Key Management Questions

Book excerpt: Behind every great executive decision lies a smart question. Ask yourself this . Faced with a new budget or strategic choice, a potential employee or a client negotiation, a bright idea or an intractable problem, what questions do you need to ask? To test the projections, tackle the cause of problems, to make the right decision - the answer is simple. Ask the right question. Managers are all too often expected to lead with answers; to approach any situation armed with a company procedure or an off-the-shelf solution, but in an uncertain world, the right question is worth a world of standard answers. Asking the right question is the first step to understanding a business situation, and the first step to finding the right answer. Key Management Questions is your practical guide to intelligent management analysis and inquiry. It sets out searching questions to ask of your business, your colleagues and yourself - from shaping strategies to persuading people - and tells you where to find many of the answers. With this book you can make who, what, where, how andwhy your most effective business tools. In this practical guide Tom Lambert will help you to ask smarter business questions, of yourself, your business, your colleagues and your business partners, and across a full range of business challenges. Who are our most profitable customers? Who are our weakest competitors? What kind of managers do we need? Is this choice the best use of our resources? How long is the payback period? Discover the art of good questioning, and learn smart questions to ask about: Vision and mission People, purpose and performance Collaboration and culture Strategy and leadership Solving business problems Making business choices Finance and business performance Markets, selling and marketing Influence and persuasion Technology and e-business Change and transformation Learning and development Choosing and using consultantsThe answers that you find will take you closer to the real drivers of your business.