Start with What Works

Description

‘Rather than waiting for a magic bullet, make your organisation better, starting today. Andy helps you see the resources and talents you have already, but just haven’t got around to using properly or fully enough. Even better, the process creates engagement and excitement among employees, because the process honours their expertise and abilities.’
Rooney Anand, former CEO of Greene King Plc; Senior Independent Director, Morrisons plc

‘Leaders don’t always realise how much untapped potential, strength and opportunity their organisation has. We’ve had great results from starting with what was already working. Andy’s book will get you to see your business in a new light so that you can do that too.’
Matthew Crummack, Group CEO, GoCo Group plc (GoCompare)

Start With What Works shows you a faster way to grow your business by using the resources, people and customers you already have at hand.

When trying to grow, managers often look outside the organisation for something new. This can create complexity and confusion, and demotivate the people who are in the business already. With practical tools and templates and a variety of new mindsets to adopt from real-life examples,you’ll discover ten principles you need to:

• Understand why it’s often quicker, cheaper and safer to look more closely at what you have already

• Create growth using existing resources before making risky new investments

• Recognise overlooked assets and activate their potential to accelerate your business

Don’t start over, start with what works.

Start with What Works helps you to create new growth opportunities using the resources you already have at hand. It sounds obvious but frequently, managers discount the value of their familiar resources, and instead, they look outside for something new. This can demotivate employees and be costly in terms of money and time.

It’s often a lot quicker, cheaper and safer to see your existing resources with fresh eyes. This book shows you how to recognise overlooked potential in existing resources, and how to flip the right switches to activate that potential.

Covering ten lessons you can use for a variety of situations, each will feature a case study and a new mindset to adopt. With practical tools and templates, each will trigger fruitful discussions and insights for your organisation.

You’ll learn how to apply them to the situations you face, so that you can identify new opportunities, and turn those opportunities into action.

Table of Contents
1. The Seductive idea of a Saviour
2. Why We Undervalue What We Already Have
3. How to Start with What You Have
4. Lesson One: Recombine existing elements so they create more value
5. Lesson Two: Let the world teach you
6. Lesson Three: Attend to what actually happens
7. Lesson Four: Discover the few things that really make the difference
8. Lesson Five: Leave the moonshots for later: just getting into orbit can be transformational
9. Lesson Six: Use very plain words to describe what you want
10. Lesson Seven: Bring customers inside
11. Lesson Eight: Take charge of stories about ‘Them and Us’
12. Lesson Nine: Don’t drive change: Release it

Andy Bass PhD helps leaders do better and faster work with resources they have already. He has been a consultant for over a decade and has worked internationally with some of the world’s top businesses including Deutsche Bank, Aon, L’Oreal and KPMG. He has also worked with leading business schools and associations, including Warwick, Aston and Strathclyde, and has a central position in the Aston Business School alumni association.

Start with What Works helps you to create and lead new growth opportunities for your business using the resources you already have at hand. You’ll find out how to use the people, customers, relationships, intellectual property and know-how you have first, before making expensive and potentially risky investments.

Additional information