Nimble Leader Series

Throughout Nimble Leader (six volume series), we explore key concepts that have proven to be practical, useful, and applicable to achieving sustained improvement in business performance over the long term. In Volume I: Create Unrelenting Focus On Achieving Results, you are exposed to the 'five touchpoints' that meld strategy with leadership behavior to deliver outstanding business results: (1) Market Position – what you stand for in the minds of your customers – is EVERYTHING; (2) Your ability to 'give and receive' information sits at the epicenter of decision-making, speed, execution, and performance; (3) Six variables! A quantitative and facile understanding of how Market Position relates to Price management, Volume sales, product and service Mix, Cost expenditures, and Working Capital management is absolutely essential to delivering tangible business results; (4) A quest to build self-awareness within, among, and across leaders in your organization is the starting point to effecting change in leadership behavior; (5) Practice, practice, practice. Then . . . practice some more. Think of one example of demonstrated excellence where practice was not a critical element in achieving excellence. Not possible! Volume I of Nimble Leader represents a synopsis, a CliffsNotes, of the entire Nimble Leader Series. We give you everything, up front! The five touchpoints are then expounded upon in much greater depth in Volumes II – VI. In reading Volume I of Nimble Leader, you are provided the flexibility to choose additional volumes that warrant further drilldown, exploration, and reflection – at your own pace!

Throughout Nimble Leader (six volume series), we explore key concepts that have proven to be practical, useful, and applicable to achieving sustained improvement in business performance over the long term. In Volume II: What Do You Stand For?, you will explore the critical relationship between CASH (the lifeblood of any business) and Market Position, what you stand for in the minds of your customers. You will delve into positioning examples for three different companies; see the unambiguous impact of divergent points of view; understand the power and sway of closely held beliefs on the direction of your business. In reading Volume II of Nimble Leader, our hope is that you develop a deep appreciation for why Market Position and the act of positioning your business is so critically important to achieving success in a dynamic, complex, and fast-paced market environment.

Throughout Nimble Leader (six volume series), we explore key concepts that have proven to be practical, useful, and applicable to achieving sustained improvement in business performance over the long term. In Volume IV: Boring Numbers? Make Them Sing and Dance!, you will move from the foundational importance of defining Market Position to the critical relevance of understanding financial statements. Different groups within different organizations speak their own language; and oftentimes, they develop a world view that is shaped by their experiences. However, if you speak 'sales', you may not speak 'engineering'. If you speak 'operations', you may not speak 'new product development'. The one language that cuts across all of the different groups is the language of numbers, and in particular, financial numbers. Volume IV of Nimble Leader demystifies financial statements and key measures of business performance. You are exposed to the numbers – the financials – through the eyes of a 'business operator'. Business operators only value the financials to the extent they provide assistance in making better business decisions. They focus only on those numbers over which they have the ability to impact. In reading Volume IV of Nimble Leader you will make the connection between strong financial results, a strong Market Position, and the act of positioning your business to uniquely and specifically address customer need!

Throughout Nimble Leader (six volume series), we explore key concepts that have proven to be practical, useful, and applicable to achieving sustained improvement in business performance over the long term. In Volume V: Tools for Profit, you will explore axioms for improving business results. Collectively – Market Position, Price, Volume, Mix, Cost, and Operating Working Capital represent what we call the Tools for Profit. They are all interrelated. Together, they represent a powerful framework for how you think, analyze, discuss, and act upon your business in ways that result in improved business performance, improved Operating Profit and improved Cash-flow . . . the lifeblood of every business. The greater the level of 'common' understanding of the Tools for Profit by employees within and across your business's functional areas, the greater the speed, flexibility, and depth of response your organization has relative to how you respond to fast-changing market pressures in a dynamic world. In reading Volume V of Nimble Leader, you will focus on making money! You will learn to relate Market Position – what you stand for in the minds of your customers – to the Price you charge; the Volume of products and services you sell; the Mix of your offering; the Cost you incur to grow your business; and the amount of Operating Working Capital – short term investment – required to support the ongoing operation of your business. At a very fundamental level, you will also learn the 'relative' financial impact of deploying the different Tools for Profit in pursuit of profitable business. You will even explore the impact and power of the dreaded price increase – the most powerful Tool for Profit!

Strategy.  Leadership Behavior.  Results.  The three need to mesh for good things to happen in any business, including your own. The data, decisions, and processes that result in a game plan to improve business results all reside in parallel universes—one analytical and one interpersonal.  The analytical side of business is easy; it doesn’t talk back!  The tricky part is capitalizing on the opportunities while at the same time managing the interpersonal dynamics and the inherent conflicts that arise from competing points of view.  The Nimble Leader eBook Series melds strategy, leadership behavior, and results in ways that help leaders lead and equips them to better negotiate a dynamic and turbulent marketplace. Throughout this six-volume set, you will explore key concepts that have proven to be practical, useful, and applicable to achieving sustained improvement in business performance over the long run.  Nimble Leader focuses on the critical few concepts that are essential to business success.  If you are able to truly understand and apply the critical few, you are in a much better position to manage the urgent many . . . when the bullets start to fly! 

Throughout Nimble Leader (six volume series), we explore key concepts that have proven to be practical, useful, and applicable to achieving sustained improvement in business performance over the long term. In Volume VI: Results Matter!, you will shift your attention from theory to application. As Winston Churchill said, "It is no use saying, 'We are doing our best.' You have to succeed in doing what is necessary." Like waves lapping the shoreline, certain activities will generate Operating Profit and Cash-flow, only to recede with the need for new waves to take their place. Short-term, you might generate profit and CASH through actions in the areas of Cost reduction and Working Capital management. Mid-term, you might generate profit and CASH through growing Volume and the judicious use of the Price increase. Long-term, you need to infuse the market with new products that ultimately alter product and service Mix, replenishing the streams of Operating Profit and Cash-flow at higher margin. When you think about managing your business to higher more profitable ground, the process can be messy and the outcome uncertain. However, if you fail to take risk, you run the risk of missing out on significant opportunities that might add to your bottom line. Understanding the Tools for Profit and the relationships between Market Position, Price, Volume, Mix, Cost and Working Capital management is not the same as applying the Tools for Profit. Understanding the Tools for Profit implies the skill to take action. Applying the Tools for Profit implies the will to take action. In reading Volume VI of Nimble Leader, you will learn specific steps and explore different examples that will assist you in applying the Tools for Profit to improve your business performance!

Throughout Nimble Leader (six volume series), we explore key concepts that have proven to be practical, useful, and applicable to achieving sustained improvement in business performance over the long term. In Volume III: Position Your Business, you will harness the power of alternative perspectives. Market Position and positioning your business is everything! Do it well, and like a tree planted by still waters, your business will grow, flourish, and expand at a dramatic rate. You will reap significant rewards in customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, first-to-market innovation, strong brand identity, and a vibrant organizational climate as happy employees – who can hardly wait to get to work because they are involved in something bigger than themselves – serve the needs of customers who would be at a loss without the products and services offered by your company. In reading Volume III of Nimble Leader, you will explore both a roadmap and a process to help mark your way as you position your business. You will move from theory to application. You will learn how to deconstruct closely held perspectives; uncover the value of different points of view; and then use this understanding of value to build a robust Statement of Market Position – the signature identity for your business in a crowded and noisy marketplace. Importantly, you will link what your business stands for in the minds of your customers to what they are willing to pay for your company's products and services. The CASH transaction is the great clarifier. Customers will only execute the sale if they believe what they are getting is of greater value than what they are giving up – namely CASH. Volume III of Nimble Leader makes this critical connection.