Executives #108: Allen Fahden - CEO of Randomness and Innovation On Demand

Today on Executives After Hours I had the pleasure to speak with Allen Fahden. Allen, like many of my guest's, has come from what would seem like the abyss. Allen is an author, corporate trainer, and former stand-up comic Allen Fahden has consulted with countless Fortune 500 companies, as well as celebrity business owners such as Paul McCartney and Bill Murray. Allen has been featured by People Magazine, ABC News, BBC TV, and countless television and radio broadcasts, as well as syndicated and local print media across the U.S. Creator of the Team Dimension Profile, Allen has also written chapters for best-selling The One Minute Millionaire by Chicken Soup for the Soul co-author Mark Victor Hansen. Allen’s profiles have sold over a million copies internationally. Preproduction copies of his upcoming book, Another Boring, Derivative, Piece of Crap Business Book have received critical acclaim. The innovation and team techniques featured in Allen’s work have resulted from years of developing ways to create new ideas that will sell to both clients and the mass market. His experience in the field includes presiding over his own award-winning advertising agency, as well as serving as Vice-president and Creative Director of D’Arcy, Masius, Benton, and Bowles, and Senior Writer for accounts such as Levi’s at Foote, Cone, and Belding in San Francisco. He also led John Ryan Co. from revenue of $7 million to $29 million the first year he took over as Senior Vice President of Creative and pre-booked another $44 million for the year after that using the methods he now teaches his clients. Over 30 years working with teams as a corporate executive and as a trainer in Edwards Deming’s Quality processes, Allen identified an understanding of people’s strengths that allow them to triple their performance in the beginning creating, planning and decision stages. By appreciating what a team member can do, and not expecting them to do what they can’t, he has freed people to transform their work, relationships, and purpose.