Creative Execution: What Great Leaders Do to Unleash Bold Thinking and Innovation - Hardcover

Beaudan, Eric

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1118351096 ISBN 13: 9781118351093

Publisher: Jossey-Bass, 2012

Synopsis

The ultimate game-changer for reinventing strategy and igniting people

Whether it was Alexander the Great or Lord Horatio Nelson, the management team at Toyota or Google, the indisputable alchemy of strategy, execution, and leadership led to each's phenomenal success. With years of experience assessing and developing executive talent, author Eric Beaudan examines the essence of such a dynamic mix, summed up as "Creative Execution," showing how organizations and individuals can attain, or reach for, unheralded levels of success.

Profiling extraordinary leaders and the uncommon leadership tactics that are their hallmark, the book also includes proprietary research and firsthand experiences with clients across the globe, illustrating the principles of Creative Execution in action.

• Details the five elements of Creative Execution, including fostering candid dialogue across the organization, spelling out clear roles and responsibilities, and taking bold action
• Includes proprietary research, assessments, and case studies

With tactics, strategies, and calls to action to help any organization shape and apply the dynamics of Creative Execution, this powerful one-volume manifesto will help any leader get in the trenches, learn firsthand the impact of their decisions, and restore ingenuity, cooperation, and a sense of collective commitment to the workplace.

 

About this title

From the Back Cover:

FROM THE FOREWORD

"The leaders [profiled] in this book are willing—even eager—to break rules. Battles are not won by generals who fight 'by the book,' and success in business or war usually depends on identifying new strategies. That, in its turn, requires the leader to persuade his people to do unfamiliar things so the leader must communicate and gain the trust of large numbers of people. ... Whether you're the newly-appointed CEO of a company wondering how to chart a course for the future, or steering a public-sector agency in an era of austerity and high anxiety, this book will help you set in motion the critical leadership decisions that will make you successful. There is a Creative Execution leader inside all of us, and there is an unbounded supply of opportunities and challenges around the world that will require all of us to apply these leadership qualities." — Richard Boggis-Rolfe, Chairman, Odgers Berndtson

"Bravo! Eric Beaudan has got it right! With a brilliant grasp of history and the lessons of great leaders, past and present, he takes us through a virtual master class in the Creative Execution of strategy. This book takes us from theory to action with many compelling examples at warp speed. In my years at the helm of Thomas Cook, I worked with many colleagues to make our strategies work in several hemispheres by engaging our key stakeholders. We embraced most of the principles that Beaudan espouses and, by the way, there is a great story of Creative Execution in Thomas Cook Americas. A great read and source book."— John Donaldson, former Chief Executive, Thomas Cook UK

"What do a luxury hotel chain, a world class auto manufacturer, a successful Internet company and the U.S. Coast Guard all have in common? Each has had a leader who embodies the qualities and characteristics defined by Beaudan as essential to someone with 'creative execution.' From Alexander the Great to Issy Sharp, founder of Four Seasons Hotels, these men and women have redefined what it takes to lead an army, whether on the battlefield or the board room. Read Creative Execution to unlock your own leadership potential."— Marshall Goldsmith is the author of the New York Times bestsellers MOJO and What Got You Here Won't Get You There.

From the Inside Flap:

Creative Execution unveils the secret sauce of uniquely successful leaders. Through his focus on the world's great military strategists and business leaders, Eric Beaudan offers an in-depth look at the audacious acts that led to their stunning victories, be they on the field of battle or in commerce. From the exploits of Alexander the Great to Barack Obama and the leadership that built Google, Toyota and the Four Seasons into global powerhouses, Creative Execution delves into the unique formula that allows leaders to galvanize people and execute bold strategies with practical steps and case studies that tell a powerful story. Beaudan presents a model—a synthesis of game-changing, inspired ideas—that leaders have used to win against the odds.

Creative Execution has five elements:

1. articulating a unique, clear strategy,

2. fostering candid dialogue,

3. spelling out clear roles and accountabilities,

4. taking bold action, and

5. being visible as a leader.

These elements are the lens that Beaudan uses to guide you through the stories of leaders that animate these pages. He then challenges you to look at your own organization and respond to some tough questions: How can you mobilize the forces of Creative Execution that surround you? How can you create an organization where bold thinking and collaboration are hallmarks of your strategic direction?

The stories of uncommon leadership tactics profiled in this book, coupled with proprietary research and firsthand experience with clients across the globe, create a book replete with tactics, strategies and calls to action to help any organization shape and apply its own Creative Execution process—the fundamental function of leadership.

Tap into the potential in your organization and overcome the odds that you are facing today—by developing your own formula for Creative Execution.

About this edition

• Publisher: Jossey-Bass
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1118351096
• ISBN 13: 9781118351093
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 272