Michael E. Friesen is former Director of Product Development and Director of Sales Operations at UtiliCorp United. He has consulted and lectured to a wide range of industries including airlines, manufacturing, high technology, insurance, education and health care and has held various managerial positions at Sprint and The Boeing Company. His first book (with James A. Johnson) The Success Paradigm: Creating Organizational Effectiveness Through Quality and Strategy, was published in 1995. His Second book The Internal Sell: Encouraging Executive Influence and Accomplishment, was published in 1998. He also had a column in the Kansas City Star's Careers Section and was published through MIT's Center for Information Research.