The Art of Action: How Leaders Close the Gaps between Plans, Actions and Results

  • 5h 30m
  • Stephen Bungay
  • Nicholas Brealey Publishing
  • 2011

Many managers have great ideas but lack the strategizing skills to implement them. Using the battle tactics of the 19th-century Prussian army, author Stephen Bungay combines his unique background as a historian and leading business strategist to teach managers how to strategize in the workplace to succeed in their careers and close the gap between plans, action and results. Through engaging narrative and tried-and-true battlefield practices, The Art of Action brings a fresh, entertaining perspective to management, equipping leaders with the tools they need to achieve their goals.

About the Author

Stephen Bungay is a Director of the Ashridge Strategic Management Centre in London and teaches on several executive programmes at Ashridge Business School. Educated at Oxford and the University of Tåbingen.

He worked in the London and Munich offices of Boston Consulting Group for 17 years and also ran a division of an insurance company. He now works as an independent consultant, teacher and speaker. An acclaimed military historian, he has published two books, The Most Dangerous Enemy: A History of the Battle of Britain, and Alamein, and is a frequent contributor to television programmes, appearing on Channel 4, Channel 5, BBC2, BBC4, the History Channel, TV New Zealand and National Geographic.

In this Book

  • The Problem: What Do You Want Me to Do?
  • The Cause: The Three Gaps
  • Elements of a Solution: Directed Opportunism
  • The Knowledge Gap: What and Why
  • The Alignment Gap: Briefing and Backbriefing
  • The Effects Gap: Independent Thinking Obedience
  • Leadership That Works: From Common Sense to Common Practice