Georgia Tech College of Management has partnered with new corporate sponsor TalentQuest to present The Leadership Forum in 2008. Kicking off February 5, the series will feature seven of the world’s leading business thinkers discussing variations on the theme “How Successful Business Leaders Think” throughout the year.

The Leadership Forum’s mission of providing executives and fast-rising business leaders with meaningful insights into achieving success appealed to TalentQuest, an Atlanta-based human resources consulting and technology solutions firm.

“We are thrilled to join Georgia Tech in their commitment to bridge and broaden executive leaders in our local community,” says TalentQuest CEO Dr. Frank Merritt. “The Leadership Forum is the ideal venue for bringing together the brightest minds to stay on the cusp of leadership excellence.”

Since its establishment in 1996, The Leadership Forum has attracted many of Atlanta’s top leaders for interactive, half-day sessions with premier speakers. Georgia Tech College of Management, which has served as host of these events since 2005, took over ownership of The Leadership Forum in 2007.

“The Leadership Forum has been a phenomenal success year after year,” says Dan Stotz, director of executive programs at Georgia Tech College of Management. “Our new partnership with TalentQuest ensures that we can continually and strategically elevate the program to the next level.”

Speakers scheduled for 2008 include:

• Thomas Stewart, editor of the Harvard Business Review, who will discuss “Five Challenges for the Next Five Years” on Feb. 5.
• Dan Ariely, the Alfred P. Sloan professor of behavioral economics at MIT’s Sloan School of Management and a renowned leader in his field, who will discuss “Hidden Forces that Shape Behavior” on March 11.
• Dan Heath, consultant and co-author of Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, who will discuss his book’s theme on May 20.
• Karl Albrecht, author of Social Intelligence: The New Science of Success, who will discuss his book’s theme on July 15.
• Sally Helgesen, author of five leadership books who will discuss the theme of her latest, Thriving in 24/7: Strategies for the New World of Work, on Sept. 16.
• Joseph Grenny, a leading expert on business communications, who will discuss the theme of his book, Crucial Conversations and Crucial Confrontations, on Nov. 18.
• Steve Salbu, dean of Georgia Tech College of Management and a leading business ethicist, who will discuss “Leadership and Ethical Decision-making” on Dec. 16.

All sessions are held at Georgia Tech College of Management from 8:30 AM to noon on program days.

In addition to the featured speakers, TalentQuest will hold six two-hour CEO-facilitated Action Workshops during 2008 as part of The Leadership Forum. These workshops will help members of The Leadership Forum develop and implement action plans based on the content delivered by speakers in the series. Designed by senior consultants of TalentQuest, the workshops will be facilitated by current or former Atlanta-area CEOs who have expertise in the subject matter presented by previous speakers in The Leadership Forum. These workshops will be held from 4 to 6 PM on April 17, June 19, August 14, October 16, December 6, and January 15.

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