Strategy and leadership have become separated in the business world. In this title, Harvard Business School Professor Cynthia Montgomery reveals why and how they need to be re-integrated for ultimate business success.
For more than thirty years, Brent Scowcroft has played a central role in American foreign policy. Scowcroft helped manage the American departure from Vietnam, helped plan the historic breakthrough to China, urged the first President Bush to repel the invasion of Kuwait, and worked to shape the West's skillful response to the collapse of the Soviet empire. And when US foreign policy has gone awry, Scowcroft has quietly stepped in to repair the damage. His was one of the few respected voices in Washington to publicly warn the second President Bush against rushing to war in Iraq. The Strategist offers the first comprehensive examination of Brent Scowcroft's career. Author Bartholomew Sparrow details Scowcroft's fraught relationships with such powerful figures as Henry Kissinger (the controversial mentor Scowcroft ultimately outgrew), Alexander Haig (his one-time rival for Oval Office influence), and Condoleezza Rice (whose career Scowcroft helped launch -- and with whom he publicly broke over Iraq). Through compelling narrative, in-depth research, and shrewd analysis, The Strategist brings color and focus to the complex and often secretive nature of US foreign policy -- an intellectual battlefield on which personalities, ideas, and worldviews clash, dramatically shaping the world in which we live.
Super Strategist: The Art and Science of Modern Account Planning is the only modern guide to advertising’s arguably most vital discipline, that has been written with the passion of someone who’s found their calling and the wisdom of an industry veteran who is still actively leading strategy in a large, modern, full-service agency. Super Strategist is full of practical advice for newcomers and usable strategies and insights for experienced planners, or anyone with an interest in the discipline. Readers will find clear outlines of the role of account planners within an agency, including step-by-step plans to achieve success with clients large and small: how to conduct modern consumer research, develop and implement the creative brief, use data skillfully to protect and improve great work, and use all of these tools and more to influence the feather in the planner’s cap—the customer journey. Whether it’s called account planning, brand planning, strategic planning, or creative strategy, the goal is the same: to inspire brilliant work that is backed by rigor and data. Creative is still king, but in today’s fractured markets clients need to know their multi-million-dollar campaigns are supported by up-to-the-minute research and data-driven insights. Account planners ensure, as Douglas Atkins puts it in the foreword, that the work is idea-led, but consumer-informed. To find that perfect balance of art and science, the successful account planner is “X-shaped”: experienced in digital, social, communications and brand strategy, comfortable in creative and quantitative disciplines—a Super Strategist who is the fulcrum of any successful agency.
New York City: a battered town left for dead, one that almost a million people abandoned and where those who remained had to live behind triple deadbolt locks. It was reinvigorated and became the capital of wealth and innovation, an engine of cultural vibrancy, a magnet for immigrants, and a city of endless possibility. Since its founding in 1968, New York Magazine has told the story of that city's constant morphing, week after week. This book draws from all that coverage to present an enormous, sweeping, idiosyncratic picture of a half-century at the center of the world. It constitutes an unparalleled history of that city's transformation, and of a New York City institution as well.
As organizations face an unprecedented rate of change, how should the role of the strategist adapt to address new challenges? Based on original research and consulting projects from the Institute of Management and Strategy, University of St. Gallen, The New Strategist is a practical guide which explains how to execute strategy, not just think about the theory. It examines day-to-day strategy work, explores the competences required by strategic leaders, and maps out the strategist's tools of the trade, including processes, initiatives and discourse. Using a rich and unique data set, this book looks at the roles of different strategists in an organization and emphasizes the importance of managers and strategy consultants as well as Chief Strategy Officers and other leaders. Crucially, The New Strategist focuses on the practice of strategy rather than the theory, answering key questions around how professional strategists should work and which methods and techniques they should draw upon. This timely and authoritative text will support and strengthen managers in fulfilling their strategic leadership responsibilities, allowing them to contribute to the professionalization of the field and ensure their role is suitable for the future of business.
Now in paperback, New York Times bestselling author Morgan Jerkins's fiction debut, an electrifying novel for fans of Ta-Nehisi Coates and Jacqueline Woodson, that brings to life one powerful and enigmatic family in a tale rife with secrets, betrayal, intrigue, and magic. Laila desperately wants to become a mother, but each of her previous pregnancies has ended in heartbreak. This time has to be different, so she turns to the Melancons, an old and powerful Harlem family known for their caul, a precious layer of skin that is the secret source of their healing power. When a deal for Laila to acquire a piece of caul falls through, she is heartbroken, but when the child is stillborn, she is overcome with grief and rage. What she doesn’t know is that a baby will soon be delivered in her family—by her niece, Amara, an ambitious college student—and delivered to the Melancons to raise as one of their own. Hallow is special: she’s born with a caul, and their matriarch, Maman, predicts the girl will restore the family’s prosperity. Growing up, Hallow feels that something in her life is not right. Did Josephine, the woman she calls mother, really bring her into the world? Why does her cousin Helena get to go to school and roam the streets of New York freely while she’s confined to the family’s decrepit brownstone? As the Melancons’ thirst to maintain their status grows, Amara, now a successful lawyer running for district attorney, looks for a way to avenge her longstanding grudge against the family. When mother and daughter cross paths, Hallow will be forced to decide where she truly belongs. Engrossing, unique, and page-turning, Caul Baby illuminates the search for familial connection, the enduring power of tradition, and the dark corners of the human heart.
Praise for 60-Minute Brand Strategist "A fresh take on the wisdom of putting brand strategy at the heart of corporate strategy. Brilliant insights for a fast-moving world." —Angela Ahrendts, CEO, Burberry "Idris Mootee paints a sharp, comprehensive, and finely articulated analysis of the potential of meaningful brands in the 21st century's cultural scenario and business landscape. The result is a smart manual that reminds you and your company how to build relevant, authentic, sustainable, and successful brands in an evolving society." —Mauro Porcini, Chief Design Officer, PepsiCo Inc. "Idris's book teaches us how to engage today's increasingly cynical consumers on a deeper emotional level to build real equity and leadership. He demonstrates how to break out of the box and connect business strategy to brand strategy, and how the right brand story never really ends!" —Blair Christie, SVP and CMO, Cisco Systems, Inc. "It's rare to find a book that's both inspiring and practical but Idris nailed it! He has crafted the ultimate guide to brand building in the connected world with visual clarity and thought-provoking strategy." —Eric Ryan, cofounder, Method Products, Inc. This book is about one thing only: branding. Period. In this economy ruled by ideas, the only sustainable form of leadership is brand leadership. 60-Minute Brand Strategist offers a fast-paced, field-tested view of how branding decisions happen in the context of business strategy, not just in marketing communications. With a combi-nation of perspectives from business strategy, customer experience, and even anthropology, this new and updated edition outlines the challenges traditional branding faces in a hyper-connected world. This essential handbook of brand marketing offers an encyclopedia of do's and don'ts, including new case studies of how these concepts are being used by the world's most successful and valuable brands. 60-Minute Brand Strategist is your battle plan, filled with powerful branding tools and techniques to win your customers' hearts and defeat the competition.
The sports industry is more complex than ever before, and succeeding within it now requires an equally dynamic approach. Teams and leagues across many sports face unprecedented competition in worldwide markets as the cost of doing business increases and traditional revenue streams face pressure. In light of these changes, the idea that winning championships is the key to organizational success is misguided. The Sports Strategist: Developing Leaders for a High-Performance Industry reveals which areas in the industry, unlike winning, can be controlled and maximized for consistent success. Aspiring leaders in the sports business will learn how to design identities, manage narratives, and maximize new technologies in order to implement business analytics and build public support. These techniques are vital to creating a successful sports organization that is ready to reap the benefits of winning when it does happen, without having to rely on it when it doesn't. In such a high-performance field, the demand for well-equipped leaders is great, and The Sports Strategist provides the necessary tools and techniques for their success.
Since its original publication by McGraw-hill almost 10 years ago, this best-selling guide to the inner workings of Japanese strategic thinking has become an acknowledged classic. Kenichi Ohmae a business strategist of international renown provides a Compelling account of the reasons why companies dominate the global processes and planning techniques, why they work, and how companies can benefit from focusing on the three essential elements of any strategic plan: company customer and competition. Replete with numerous illustrative case histories of strategic thinking in action, Ohmae s classic work continues to inspire managers at all levels to new heights of bold, imaginative strategic thinking.