Breakthrough Imperative: How the Best Managers Get Outstanding Results
Collins, March 2008
Every general manager today -- all the way up to the CEO
-- is expected by his or her stakeholders to achieve new breakthroughs
in performance -- and fast. Those who don't make visible progress
toward that goal within the first year or two will likely find
themselves looking for another job. It is precisely because of this
growing breakthrough imperative that managers today, whether in
corporations or nonprofits, need to get off to a fast start. They don't
have time for mistakes or for going back and redoing what they should
have done right in the first place.
But, despite the intensity of these pressures, despite the high
expectations and short time frames, a number of CEOs and general
managers turn in truly exceptional results. How do they meet and exceed
the breakthrough imperative? To answer this question, consultants and
former managers Mark Gottfredson and Steve Schaubert interviewed more
than forty CEOs from both industry and the nonprofit sector, conducted
an intensive study of what successful managers do right -- and what
some do wrong -- and drew on their own combined fifty-plus years of
experience at Bain & Company, where their insights have
consistently been found in the pages of the Harvard Business Review.
Together they came up with the four straightforward principles --
deceptively simple yet remarkably powerful -- that everyone must follow
to succeed at achieving breakthrough results:
- Costs and prices always decline
- Competitive position determines options
- Customers and profit tools don't stand still
- Simplicity gets results
hardcover | ISBN: 9780061358142 | Publication Date: March 2008
Reviews:
"Mark Gottfredson and Steve Schaubert have taken their decades of
managerial and consulting experience to the page. The result is a book
that is a must-read for every current or aspiring manager."
--Idris Jala, managing director and CEO, Malaysia Airlines
"The Breakthrough Imperative
clearly outlines the fundamentals necessary to survive and thrive in
today's fast-moving global economy. The 'four laws' are invaluable for
managers who need to make the right strategic decisions to win."
--Steve Pagliuca, managing director, Bain Capital
"The Breakthrough Imperative
is a brilliant how-to book for building winning business strategies
based on four simple laws and two planning processes. Concise,
straightforward, and insightful. Mark Gottfredson and Steve Schaubert
have successfully conveyed their decades of consulting experience in a
way that is truly accessible. Study it and make it happen in your
business!"
--Mike White, vice chairman, PepsiCo
"Managers have less time than ever to make their mark. If you don't hit
the ground running, with a clear picture of where your business is now
and where you need to take it in the short time you have, failure is
guaranteed. Mark Gottfredson and Steve Schaubert's The Breakthrough Imperative gives managers what they need to ensure they break through and excel."
--Warren Knowlton, CEO, Graham Packaging Company
"Based on Mark Gottfredson and Steve Schaubert's intensive research and decades of work with managers of all stripes, The Breakthrough Imperative gives business leaders a comprehensive yet simple way to develop a winning game plan."
--Steve Reinemund, retired chairman and CEO, PepsiCo
"Having spent many years in the trenches with 'best of class' business
leaders, Steve Schaubert and Mark Gottfredson speak with authority in The Breakthrough Imperative, a unique book and architecture for how to win in business."
--Fred Rowan, chairman and CEO, Carter's, Inc.
"Required reading for anyone trying to transform a business -- if there
is a better road map that informs the leaders and the team on driving
change, I haven't seen it."
--Dick Boyce, partner, Texas Pacific Group
