What Matters Now : How to Win in a World of Relentless Change, Ferocious Competition, and Unstoppable Innovation

This is not a book about one thing. It's not a 250-page dissertation on leadership, teams or motivation. Instead, it's an agenda for building organizations that can flourish in a world of diminished hopes, relentless change and ferocious competition. This is not a book about doing better. It's not a manual for people who want to tinker at the margins. Instead, it's an impassioned plea to reinvent management as we know it—to rethink the fundamental assumptions we have about capitalism, organizational life, and the meaning of work. Leaders today confront a world where the unprecedented is the norm. Wherever one looks, one sees the exceptional and the extraordinary: Business newspapers decrying the state of capitalism. Once-innovative companies struggling to save off senescence. Next gen employees shunning blue chips for social start-ups. Corporate miscreants getting pilloried in the blogosphere. Entry barriers tumbling in what were once oligopolistic strongholds. Hundred year-old business models being rendered irrelevant overnight. Newbie organizations crowdsourcing their most creative work. National governments lurching towards bankruptcy. Investors angrily confronting greedy CEOs and complacent boards. Newly omnipotent customers eagerly wielding their power. Social media dramatically transforming the way human beings connect, learn and collaborate. Obviously, there are lots of things that matter now. But in a world of fractured certainties and battered trust, some things matter more than others. While the challenges facing organizations are limitless; leadership bandwidth isn't. That's why you have to be clear about what really matters now. What are the fundamental, make-or-break issues that will determine whether your organization thrives or dives in the years ahead? Hamel identifies five issues are that are paramount: values, innovation, adaptability, passion and ideology. In doing so he presents an essential agenda for leaders everywhere who are eager to... move from defense to offense reverse the tide of commoditization defeat bureaucracy astonish their customers foster extraordinary contribution capture the moral high ground outrun change build a company that's truly fit for the future Concise and to the point, the book will inspire you to rethink your business, your company and how you lead.

Build a company that's fit for the future and fit for human beings

"Gary Hamel delivers again. He challenges organizational orthodoxies and creates a sharp gap between what the future holds and the status quo. What Matters Now fits my definition of a true innovation: it is unique and compelling, creates advantage because it's ahead of the curve, and provides a significant value for leaders by underscoring what it takes to succeed in the 21st century."
—Jeff M. Fettig, chairman and CEO, Whirlpool Corporation

"What Matters Now is an exciting tapas bar of a book, packed with nuggets of unconventional wisdom, tempting plates of inspiring advice, and several bracing shots of bold ideas. Gary Hamel is a legend in the world of management thinking—and this book reminds us why."
—Daniel H. Pink, author, Drive and A Whole New Mind

"Gary Hamel's brilliantly written book provides a deeply insightful view of 21st century leadership. He captures its essence: building on values, innovating and adapting rapidly to changing environments, and being passionate in leading people rather than relying on traditional management techniques. Hamel focuses on humanity in leading rather than skills. If you follow his advice, you'll becomea great leader."
—Bill George, former chair & CEO, Medtronic; professor, Harvard Business School; author, True North

"In What Matters Now, Gary Hamel describes the foundational principles fornext-generation management. This is an essential guide for building a post-bureaucratic company."
—James Whitehurst, president and CEO, Red Hat

"If Gary Hamel has to singlehandedly drag the profession of management into the 21st century, he will. He's got the passion, the energy, and the smarts required for the job, and in What Matters Now, he provides a wealth of essential advice for management renegades everywhere."
—Andrew McAfee, principal research scientist, MIT; author, Enterprise 2.0

"Critical insight from the man Fortune called "the world's leading expert on business strategy"About the only thing a leader can be sure of is that what worked yesterday is unlikely to work today, let alone tomorrow. Never before have businesses faced a more fractured, contentious and dynamic environment. If ever there was a need for fundamentally new thinking about values, competition, leadership, organization talent, and how these things are directly tied to management, it is now. Gary Hamel lays out an essential agenda in a world where old nostrums aren't merely useless, but downright toxic. Contains more than 25 standalone chapters in six sections that are brutally honest and tackle critical management and leadership challenges head-on Explains how to move from defense to offense, reverse the tide of commoditization, and outrun change Tackles how to effectively hack management, capture the moral high ground, and foster extraordinary contribution Written by one of the world's most prescient management experts and the acclaimed author of The Future of Management Concise and to the point, What Matters Now will inspire leaders to rethink their business, their management, and how they lead"-- Provided by publisher