Leading Without Winging It

In everyday language, 'winging it' refers to the act of attempting to achieve a goal with minimal preparation or knowledge, making it up, or figuring it out on the fly. While this approach can be valuable in some situations requiring quick reactions and fast thinking, it will more often than not result in decisions and actions that are suboptimal and not as well thought out as they should be. The phenomenon of 'winging it' is widespread in the business world leading, inevitably, to higher risk and uncertainty.

In this seminal book, Jeremy Masding and Emil Ivanov provide a practitioners' guide to leading a business that significantly reduces the number of times leaders have to wing it. This book shows aspiring CEOs and general managers how to maximise the sustainable value of their business by realising the full potential of good people, good thinking and good doing.

Building on many years of creating value, Masding and Ivanov offer a system for running any enterprise in a way that will capture both 'hearts' and 'minds'. Using a logical construct based on both rational and emotional foundations, the authors offer ways of working for business leaders that are easy to understand and implement.

The authors make a compelling case for focusing on value creation at every level of an organisation but are pragmatic in how this should be implemented to ensure full buy-in around this objective. They are candid in the use of examples, both good and bad, to illustrate the concepts and provide an objective view of the principles and tools therein.

The book is structured around a set of thirty recurring or 'timeless' leadership issues, which everyone who has accepted the challenge of leading is likely to encounter over the course of their career. Whilst the book can be read as a reference guide to help with a particular topical question, its real strength is displayed fully when it is read and applied as a comprehensive management system.

The book is a must read for all existing and aspiring leaders, managers, and CEOs who want to increase their chances of leading successful and valuable businesses.