Business and Leadership

A celebrated author as well as a former Cabinet official, U.N. ambassador and two-term governor, Bill Richardson earned fame as the man to turn to when diplomacy isn't enough. Richardson's new book, "How to Sweet-Talk a Shark," details his successes and failures in delicate but tough bargaining with the likes of Saddam Hussein, Fidel Castro, the Taliban and two generations of North Korean leaders. At this breakfast for Milken Institute Associates and invited guests, presented in partnership with the RAND Corp., Richardson will recall the highlights and lowlights of his experiences leading high-stakes negotiations in some of the world's most hostile places. The discussion will be moderated by Ambassador Charles Ries, a RAND senior fellow who has represented the United States in Iraq, Greece and Europe.

Speaker: William Clay Ford Jr., Executive Chairman, Ford Motor Company. Interviewer: John Casesa, Senior Managing Director, Guggenheim Partners. The Midwest is seeing a revival in car manufacturing, which not long ago seemed to have run out of gas. William Clay Ford Jr., executive chairman of Ford Motor and grandson of its legendary founder, will discuss what's behind that resurgence. His company was the only one of the Big Three U.S. carmakers to make it through the financial crisis without a bailout - what did it feel like at the time? Ford may be uniquely placed to anticipate the role of the automobile in the 21st century and future forms of transportation. Also on the agenda: changing consumer tastes and the interplay between transportation, energy and the environment.

Speaker: Frank Luntz, Chairman and CEO, Luntz Global; Contributor, Fox News. The business community is under attack, and according to pollster Frank Luntz, it's often their own fault. They are using verbal and visual language to communicate to customers, shareholders and communities that turn people off and turn critics on. At this highly interactive, instructive session, he will unveil his updated "21 Words for the 21st Century," the "13 Essential Phrases for 2013" and the brand new "10 Rules of Visual Communications," along with his latest public opinion findings and focus group results. From business to politics, this session is about what Americans are thinking and what our leaders should be saying.

Speaker: Carlos Slim, President, Carlos Slim Foundation; President, Telmex Foundation. Interviewer: Larry King, Host, "Larry King Now". How did the wealthiest man in the world get where he is today? Iconic interviewer Larry King will host a wide-ranging discussion with Carlos Slim, the Mexican magnate and philanthropist who built the bulk of his fortune in mobile communications. Slim will share some of the insights he has gathered during a unique career in global business. What did he do right? How does he view the future of the industries in which he invests, and where are his charitable interests taking him? Having long been at the forefront of economic change in Latin America, how does Slim see the region evolving?

Speakers: Marc Benioff, Chairman and CEO, salesforce.com. Ken Hicks, Chairman, President and CEO, Foot Locker, Inc. Jay Rasulo, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, The Walt Disney Company. Walter Robb, Co-CEO, Whole Foods Market. Tom Wyatt, CEO, Knowledge Universe U.S. Moderator: Willow Bay, Special Correspondent, Bloomberg Television; Senior Editor, Huffington Post. High-performance organizations not only break sales and profit records, they alter the way we work and live. What do they do that sets them apart? How do they groom their leaders and attract top talent? How do they outperform their peers? These companies maximize the benefits of changing technology, and their leaders have the guts to reinvent and surpass themselves. How do they define success, and is responsibility to the broader community part of it? Should companies be measured by their social impact as well as their financial results? Corporate leaders on this panel will share their experiences and their strategies for staying ahead of the game.