Managers Moving Mountains

Every executive board would like to have the best in their field. Unfortunately, this undertaking has been failing extensively and categorically for years. Every year billions are spent on executive and personnel development, talent management, training and qualification, with modest results. No man-agers can move mountains like this, not to mention the range of challenges which are mounting up in this time of exogenous shocks, threatened global supply networks and dwindling raw material sources. The 'input' principle is to blame: Too much emphasis is placed on what is put in. The 'best in class' pay attention to what comes out. They work according to the principle of 'return': Training should no longer just make it possible for managers and employees to move mountains. The mountains need to be moved in the training itself. This is self-financing and profit-generating because it creates 'return projects' which are designed to increase turnover, reduce costs and/or improve efficiency. That's how mountains are moved! With this new understanding of management development and the unleashed power of developing personalities. In short, with future competence. The author spotlights twelve megatrends from business and society that managers across all industries will need to master with future competence in the next few years. They lead in to Change Management 2.0: Transformation instead of just change.

A United States general describes his command of the deployment of U.S. troops and supplies to the Persian Gulf in the war with Iraq and recommends his methods of leadership and resource management for use in the business world.

Deep in the heart of the southern West Virginia coalfields, one of the most important environmental and social empowerment battles in the nation has been waged for the past decade. Fought by a heroic woman struggling to save her tiny community through a landmark lawsuit, this battle, which led all the way to the halls of Congress, has implications for environmentally conscious people across the world. The story begins with Patricia Bragg in the tiny community of Pie. When a deep mine drained her neighbors' wells, Bragg heeded her grandmother's admonition to "fight for what you believe in" and led the battle to save their drinking water. Though she and her friends quickly convinced state mining officials to force the coal company to provide new wells, Bragg's fight had only just begun. Soon large-scale mining began on the mountains behind her beloved hollow. Fearing what the blasting off of mountaintops would do to the humble homes below, she joined a lawsuit being pursued by attorney Joe Lovett, the first case he had ever handled. In the case against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Bragg v. Robertson), federal judge Charles Haden II shocked the coal industry by granting victory to Joe Lovett and Patricia Bragg and temporarily halting the practice of mountaintop removal. While Lovett battled in court, Bragg sought other ways to protect the resources and safety of coalfield communities, all the while recognizing that coal mining was the lifeblood of her community, even of her own family (her husband is a disabled miner). The years of Bragg v. Robertson bitterly divided the coalfields and left many bewildered by the legal wrangling. One of the state's largest mines shut down because of the case, leaving hardworking miners out of work, at least temporarily. Despite hurtful words from members of her church, Patricia Bragg battled on, making the two-hour trek to the legislature in Charleston, over and over, to ask for better controls on mine blasting. There Bragg and her friends won support from delegate Arley Johnson, himself a survivor of one of the coalfield's greatest disasters. Award-winning investigative journalist Penny Loeb spent nine years following the twists and turns of this remarkable story, giving voice both to citizens, like Patricia Bragg, and to those in the coal industry. Intertwined with court and statehouse battles is Patricia Bragg's own quiet triumph of graduating from college summa cum laude in her late thirtie and moving her family out of welfare and into prosperity and freedom from mining interests. Bragg's remarkable personal triumph and the victories won in Pie and other coalfield communities will surprise and inspire readers.

The Change Manager's Handbook is an easy to read kaleidoscope of a book that covers the whole topic of change management from the theory right through to a very practical step-by-step guide to implementing sustainable change. The book is written in a very accessible and easy to read style and is cram packed with useful tips and tricks, images and cartoons that every Change Manager will find useful to bring about change in their organisation. A downloadable 'Toolbox' (available from the publishers) accompanies the book. It contains more than forty project ready templates and tools plus all the cartoons illustrated in the book. The author, Harley Lovegrove has been managing change in both giant multi-nationals and tiny family businesses for the last two decades. Working for brands such as Levis and Bayer, he won international recognition for his pragmatic and down to earth approach. His methodology 'OR' (Organisational Readiness), is a beautifully simple way of focusing a change project around a single set of criteria that not only guides the Business in the right direction but also indicates precisely when everything is in place to implement the required change.

Transnational mining companies are key agents of corporate globalization. They are often larger than national economies, and dominate governments, local peoples and their environments. In response, affected communities and non-government organizations are creating new agendas for change and justice.

The life and experiences of a white family who grew up under the system of apartheid in South Africa. It tells of their heritage, their understandings and perceptions and eventually their move to the United States of America. The story focused greatly on the Gerber familys faith in God Almighty and how through faith and endurance, they overcame difficulties.