A Creative Force Guiding Your Success – Michael Utvich: Accelerating Your Leadership Impact with Breakthrough Books
Who writes your success story completely depends upon you. Due to his father’s ultimate wisdom, Michael Utvich took the pen and matters into his own hands, literally. He graduated from UCLA with two degrees (History and Political Science), which taught him how to write. His father, a ‘lifer’ at AT&T, actively discouraged Michael from pursuing a stair-climbing Corporate Career (“Never sell your soul for security! Always follow your heart’s desire- that is the only way to know you have truly been alive!”). So, Michael travelled, looked for the world for a few years, and took risks.
The Past Days of the Present
He entered the working world at a Pivot Point of technological, generational, and social change, disruption, and culture shock. By the time he entered the workforce in the late 1970s, all bets were off! Toy game machines and ‘personal computers’ were entering the marketplace.
Michael recalls, “I read the Hollywood Reporter for odd-jobs writing, and hit gold with a shot at ‘The Sherlock Holmes Radio Theatre.’ A small shot, surely. But he won a spot, got an assignment, and they bought his script. Since they were a Writers Guild of America signatory, overnight, at 27, Michael was in one of the prestigious Writers’ organizations in the world. In a month or two, he had a new Writing partner for High Tech Consulting in a New Product Launch in 1980.
In front of Michael’s eyes, ‘Innovation’ was exploding now. Apple Computer changed the mindset of the nation and the world on how business would be done on the desktop. Michael was working on the top end; IBM/Xerox mega printers and copiers designed for massive data centers! Soon enough, his specialty, Product Launch Consulting Firms, moved him into developing introduction programs for software: Ventura Publisher, a cheap, radical desktop program that could enable professional typesetting on a $1,000 desktop PC.
Riding the High Tides
Michael’s current role as Business Development Associate at Highpoint Publishing demands defining contributions and strategic directions. Sharing that journey, he states, “Michael Roney was my first Book Editor at Bantam Doubleday Dell, who helped me write a national award-winning title, The Ventura Publisher Solutions Book, for my very first book! He continued to edit my succession of Tech/Business books at Bantam, and when the Bantam Info Books unit was sold to Random House, he followed it to Random. Michael Roney edited over half of my 10+ Major publisher titles. At one point, we collaborated and co-wrote a classic Info-Satire title: The Guerrilla Guide to High-Tech Trade Shows, a tour/advisory to the then-largest computer trade show in the business, with a lot of funny commentary slipped in.”
“After that book was out, Michael and I partnered and sold four separate magazine columns doing satirical run-ups on current tradeshows and commentary. My day job when I was not writing books was Management Consulting. I know he envied the freedom I had working on Corporate assignments for a variety of industries, and particularly Automotive companies.”
Today, a visionary in technology and innovation strategy, Michael Utvich has been honored by Marquis Who’s Who for his expertise in technology, education, infographics, and thought leadership.
The Very Positive Side Effects of the Glitz and Glamour
Haig Armaghanian, the CEO of Haig Barrett, Inc., Michael’s current Affiliate Consulting firm, asked him to speak at AMCF – Association of Management Consulting Firms, at The Breakers Hotel in West Palm Beach, Florida. This was an ultra-prestige presentation, drawing top-shelf attendees and presenters, and Michael’s Exec wanted to make the best of impressions. “The message of my talk was simple enough: computers are more than just data processing – if you are using them intelligently, you are raising your level of efficiency, and your company can become significantly more competitive in a number of measurable ways.” The side effect of all this glitz is that it attracted very well-heeled attendees.
At dinner, Michael met an entrepreneur, named Ziad Koury, a Lebanese-born businessman living in Florida. “He was fascinated by my career as a Book Author and peppered me with questions about it, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Finally, I told him I could arrange for him to have a book written and published, no problem. I knew the people who could make it happen. I made the connection with Michael Roney, who, with a little coaching from me, helped Ziad create his book, and together we created Highpoint Executive Publishing. I am on the Team page.”
Relationships Power Your Success
With more than three decades of experience working with startups, mid-sized companies, and Fortune 100 organizations, Michael Utvich insists that a consulting career is built on relationships:
~The Writers Guild of America, West: He got into the Guild from an Ad in the Trade Papers for a Radio Drama script he won: Sherlock Holmes Radio Theater. Later, he volunteered to be on several Guild Committees, as service to the Guild. Through this channel, one notable evening, Michael went out with one of their Guest Speakers. “He asked me what I did for a living, and I told him I was designing the global training for Ventura Publisher, the desktop publishing program. Right there, this man gave me the name of William Gladstone, the biggest high-tech book agent in the business. I had a book contract with Bantam Doubleday Dell less than a week later. It was a Miracle!”
~Ventura Publisher Software: After Michael finished six years writing all the global training and the book for Bantam, Xerox kept on hiring him. He was working for various departments of Xerox, including the notorious ‘Xenith’ Project, which ended Xerography in favor of high-resolution laser imaging, for another 15 years.
~Morehead & Company: Michael’s first big ‘Product Launch’ Consulting firm, joined in 1980, introduced him to Xerox, IBM, Northern Telecom, and a host of other innovative companies. More important than that, the staff at Morehead, men and women, were all very young and innovative people who were looking for opportunity. As he moved ahead and began to move into Automotive consulting, Michael met former Morehead employees there who have remained in his network, working at Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Hyundai, and Kia for decades!
Helping Organizations Bring Innovative Ideas to Market
Furthermore, Michael is widely recognized for helping organizations bring innovative ideas to market. When asked about the most critical elements, according to him, required to successfully launch a new product or business in today’s digital economy, Michael says that most human beings do not learn, remember, and retain Abstract Patterns. Not going to happen! Human beings learn through memorable, cohesive storytelling. “When I wrote my book on Ventura Publisher, I proposed it as a ‘Software Cookbook’ based upon the common everyday Kitchen Recipe Card File.”
That is, he would write individual ‘Recipe’ techniques that demonstrated how to create individual publishing effects, with an illustration, step-by-step instructions, and suggestions for use. He also cross-referenced each ‘Recipe’ to other ‘Recipes’ to create compound effects for greater value. No one in computer publishing had attempted this simple, effective technique before, which is one of the reasons Michael received a Best Software Book award from the Computer Press Association!
The Powerful Role of Storytelling and Strategic Messaging
Storytelling and strategic messaging play a powerful role in modern business, believes Michael ardently. He thus proposes his unique guide for companies in communicating their vision effectively to customers, stakeholders, and investors.
“My unique guide is an INFOGRAPHIC. I have developed over 400 of them in my career.”
An E-Commerce Story of Mobility
E-commerce continues to evolve at a rapid pace. From Michael’s perspective, a major trend is currently shaping the future of e-commerce globally.
Mobility. The man who invented modern Media Studies in the 1960s, whose work I taught in my Media courses, Marshall McLuhan, said that in the future (aka NOW) human beings would ‘wear our brains outside our bodies’, aka The iPhone.
Michael followed the Mary Meeker report on Internet/iPhone adoption through the 2000s and how Mobile phones were outstripping every known metric. How entire villages in India could invest in stocks using a single iPhone in common. “How e-commerce in a Generation made our history unrecognizable, with new patterns of thinking and behavior, and continues to.”
Michael thinks the keyword for E-commerce is ‘adaptive.’ “Digital channels give us a constant backdoor to everything.” During the Pandemic, people stopped visiting Restaurants, ordered food on their cell phones, and DoorDash delivered it to their porch. The Restaurant disappeared in a Digital blip. Welcome to the E-Future.
Big Brands, Grand Lessons
Having worked with prominent brands such as Toyota, Xerox, IBM, Oracle, Honda, Nissan, and Lexus, the lessons these collaborations taught Michael about leadership, innovation, and market positioning are crucial, he says. Big Brands have a deep business model that they execute with precision until that business model may or may not work anymore.
“I was at the center of the moment when Xerox realized its ‘Xerography’ technology was passé and failing and made a (reputed) $8 Billion ++ investment in digital imaging to save the company’s future.”
IBM thought the future was paved with Mainframes, until Bill Gates beat them to the punch by stringing together IBM PCs together and calling it ‘Client Server.’
Lexus, the Toyota luxe brand, successfully sells its engineering as designed to deliver spiritual pleasure and the quality of the ‘Time and Moments’ you enjoy in the vehicle, while the Germans are still huffing and puffing about the power of their pistons! “Which car do YOU want to get into?”
The point is, none of these big brands is guaranteed anything. “They have to work to stay on top, I have seen it, and I know.”
Simplifying Complexity with Visual Storytelling
Michael emphasizes simplifying complex ideas through impactful communication and visual storytelling. When asked why clarity is so important in business strategy and innovation development, Michael responds with a smile: “I develop visual infographics — sometimes I call them ‘1-page PowerPoint’ – due to a belief in ‘speed to awareness.’ I want to walk in and wake up my audience within five minutes or less.”
Michael wants to remove every barrier to understanding the key concepts, issues, and challenges at hand so people can begin to work.
That is where the Action Is. When people engage and discuss, things happen.
All Things Are Connected
As an author, coach, and speaker, all these roles complement Michael’s work in innovation development and business strategy. Because “All these things are connected,” he says, adding that he became an Author, Coach, and speaker because he learned how to practice the technique of ‘Active Listening.’ This technique involves listening to any person with useful experience, listening closely for ideas, experiences, and keywords.
At various points during ‘Active Listening,’ Michael restates his understanding of what the person has communicated in his own words, to validate that he has understood them correctly. At least 50% of the time, he may have gotten some nuance off-center or wrong, and they will correct or refine his understanding. This is the value of close attention.
When Michael led Business Strategy sessions with a consulting partner in front of a group, it was always a live, open discussion. The same issue obtains: Active Listening, a clear understanding of what each participant is saying.
Innovation and Strategy are some of the riskiest areas because they involve ‘Uncharted territory.’ Innovation, in particular, is glamorous to some people because they think ‘new ideas’ are exciting. But finding ‘new ideas’ that really work is a lot tougher.
A Simple and Profound Advice
Michael offers a simple yet profound set of pieces of advice to entrepreneurs and emerging leaders who are striving to build distinctive brands and successful digital businesses.
- What unique Customer Value is your Product/Service bringing to market that is not currently available/offered by other products?
- Review the Digital Business Failures in the past 2-3 years, how much $ was lost?
- Assess direct/indirect Competitors you may have entering the market.
- Assess/Customer test: Estimate the economic life of your product-service – How many contingent competitors are already in the market?
Similarly, to the aspiring innovators and business leaders who want to shape the future of commerce and technology, Michael suggests that all powerful technology carries inherent Risk. The Internet has already shown that unrestricted open communication has a price. ‘Innovation’ as well is not a boundless benefit. It must be guided by values and consideration for the welfare of people. “We are mortal, stewards of this place, and it is our job to hand it off in good order to our Children. Peace to All!”
The Coming of Augmented Human Conference
Looking over the next decade, Michael envisions e-commerce further transforming industries, customer engagement, and global business models. He explains that digital commerce began in the form of stores shipping conventional products like Books (Amazon) and other things that could be shipped in a box.
“My sense is that the future will see the evolution of more Social/Psychological products, experiences, and even ‘Ritual Experiences’ that might be sold online. I have been following one on the edge event called ‘The Augmented Human Conference’ for the past four years.”
Breakthrough Book—Your Ultimate Success Launchpad
Finally, Michael says his other vision is to expand his coaching support to CEOs, Experts, Entrepreneurs, and Innovators in bringing their unique vision to the marketplace with creative force and innovative communications. In this, he says, breakthrough books can accelerate their impact. He explains that Breakthrough Book is a vehicle for a Thought Leader to express both visionary ideas and an approach to action. A Breakthrough Book is a means to advance both a personal brand and launch new and innovative business ventures.
Michael, an author, coach, and ghostwriter, also believes that Breakthrough Books must be developed from the ground up as a business, beginning with a Business Plan. The development guide below demonstrates the depth of his approach to assist you in developing your content and the related brand and marketing of your project.
