Resources for you
Use these observations, insights, and ideas to kick-start and enrich your Powerful Strategic Conversation
Blog posts
Self-inflicted strategy dilemmas
Strategy is the first and most important responsibility of business leaders. But although it’s a big deal in most companies of any size, it’s a major weakness in many of them and they get less from it than they think. Research by McKinsey & Co. has shown...
Strategy reset: what it means, why it matters and why you should about it right now
One question I'm constantly asked, by both consulting clients and business school classes, is, "When should you review and possibly change your strategy?" A second question—one that's almost never asked—is just as important: When should you rethink the way you make...
What your company must excel at
My motto is, "If you don't make a difference, you don't matter." Business competitiveness is all about making a difference. So key questions in strategy are: "What is our difference?" "Why does it matter?" and "How will we deliver?" Any firm wanting to be successful...
When managers doubt strategy
Strategic planning has a long history—and a dismal track record. Just about every company does it, obviously because they think it's important, yet it's value is highly questionable. Ask almost any senior manager, "Is planning important to your company?" and you'll...
Winning in emerging markets
When developed economies slumped as a result of the financial meltdown which began in 2007, companies everywhere scrambled frantically to find new markets for their goods and services. Overnight, "emerging" markets (developing nations) became everyone's target. By the...
Disruptive strategy needs a rethink
Disruption must surely be the hottest strategy concept of the past decade. But it is less of a breakthrough than it's made out to be. And it may unnecessarily impede your strategic thinking. The idea grew out of a study by Joseph Bower and Clayton Christensen, both...
Downloadable content
Feel free to use my insights in the content below to kick-start your own Powerful Strategic Conversations. Click on each link to view, print or download the article as a PDF.
COLLECTIONS
The Management Challenge: South Africa in the new World
A selection of articles by Tony Manning (1998)
- Radical Strategy™: The meta principles
- SA faces new wave of hostile competition
- Why SA’s exports don’t take off
- Beating the business blues
- Cost-cutting alone is not a winning strategy
- Growth in tough times
- Radical Strategy™: The new marketing mantra
- Crafting the corporate conversation
- Customer service by design
- Customer service by dictate
- Strategic planning makes a comeback
- Questions of strategy
Thoughts on Strategy
A selection of articles by Tony Manning (2000)
- Managers need a new approach to strategy
- New wave of innovations ahead
- Leaders must lead
- Fast strategy needed for times of rapid change
- Technology can’t take the place of the human touch
- Great brands begin with business basics
- Questions of strategy
- Strategic Conversation: No.1 management tool for the new century
ARTICLES
- What if this downturn lasts longer than you expect (202 KB) For all the signs of “green shoots” in the global economy, there are many signs that the future will be tougher than most people think.
- While SA melts down no-business activities flourish (69 KB)
- Brace for really really tough times (75KB)
- Managing in wild times (750 KB)
- SA business should prepare for a shock (73 KB)
- Will Obama deliver the miracles the world hopes for? (40 KB) Expectations of the new US president are sky-high. the challenges are enormous.
- When infrastructure spend comes to an end. (65 KB) Economic optimists believe South Africa’s growth will remain strong because of massive infrastructural spend. but are they right? And what if they’re wrong?
- Managing in wild times (104 KB) After misreading the speed and severity of the global economic downturn, executives now need to take steps to get their businesses back on track … and build new competitiveness for the future.
- 2010 clock is ticking (678 KB)
- Would you buy from your company (650 KB)
- In the age of hope and fear (207 KB) This article was published in April 2006 – long before the current global economic crisis erupted. if you didn’t read it then, read it now!
- The strategy classroom (214 KB)
- Taking the road less travelled (17 KB)
- Beware the theory trap (210 KB)
- Interview with Theodore Levitt, legendary Harvard marketing guru (851 KB) Early in 1990, I spent a fascinating day at the Harvard Business School with professor Ted Levitt, one of the most influential marketing experts of all time. He has just passed away, so my interview with him is republished as a tribute to a great thinker and teacher, and a wonderful soul.
- Rainbow nation in black and white – Tony Manning interview(2,066 KB)
- The strategic challenge for advertising agencies (185 KB)
- The most important thing you can do on Monday morning – Oct 2005 (174 KB)
- Needed a common sense approach to strategy – Aug 2005(505 KB)
- Kill the S-word before it kills you – Nov 2005 (173 KB)
- Emerging markets everywhere – Sept 2005 (175 KB)
- Branding is not a strategy – Oct 2005 (179 KB)
- Discover the real potential in people (199 KB)
- What managers really need to know (208 KB)
- So what is your difference (209 KB) Are you losing pricing power, like so many other companies? Here are some ways to fight the problem and pump up your profits.
- What if unemployment cannot be fixed – Sept 2004 (210 KB)
- Take charge and stay loose (213 KB)
- Where are the managers ? (17 KB)
- Value plans beat balanced scorecards (198 KB)
- The virtuous cycle of strategic leadership (199 KB)
- The leadership conversation we need (201 KB)
- Ten dangerous trends (239 KB)
- Seize the high ground with a “snotklap” (199 KB)
- Interview with Professor Pankaj Ghemawat at the Harvard Business School (826 KB)
- Organisations must focus inside to make BEE work (198 KB)
- One question can change everything (198 KB)
- Framing the future (18 KB)
- Interview with Professor Edgar Schein, MIT’s corporate culture guru (216 KB)
- Don’t compete against yourself (37 KB)
- What value management means (1,627 KB)
- Put competitiveness at the top (63 KB)
- Tony Manning – Building a results machine – MCE (690 KB)
- Boom time for HR (226 KB)
- SA Alive with challenges (191 KB)
- Calm down and hurry up (1,078 KB)
- Can we really beat the jobs crisis (286 KB)
- Create a ValuePlan for growth (27 KB)
- How to be a killer competitor (1,135 KB)
- Creative Directors shold focus on their own (287 KB)
- Make strategic planning work (1,293 KB)
- Management toolkit for tomorrow (482 KB)
- The new bosses (362 KB)
- Wake-up call for world class wannabees (56 KB)
- Fighting fit for the future (23 KB)
- Good times are as close as you make them (23 KB)
- Improvement and innovation – the virtuous cycle (22 KB)
- Make simplicity your strategic edge (29 KB)
- Making your strategy work (27 KB)
- Paralysis is not a strategy (24 KB)
- Selling your strategy (21 KB)
- Strategy take-off plan (26 KB)
- Success begins with a cool head and comon sense (26 KB)
- Taking the mystery out of leadership (41 KB)
- Get back to basics (80 KB)
- Don’t do away with non-executive directors (139 KB)
- Tony Manning’s 10 principles of strategy (477 KB)
- A journey in courage (705 KB)
- Possibilities for tomorrow’s professionals (134 KB)
- The importance of “Plan B” (137 KB)
- The wisdom of Welch (146 KB)
- Management talent will make the difference in Africa (109 KB)
- Bringing the best practices to African management (111 KB)
- The No. 1 management tool (12 KB)
- Simple strategy could make S.A. great (12 KB)
- Keynote address to NOSA 50th Anniversary Congress (21 KB)
- Does your business logic add up? (11 KB)
- Faced with a new competitive challenge (12 KB)
- In strategy, questions matter (12 KB)
- Innovate or die (19 KB)
- The challenge of turning promises into reality (14 KB)
- The Management Crisis (11 KB)
- Unpredictable times demand short-term strategy (11 KB)
- Are we watching the real risks? (10 KB)
- In the new century, strategic conversation is the No. 1 weapon (131 KB)
- The big conversations (309 KB)
- Fine-tune your strategic conversation (117 KB)
- Cooking up a brand Strategy (1,153 KB)