GUEST AUTHOR BLOG by Gerard J. Tellis, author of "Unrelenting Innovation: How to Build a Culture for Market Dominance."

Today's companies face a paradox.

The creation of a radical innovation brings with it success, market dominance, and profits. But that very success generates complacency and arrogance, which blind the firm to the next big innovation.

Indeed, firms are in greatest danger of failing when they are at the peak of their success.

My coauthors and I call this the incumbent's curse – cursed by one's own success.

Adapted from "CAN'T BUY ME LIKE: HOW AUTHENTIC CUSTOMER CONNECTIONS DRIVE SUPERIOR RESULTS." Published by Portfolio/Penguin. Copyright (c) Bob Garfield and Doug Levy, 2013.

Secret. Panera. Patagonia. Schwab. Krispy Kreme. Method. Louisville Slugger. Zappos. There are many a shining example of purpose-driven companies. But how does one isolate that brand purpose— the idea that inspires what you do and informs every action you take by getting to the core of why you do it?

GUEST AUTHOR BLOG by Elizabeth Grace Saunders author of, "The 3 Secrets to Effective Time Investment: How to Achieve More Success With Less Stress."

Let's face it. In today's economy you know that you're fortunate to have a job so you can hesitate to admit when you feel overwhelmed. You don't want to come across as incapable or ungrateful so you just suck it up and hope that things will get better soon. The only problem is when they don't… and you realize if you don't start to set some boundaries that you'll burn out.

(Read More: 10 Most Stressful Jobs of 2013)

GUEST AUTHOR BLOG by: Gregory P. Shea, PhD, and Cassie A. Solomon co-authors of,"Leading Successful Change: 8 Keys to Making Change Work."

Leading a major change effort in any organization, let alone a large and complex one, presents a first order challenge, often among the most difficult of any executive career. In fact, the numbers show that up to 75% of change efforts fail.

But the risk of failure gets even worse (and more expensive) when it comes to mergers and acquisitions.

(Read More: M&A 'Almost Necessary' Now: Santoli)

Guest Author Blog by Ray Fisman and Tim Sullivan, co-authors of "The Org: The Underlying Logic of the Office."

You may not know Laurence Peter's name, but you almost surely recognize his principle: "In a hierarchy, each employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence."

The idea struck a chord among America's managed masses. "The Peter Principle," a book-length treatment of Dr. Peter's theory of management, spent a year at or near the top of the New York Times bestseller list in 1967. It gave voice to the notion that workers' efforts to get their jobs done were constantly butting up against incompetent and meddling managers.

Not much has changed.

But we shouldn't hate managers. We should pity them instead.

(Read More: Risky Business: How to Manage Up)

Tim Geithner, who once said he would not write a book after he left the Treasury Department, is writing a book.

When folks on Twitter found out, a hashtag was born: #geithnerbooktitles.

Guest Author Blog by Lawrence Cunningham, co-author of "The AIG Story."

Beginning in the late 1960s, Hank Greenberg and a small group of international insurance executives revolutionized the insurance industry and laid the groundwork for globalization. They did this by building a business known for decades abroad as an American icon. In the past few years, the company has come to be seen in the United States as a villain: American International Group, Inc.

Greenberg and what he calls a "band of brothers"—Buck Freeman, Jimmy Manton, John Roberts, Ernie Stempel—built AIG by forging relationships with leaders in business and government worldwide, opening new international markets, investing in developing countries and recruiting the most dedicated workforce in business.

Stanley McChrystal, the retired four-star general who was the commanding officer of coalition forces in Afghanistan, offers battle-tested leadership lessons for the C-Suite in his long-awaited new book, "My Share of the Task: A Memoir."

It's not the story he thought he would tell – at least not now.

Over the course of a few years in the first decade of the 21st century, General David Petraeus and a small group of fellow soldier-scholars revolutionized one of the world's largest, oldest, and most hidebound institutions—the U.S. Army.

They did it through cunning and manipulation worthy of Machiavelli.

It also helped that the Army was undergoing its deepest crisis in a generation, caught in the Iraq war's quagmire. Petraeus & Co. offered a recipe for success; Washington was desperate enough to take a chance.

Guest Author Blog by Laura Vanderkam is the author of "What the Most Successful People Do on the Weekend: A Short Guide to Making the Most of Your Days Off."

When we think of successful people, we often picture what they do during the work week. But have you ever wondered how such folks can conjure up enough energy to conquer the world Monday through Friday?

Here's the secret: It may be because they're using their weekends well.

Successful people know that to get great things done during the week, you need to be as mindful of how you use your days off as how you use your days on.