About the Authors

Keith Bailey and Karen Leland are cofounders of Sterling Consulting Group (www.scgtraining.com), an international management consulting firm specializing in maximizing results through the people side of business. In business for 25 years, they have worked with more than 150,000 executives, managers, and front-line staff from a wide variety of industries including retail, transportation, hospitality, high-tech, banking, and consumer goods.

Their consulting work in corporations and public speaking engagements has taken them throughout North America, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Europe. Their clients have included such companies as AT&T, American Express, Apple Computer, Avis Rent-A-Car, Bank of America, Bristol-Myers Squibb, the British Government, DuPont, SC Johnson Wax, Lufthansa German Airlines, Microsoft, and Oracle, to name a few.

In addition to their consulting work, Karen and Keith are sought-after experts by the media. They have been interviewed by dozens of newspapers, magazines, and television and radio stations, including: The Associated Press International, Time, Fortune, Newsweek, The New York Times, Entrepreneur Magazine, Ladies Home Journal, Self Magazine, Fitness Magazine, CNN, The Today Show, and Oprah.

They are sought-after speakers and have presented for groups such as the Young Presidents Organization, the Society of Association Executives, the Society of Consumer Affairs, and the Direct Marketing Association.

Karen and Keith are the authors of five books, including three editions of the bestselling Customer Service For Dummies (Wiley Publishing) that has sold more than 250,000 copies and been translated into Spanish, German, Korean, Chinese, and Polish, among other languages.

In addition, Karen and Keith are the authors of Watercolor Wisdom: How Smart People Prosper in the Face of Conflict, Pressure and Change (New Harbinger, 2006), Customer Service In An Instant: 60 Ways to Win Customers and Keep Them Coming Back (Career Press, 2008), Time Management In An Instant: 60 Ways to Make the Most of Your Day (Career Press, 2008), and Public Speaking In An Instant: 60 Ways to Stand Up and Be Heard (Career Press, 2009).

On the Web, Karen Leland is national work-life columnist for examiner.com. Visit her posts at www.examiner.com/x-728-Work-Life-Balance-Examiner.