My old boss at Weber Shandwick, now CEO at Edelman – David Brain has a new book coming out. Here’s the official blurb…looks like it will be a good read. Buy it here:

“Welcome to the world of the crowd surfer: a world in which a new generation of business and political leaders have learned how to harness the energy, ideas and enthusiasm of today’s empowered consumers. Crowd surfers have been smart enough to recognise that people all over the world – emboldened by a new spirit of enquiry and self expression, and powered by the internet – have changed the rules of the game. They realise that surrendering complete control, by giving their customer, partners and employees a greater say in the way that their organisation’s operate, is actually the most effective way to manage their destiny.

In Crowd Surfing, Martin Thomas and David Brain explore the lessons we can all learn from the corporate and political surfers, including Barack Obama’s campaign for the Democratic Party nomination in the US presidential election, why Dell went to hell and back before learning how to embrace the crowd, and why a Blue Monster has come to symbolise Microsoft’s new spirit of openness. They also analyse the leadership skills required in this new era of participation and dialogue and ask what these changes mean for marketers and managers everywhere.”