“Dare to Prepare conveys Ron’s down-to-earth wisdom about the critical first step in the success cycle…and it has applications to every challenge we face in life, work, and relationships.”
—David Barrett, president and CEO, Hearst-Argyle Television, Inc.
“Ron Shapiro’s emphasis on preparation is dead-on. The proven strategies he shares here, drawn from both his successful life as a businessman, sports agent, and a father, and numerous fascinating successful leaders in a variety of other industries, can help anyone be better at his or her endeavors. This book is a must-have for anyone looking to get ahead in life. Ron Shapiro has always had a lot to teach people about success in work and in life. Dare to Prepare might be his best guide yet.”
—Billy Beane, general manager, Oakland Athletics, and the subject of the bestselling book Moneyball
“Shapiro presents a compelling case for how eight simple steps can make you, your team, and your partners all winners—if you only have the discipline! And if that is something you’re lacking, he’ll show you how to overcome that, too!”
—Liza Cartmell, group president, ARAMARK Sports and Entertainment
“Whether you are educating a sales force, managers, or front-line company representatives, or just looking to improve your own efficiency and success rate, this book is a great resource.”
—John Cochran, senior executive, Bank of America Card Services
“Using interviews with ‘master preparers’ and high achievers like Jets coach Eric Mangini, a heroic woman who battles wildfires, a high-powered television executive, and historian Taylor Branch, Ron Shapiro shows how their preparation secrets, properly utilized, can pave the way to success. Whether you are an entrepreneur planning to build a better mousetrap, a businessperson entering a negotiation, or a historian starting a new book, I believe that you can learn—and profit—from Ron Shapiro’s winning strategies. I did.”
—Kenneth C. Davis, New York Times bestselling author of Don’t Know Much About® History
“This book shows that leadership is not just about instinct, charisma, and rhetoric; it’s even more about preparation, planning, and perspiration. We owe it to the next generation to think before we speak and to plan before we act. With the use of compelling real-life examples and anecdotes from leaders from all sectors, Dare to Prepare is an indispensable primer for effective decision-making and impactful action.”
—Lee Fisher, lieutenant governor of Ohio
“The journey is the destination for Shapiro’s loyal readers. In the same way that professional athletes prepare completely, this book provides the insights for business strategists to play at the top of their game. Two types exist in the business world today. Those who read Shapiro’s book and heed his advice will hike their success rate in practice. And then, there are the others….”
—Linda Ginzel, clinical professor of managerial psychology, University of Chicago
“Ron Shapiro makes clear that—in any industry, in any sector, whatever the objective—there simply is no substitute for preparation. That is certainly true for educators. But it is the way this point is illustrated—with spare, precise advice from people who have learned in often-dramatic ways the age-old saw that failing to prepare is preparing to fail—that makes Dare to Prepare such an engaging, enjoyable, and ultimately indispensable read.”
—Nancy S. Grasmick, Maryland state superintendent of schools
“This book reflects years of experience, and of wisdom gained, through the careful preparation and resulting success of professionals in a variety of fields—from athletics to the arts…. Anyone who wants to be a successful negotiator, speaker, fund-raiser, or leader will find these stories both enlightening and entertaining.”
—Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, president, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
“Once again, Ron Shapiro shares important principles drawn from the personal experiences of many about how to achieve winning results. Example after example makes it clear that more preparation, organization, and the application of a well-thought methodology will help us all be the best that we can be.”
—Susan Keating, president and CEO, National Foundation for Credit Counseling
“Ron Shapiro has written a passionate, timely, and highly effective guide to business success endeavors. His zeal for preparation and powerful anecdotes are a formula for success. I will borrow from it shamelessly.”
—Len Kennedy, general counsel, Sprint Nextel
“Ron has done it again; Dare to Prepare is an excellent and interesting read. Real-life stories emphasize how critical it is to properly prepare for any important negotiation. From sports examples to business and even hostage negotiation, Ron makes a compelling case to take the time and prepare the right way and ‘win before you begin.’”
—George Kilroy, president and CEO, PHH Arval
“Once again, Ron Shapiro puts into focus the concepts we all think about but often do not practice. Dare to Prepare is the blueprint for obtaining results. Ron is the master at assembling the tools for success, organizing them in plain speak and delivering them to us so we can score. This is a must-read.”
—Randy Levine, president, New York Yankees
“As a psychiatrist and teacher, I love this book. It does three things better than any other. It offers a thoughtful structure for thinking through a life problem to its solution. It provides stories with fascinating plots and outcomes, which make each of the steps in the structure clear and memorable. It promotes a feeling of relief through revealing to readers like me that we are not so different from everyone else in often failing to make a plan primarily because we’re not sure how.”
—Dr. Paul McHugh, Henry Phipps professor of psychiatry emeritus, Johns Hopkins University
“Dare to Prepare draws on Ronald Shapiro’s extraordinary career as one of America’s top negotiators and lawyers. Full of real-life examples, Shapiro shows how meticulous planning can raise the odds of success in business and in life.”
—Norman Pearlstine, former managing editor, The Wall Street Journal, and former editor in chief, Time Inc.
“This is absolutely essential information for anyone from business leaders to business students. Ron Shapiro has done a wonderful job of immediately engaging the readers and never losing them, as he shares lessons learned about the value of preparing with deliberate purpose…the purpose to succeed. One only has to Dare to Prepare in order to stay ahead of the competition.”
—Dr. Kathy Player, provost and chief academic officer, Grand Canyon University
“Ron Shapiro, the torch bearer for the Power of Nice, reveals with great insight another key to success, the Power of Preparation. Vivid accounts from Ron’s career and the careers of an array of interesting people show convincingly that achieving positive outcomes through preparation applies to all personal interactions whether with family, friends, neighbors, or business.”
—Kurt Schmoke, dean, Howard University School of Law, and former mayor of Baltimore
“Ron Shapiro offers the reader valuable insights and methods that have universal applications for facing the diverse challenges of life. He explains how thoughtful preparation empowers one to succeed in important personal and professional endeavors.”
—Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, president, Republic of Liberia
“In Dare to Prepare, Ron Shapiro assembles compelling narratives from his broad experiences that will inspire you and provide you with practical tools to be a winning preparer, negotiator, and communicator.”
—Brendan Tuohey, cofounder and executive director, PeacePlayers International
“Ron Shapiro provides a clear and compelling read for everyone. This book conveys the obvious but often overlooked fact that preparation is the key to success. And he makes his preparation system compelling with stories from highly successful people from all walks of life.”
—Fred Wilpon, chairman and CEO, New York Mets, and chairman, Sterling Equities