Dr. O’Connor’s Works

Introduction 

Dr. O’Connor’s 50+ years of research and practical application is shared in many of his best-selling books, including ‘Managing by Values^®,’ ‘People Smart^®,’ “The Platinum Rule^®’, ‘The Leader Within^®,’ and ‘Conquering Unfavorable Leadership^®,’ as well as numerous published articles and blogs on leadership, management, and high performing organizations.

Managing By Values^®

Michael O’Connor and Ken Blanchard / 2003

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Recognized Testimonials

“Managing By Values’^® is a powerful process that focuses an organization on common behavioral expectations and provides the platform for effective empowerment. Employees report that we have a more productive and fulfilling workplace. In turn, it has driven improved customer satisfaction and the resulting financial return for owners and employees. ‘MBV’^® has been the basis for continuous improvement in our company.”

Holt Company Of Ohio

Caterpillar Dealership

“Managing By Values^® creates a positive and healthy employee culture that unleashes the power of the human spirit.”

Paul Baszucki

CEO & Chairman Of The Board,
Norstan Communications, Inc.

“This book describes an emerging type of company…I’ve been part of this ‘fortunate’ journey and seen it produce great results in several different companies with customers and employees, while increasing productivity and profits throughout the process. ‘Managing By Values’^® works!”

Erv Kamm

President & CEO, Digi International, Inc.

“The Managing By Values^® process provided delightful results for our organization. The process enabled us to align our entire sales force and was the focus for our work on competencies.”

Dr. Franco Ratti

Director, Glaxo Pharmaceutical Business School

Recognized Testimonials

“People are the most dynamic resource in all organizations. Managing people and the mysteries of their behavior is one of the continuous challenges facing every individual in business no matter where an individual works and at whatever level they operate. There is much published work on behavioral theory but very little that delivers practical insights in a way that is truly useful and useable. PEOPLE SMART is so much more than a business book on the subject. It is a valuable management tool for anyone interested in improving performance—their own, others, and their business.”

Phil Forrest

Chairman of Judges National Business Awards & European Business Awards, President Of The International Customer Service Institute

“The best thing I’ve ever seen written in this area! It is a must read for anyone who wants to learn more about themselves and others—easy to read, but powerful in content. PEOPLE SMART will make you more aware and more effective from the moment you finish reading it.”

Ken Blanchard, Ph.D.

Co-Author, The One Minute Manager

“Dr. Michael O’Connor is a tireless behavioral researcher in the field of human motivation, interaction, and performance. He holds the rank of expert in these areas due to his detailed understanding and ability to convert his knowledge into effective, ‘real world’ applications. Michael is a walking treasure trove of fascinating facts, practicality and behavioral insights. Additionally, his integrity, in my opinion, is unexcelled. I have valued being a co-author with him for our books, programs, tools, and other resources.”

Dr. Anthony Alessandra

Co-Author – People Smart, People Smarts, The Platinum Rule

People Smart^®

Michael O’Connor and Tony Alessandra / 1995, 2003

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The Platinum Rule^®

Michael O’Connor and Tony Alessandra / 1996

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Recognized Testimonials

“An extremely use and illuminating book on leadership styles—but more important, a book that will give all managers some important insights about themselves.”

Warren Bennis

Distinguished Professor & Founding Chairman of USC’s Leadership Institute, Member HRD Hall Of Fame

“Original thought with clarity and precision. If you want to communicate more effectively, to understand people better, you could not select a better source!”

Paul Hersey, Ph.D.

Center For Leadership Studies, Developer Of Situational Leadership

“The most important, practical, and effective book ever imagined. Everyone should read it! …Loades with practical principles that anyone can use to be more influential and persuasive with anyone they meet or work with.”

Brian Tracy

Author of Maximum Achievement

“Brilliantly provides effective insights for improving communication in any and all situations. Everyone will benefit from reading THE PLATINUM RULE.”

John Gray, Ph.D.

Author of Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus

“Useful insights as to how to enhance both business and personal relationships.”

Jack Canfield

Co-Author Of Chicken Soup For The Soul

“Breaks all the old rules of communications. It is full of take action strategies. Don’t underestimate the power of this fine book. A learning and earning book for the times.”

Harvey Mackay

Author Of Swim With The Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive

“THE PLATINUM RULE is the priceless key to empowerment, productivity, and all business and personal relationships. It is simply the most important leadership concept I have learned in all of my life!”

Denis Waitley

Author of Empires Of The Mind

Recognized Testimonials

“Having an understanding of how beliefs, feelings, and values motivate behavior has made a significant impact on the process of change at the WD-40 Company. A different culture has evolved. The learnings in this book helped that process add value to our new WD-40 culture.”

Garry Ridge

President & CEO, WD-40 Company

“An absolute must-read book for present and future leaders who are focused on serving their organization and staff. It challenges your thoughts and views about yourself and the method by which you lead. If you truly want to succeed at the highest level, you owe it to yourself and those around to read its incredible insights about leadership.”

Nicolas de Segonzac

CEO, Debtco, Inc.

“As a manager, business owner, board member, and advisor to executives/managers throughout my career, I’ve made great practical use of the knowledge about our human ‘wiring.” It is a tremendous resource for effectively managing ourselves and leading both others and organizations to greater success. If you’re serious and committed to your ongoing career success and growth, this is an essential resource for achieving great results and personal fulfillment along the way.”

Pete Refakis

Principal & General Manager, Holt-Refakis Company, Caterpillar Dealership

“In our training, coaching, and development work with leaders, we have found that many lack sufficient understanding of both themselves and others to effectively influence people and situations. We have found this unique book an invaluable resource like no other for providing vital insights to help leaders become more effective.”

Bret Skousen

Director, Training & Development, Black & Decker

“Several years ago, after Mike came to work for Performax /Carlson, we experienced a major, positive shift in our on-going interactions with the company. He added a new level of competence and professionalism to our relationship. One of his first projects was working with me on the Values Analysis Profile. The entire experience was a delight. Not only did his technical knowledge add solid grounding and validity, but his personal dedication, insight into possibilities, and thoroughness all contributed immeasurably to the final product. More recently, Mike initiated and worked with us to refine and extend the personal values resources (workbooks, tools, audio programs, etc.). His vision has been a real inspiration and valued our relationship with him.”

Morris Massey, Ph.D.

President of Massey & Associates, Former Assoc. Dean & Professor Of Marketing, University of Colorado; Ranked as #1 YPO resource; Cited as one of the most influential workplace experts of his time

“I would like to voice my whole-hearted endorsement of Dr. Michael O’Connor. His professional skills, enduring commitment to helping people, and both conceptual and consulting proficiency are amazing. Michael’s capacity to care and conceptual knowledge and scope in the consulting field are immense. He knows how to communicate effectively on an individual basis as well as in group and workshop settings. He is a bright, caring professional without many equals. As such, I have been honored to co-author highly successful resources for effective leader, manager, and employee performance.”

Dr. Drea Zigarmi

Blanchard Training & Development, Co-Author of Situational Leadership II, The Leader Within, DISC & SLII: The Leadership Bridge Program

The Leader Within^®

Michael O’Connor and Drea Zigarmi / 2004

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Conquering Unfavorable Leadership^®

Michael O’Connor and David Spader / 2020

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Recognized Testimonials

“I finished reading this book by Dr. O’Connor last night and very much enjoyed it. I would describe the most important key insight gained is about how crucial it is to appropriately identify the favorability of a situation before determining the level of direction or support to apply in addressing a situation. This concept will strength the application of your leadership system and practices when used with it. Thank you for the great work in this important area.”

Phil Green

CEO & Chairman Of The Board, Frost Bank

“This book does an excellent job of not only explaining the most common mistakes that prevent effective leadership, but it does an even better job of providing the tools to transition to more effective, Pro-daptive Leadership! I have worked with Michael for close to 30 years and used a significant number of the tools that he has created over the years. These have ben immeasurably helpful for my own development as a leader during my career. This book does a great job of bringing these tools together and ties them together with a terrific process that allows potential leaders to become significantly more effective. It is a simple, easy to follow guide that all leaders should have on their desk as a guide.”

Jeff Mitchell

President, H.O. Penn Machinery, New York & Connecticut Caterpillar Dealership

“Having been through training on the Pro-daptive leader-manager model discussed in this book, I found it an excellent read which helped me identify different areas where I can better improve my own effectiveness. One key takeaway is that most situations require more moderate approaches, not the extreme ends of the leader-manager styles continuum. For me, it has been easy to fall into the trap of every unfavorable situation looking like a highly unfavorable one. When doing so, this means I would tend to improperly diagnose the situation and take a more directive as well as extreme approach than necessary for both success and satisfaction.”

Ben Hirsch

COO, Campers Inn RV Company

“I was very impressed with how well structured this book is and its high value. Its language is very clear, rich in experience, and well supported by both research and case studies. I can really relate real-world to it. My most important insight is from Chapter 5 –“Not Adapting When Required!” It is the biggest success factor, as mentioned, that I wish I had learned and began to use much earlier in my career. Hopefully, this resource will help others do exactly that!”

Robert Gariup

Retired Director of International After Sales Division, Bombardier Recreation Products

Dr. O’Connor’s Business Impact

What do Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Tony Alessandra, Deepak Chopra, Denis Waitley, Jack Canfield and Drea Zigarmi all have in common? They all sought out Dr. O’Connor to co-author impactful books with them. Why? Because Dr. O’Connor’s renowned knowledge, experience, and expertise is highly sought after in the leadership performance and consultancy fields: not only by consultants eager to add to their toolkit, but by other thought-leaders themselves.

The Next Level: Potentia!

Over his career, while Dr. O’Connor has had the honor of helping improve companies around the globe – from Fortune 500 corporations to small businesses – he has always endeavored to achieve replication of his proven methods by others. Recently, Dr. O’Connor has teamed with Potentia LLC to capitalize on technology for applying his breakthrough methods in ways to effectively reach more people and companies than ever before.

Potentia’s easy-to-use and revolutionary technology platform is specifically constructed to manage the learning, certification, and practical application of Dr. O’Connor’s proven methods by others.  This system enables business consultants to white label presentations, assessments, reports, and all other client-facing resources with the consultant’s own name and logo.

Learn more about how Potentia can help you to unleash the passion, potential and power of people and organizations you serve while growing your consulting business!