What You’ll Learn

Strategic initiatives are the key projects and programs that will transform your company from what it is now into what it needs to be. But choosing the right strategic initiatives and running them effectively can be a serious challenge for new managers and seasoned leaders alike.

It begins with deciding which initiatives to pursue among many worthy possibilities. Then you have to navigate the politics of approvals and allocating resources. Once a project is up and running, you need to keep it on track and aligned with your company’s strategy. You may have to overcome in-house resistance to keep things from backsliding—especially if your initiative brings about change for your team or the organization.

Also keep in mind that no initiative exists in isolation. It’s not enough just to manage each project the right way; you need to know how to oversee multiple initiatives and to understand how all of your company’s initiatives are working together to move your strategy forward.

Whether you’re pitching your first signature project or overseeing an established portfolio of initiatives, this book will provide you with the tools, tips, and advice you need to run them effectively, whether within your team or across the company. You’ll learn how to:

• Win—and keep—support for your new idea
• Move rapidly from approval to implementation
• Assemble transformative, high-performing initiative teams
• Stay on schedule and within budget
• Avoid losing momentum once you’re up and running
• Maintain the confidence of your project’s sponsors and stakeholders
• Avoid initiative overload by killing programs that aren’t meeting business needs
• Manage multiple initiatives as a portfolio, and keep them all aligned with your company’s strategy