The Tom Peters Group, which she co-founded in 1983. The group was formed to accelerate the pace of change in management thinking and practice that began with the 1982 publication of the landmark In Search of Excellence.

As business streaks its way toward a new century, Austin's enthusiasm and determination has never wavered. She continues to urge a bold commitment to stepped-up flexibility, responsiveness, and swift innovation.

"These are tough times for businesspeople to figure out," she says. "The quirks and twists that were once the manager's job to drive out of the company are today the manager's job to nurture and sustain - or else. Tough as changing can be, the or-else is worse."