Who is the world’s most influential business thinker?  According to Forbes (http://tinyurl.com/ygc6mb4), it’s C. K. Prahalad, Professor of Corporate Strategy at the University of Michigan, and author of The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid (http://tinyurl.com/yghrz9s), Competing for the Future, and other books.

What kind of a speaker is he?  You can see him here, talking about innovation: http://tinyurl.com/yz93neg; here, talking about sustainability: http://tinyurl.com/yk2bmq2; here, talking about The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid: http://www.thinkers50.com/video/32; and here, talking about whether or not globalization is good or bad for the poor: http://tinyurl.com/yfscn5w. 

I particularly recommend the last link, a talk he gave at the Aspen Institute in 2007.  It’s vintage Prahalad.  Aside from a tendency to use slightly too dense, under-designed slides in support of his talk, Prahalad is an extraordinary presence.  He had enormous gravitas, a remarkable comfort level in front of an audience, and a natural way of talking that many business speakers could learn from. 

His talks make no concessions to the ill-informed or the casual listener.  They are thoughtful and demanding.  He’s no superficial entertainer.  Take on Prahalad if you’re prepared to pay close attention, work hard, and maybe even take notes.  He comes across like a tough professor lecturing to students – which is of course exactly what he is and what he is doing much of the time.  He does have a dry sense of humor that he indulges in occasionally, but don’t look for constant laughs in a Prahalad talk.  He’s more comfortable with wry comments and the occasional chuckle. 

In an era when much of our business thinking is ‘dumbed’ down for mass consumption, Prahalad is a one-man argument for high standards.  You can actually learn from him.