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Business tools that make the difference. The world is a complex place and business is a complicated matter. So it’s essential that managers approach their daily challenges with a set of tools that will help them cut through clutter, make sense of what’s happening, make critical choices and trade-offs, design strategies that are likely to work – and turn their ideas into action. Every page of this book offers the common sense that managers need. Tony Manning has been an independent consultant in strategy and change management since 1987. He was formerly chairman and CEO of the McCann-Erickson advertising agency in South Africa and head of marketing for the Coca-Cola Export Corporation in Southern and Central Africa, and served as chairman of the Institute of Directors of Southern Africa from 1999 to 2001. He works with large companies in many industries, specialising in corporate turnarounds and growth strategies, and acts as a counsellor to chief executives. He features as a keynote speaker at numerous major conferences, and is the author of nine management books, including the bestselling Making Sense of Strategy, Discovering the Essence of Leadership and Competing Through Value Management.

From his 30 years as a top strategy consultant, Tony Manning has distilled a set of must-do strategy practices that apply to every company everywhere. These are the critical core. Busy executives are overwhelmed by management ideas that are often just a repeat of what's already known, and seduced by fads that will bog them down and not help them. Manning has dug deep into the past 100 years or so of management thinking and practice to find what's endured, what has been most influential, and what is must-do vs. nice-to-do. Expanding on insights from Manning's previous book, What's Wrong With Management and How to Get It Right, this no-nonsense guide describes a way of working that has been proven across companies, industries, and countries. A set of principles and practices that every firm must apply to compete and win. Here you'll discover what it takes to succeed, how to frame your strategic conversation, and how to close the gap between strategy and execution. So this is a book for every member of your team.

Worldwide, business faces daunting challenges. Competition in every industry is increasingly hostile. The operating environment is increasingly complex. And the cost of missteps and lost opportunities is rising. In this new arena, strategic planning is more important than ever and the ability to turn plans into action - fast - is critical to success. Yet most management tools were designed for a different age, and most change efforts fail. Making Sense of Strategy is a handbook for every business person in the new century. It provides a proven, practical way to think about what’s happening around you and to create an effective strategy for the future. Based on the simple idea that organizations are “managed conversations,” it builds on the latest thinking from many fields to offer a breakthrough approach to delivering consistent growth and profits. Written by a top consultant, Making Sense of Strategy cuts through the clutter of management fads and gives you a systematic and disciplined way to create a winning profit recipe, define your priorities, and motivate your team to action.

In today’s rapidly changing and increasingly complex world, companies everywhere struggle to meet new challenges and continue to underperform – and despite churning out a constant stream of theories and tools, the management ideas industry has made little progress in advancing management thought. In his latest book, top strategy consultant Tony Manning brings managers the insights and advice they need for the coming decades of turbulence and hyper competition. Drawing lessons from 100 years of management history, plus his own extensive research and experience, he shows how management’s frenetic quest for “silver bullets” has led to confusion and complexity rather than clarity and simplicity. And he identifies eight critical strategy practices that apply to every company everywhere, and explains how to use them. This fascinating and practical guide is a must-read for anyone interested in improving business results.

Value management’s time has come. In a world roiled by terrorism, economic meltdown, and corporate governance scandals, executives everywhere face the challenge of delivering new growth against the odds. Competing Through Value Management provides the guidance you need to get ahead of your competition and stay there. Based on a wealth of global research plus the real-world experience of a top consultant, it explains why profit has to be the No. 1 goal in this era of ‘triple bottom-line’ reporting, why many of today's hottest concepts are less helpful than they're made out to be, and why management is more important than measurement. Competing Through Value Management will help you shape your strategic conversation and inspire your team to produce winning results. With powerful tools like the ValuePlan, with numerous checklists and practical frameworks, and with an emphasis on 30-day actions, it offers the clear guidance that managers need right now. Tony Manning has been an independent consultant in strategy and change management since 1987. He was formerly chairman and CEO of the McCann-Erickson advertising agency in South Africa and head of marketing for the Coca-Cola Export Corporation in Southern and Central Africa, and served as chairman of the Institute of Directors of Southern Africa from 1999 to 2001. Tony works with large companies in many industries, specializing in corporate turnarounds and growth strategies, and acts as a counsellor to chief executives. He features as a keynote speaker at numerous major conferences, and is the author of eight management books, including the best-selling Making Sense of Strategy and Discovering the Essence of Leadership.

Over recent decades, the notion of leadership has become increasingly significant in organisational and management literature. Leadership: A Critical Review and Guide provides both a map of the leadership territory, and a guide through it. The book presents an overview of the main strands of the theoretical and empirical evidence associated with the study of leadership; highlights the different ways in which leadership is envisaged; and explores current developments in the thinking and practice of leadership. In so doing, it discusses and reviews some of the most important contributions to this field of study. Leadership: A Critical Review and Guide is designed for students of leadership; those working in leadership positions; and for human resource professionals and management academics.

Worldwide, business faces daunting challenges. Competition in every industry is increasingly hostile. The operating environment is increasingly complex. And the cost of missteps and lost opportunities is rising. In this new arena, strategic planning is more important than ever and the ability to turn plans into action - fast - is critical to success. Yet most management tools were designed for a different age, and most change efforts fail. Making Sense of Strategy is a handbook for every business person in the new century. It provides a proven, practical way to think about what's happening around you and to create an effective strategy for the future. Based on the simple idea that organizations are "managed conversations," it builds on the latest thinking from many fields to offer a breakthrough approach to delivering consistent growth and profits. Written by a top consultant, Making Sense of Strategy cuts through the clutter of management fads and gives you a systematic and disciplined way to create a winning profit recipe, define your priorities, and motivate your team to action.

Mr. Tony Cashman brings to life one of Canada's most intriguing political figures, the Hon. Ernest C. Manning. The young Saskatchewan farm boy heard William Aberhart preaching over CFCN radio Calgary and was saved (born again) in 1926. He went on to attend Aberhart's Prophetic Bible Institute and later shared the management and radio preaching ministry with his mentor and teacher. Providential circumstances led both men into politics and finally heading the government in 1935, with Mr. Aberhart as Premier and E. C. Manning as Minister of Trade and Commerce. Manning went on to become Premier in 1943 and subsequently won seven consecutive majority governments, retiring undefeated and loved by the people of Alberta. The writer of this Tribute went on to say that Alberta would never be the same without Ernest C. Manning. As we look back over history it would be easy to agree with him. Premier Manning had the unique quality of being a Christian politician and gospel preacher at the same time. He entered politics with William Aberhart in order to help the people of Alberta who were struggling with poverty and unemployment brought on by the 1930s Great Depression. They achieved their goal aided by strong fiscal management and the discovery of commercial oil at Leduc in 1947. Manning went on to serve in five ministries gaining a knowledge of government possessed by few others. During his term as Premier he carried out an active ministry preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. He started Canada's National Back to the Bible Hour which still airs on the radio in 2021. Mr. Manning never apologized for his Christian work stating that he preached before going into politics and he would continue preaching long after leaving politics. And he did. His voice has been on the radio for 91 years to date! This unabashedly Christian fundamentalist preacher and politician led Alberta for 25 years raising it from a debt-laden, agricultural prairie province to one of the engines of the Canadian economy. His leadership produced enduring and successful legislation in the province's oil and gas industry as well as advancements in social justice that were copied by administrations in other parts of Canada and the United States. No scandal was ever proven against his government. He retired as Alberta's Premier in 1968 with his head held high and his integrity intact. His legacy is best summed up by Calgary Herald journalist, Brian Brennan, below. "By and large, no provincial leader has ever earned and won more public respect, confidence and admiration than has been sustained over a remarkably long period by Premier Manning." (Brian Brennan, Calgary Herald Tribute, February 21, 1996) Canada needs leaders like this today. Yet, the intellectual and academic establishment decries men and women with Christian character and promotes those with non-Christian beliefs and agendas. If we are to see a return to peace and prosperity in this country we will need leaders like E. C. Manning, a man whom leftist Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau said he would rather see sitting in the "peaceful Canadian Senate graveyard" than out on the street talking to people. Tony Cashman's "Ernest C. Manning - A Biographical Sketch" provides a unique insight into the rise of a great political leader from the common peoples' obscurity to political power in Alberta, a province known for its independent entrepreneurial spirit. Manning best embodied "Alberta Strong and Free" and shows the way forward for the whole country Canada if we are to remain the same into the future. Enjoy reading this great booklet, penned on "the Father of Modern Alberta" by "the Edmontonian of the Century."