Brian Tracy knows what he is talking about when it comes to management. He served as chief operating officer of a development company with $265 million in assets and $75 million in annual sales. He has an MBA and has had successful careers in sales, marketing, advertising and management consulting for a broad spectrum of industries. As a consultant, he has trained key executives of more than 200 corporations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Far East and Europe. He is now president of the Institute for Executive Development with offices in San Diego.
The Effective Manager Seminar Series - a library of self-contained modules in video, audio and print - is perhaps his most ambitious project. Each seminar represents more than 100 hours of study and review, condensed to one hour of practical ideas you can start using immediately. Two years in the making, this comprehensive library as a whole is a pragmatic, mini version of studies required for an MBA. It can help you and your people reduce costs, boost sales and increase profits faster than you ever thought possible - and in an easy, enjoyable learning format.
How to develop a clear sense of direction, select your driving force, create individual and team action plans. Key military concepts applied to strategy. The importance of concentration of power. Choosing your competitors. Strategic business units. Strategies for high profitability. Standards of quality and service for achieving superior results.
How to become a better leader. The importance of vision and determining your mission. The need for action orientation. Courage, the vital factor. Strategy and tactics. Inspiring others and gaining followers. The transformational leader. Self-esteem. Listening. Integrity.
How to achieve superior results with and through others. The keys to effectiveness: determining critical result areas, setting measurable standards for performance, leading, communicating, team-building, delegating, motivating, negotiating, hiring, firing, conducting meetings, making decisions, and solving problems.
How to select the best person for the job. The job description - thinking it through. Finding and interviewing candidates. The Law of Three. Past performance - your best indicator. Resumes and references. The "self-selection" model. Starting them off right. Problem employees and reasons for failure. Zero-based thinking. When firing is inevitable, how to do it with minimum stress for both parties. Severance. The "Zen" of hiring and firing.
A key step to multiplying output. Matching skills to job requirements. How to define work, assign it, set standards for performance and follow through. How to monitor, control and keep on top of projects with a minimum of effort. Management by objectives, by exception. Giving and getting feedback. Reallocating workloads.
Twenty-one ways to elicit extraordinary performance from people. How to build self-esteem, improve self-image, build effective teams, increase productivity and profit. Time-tested techniques for getting the best out of others under all conditions.
Productive meetings are essential for the effective executive. Learn how to conduct and participate in result-oriented business meetings that stay on track and contribute real value to your organization. Ideas on format, layout, agenda, attendance, location, structure and timing.
Preparation. Developing power and influence. Finding win-win solutions. Using emotion to persuade. Determining minimum and maximum positions. Developing options. Testing assumptions that block progress. The Law of Four. Using the power of suggestion. Choosing location and layout. Positioning, Negotiating price, terms, conditions. The walkaway method. The Harvard Negotiation Project. Leaving the door open.
How to get more done faster than ever before. Tested time-savers to increase your effectiveness and output - save two valuable hours per day. How to set goals, make plans, determine priorities, organize your time, manage by objectives and pinpoint key result areas. Techniques for concentrating your powers, overcoming procrastination, controlling major time wasters, delegating, batching tasks, getting the right things done right.
Achieving maximum profitability in competetive markets. How to define purpose, positions and product uniqueness. Market analysis. Why people buy your product or service. What is your competetive advantage? The marketing plan. Winning strategies and tactics. Finding your market niche. Proven growth strategies. New ways to market, sell, distribute your product or service.
How to increase sales quickly. New Model of selling: attitude and motivation, personal management, product analysis, competetive analysis. Setting sales strategy, prospecting, selling to businesses and consumers, qualifying, presenting, persuading, overcoming objections, closing and following up. More than 100 ideas to sell more effectively.
Becoming adept at solving problems, innovating and using creative-thinking techniques. What geniuses do. Two types of thinking. New profit-making ideas and how to generate them. Sources of innovation. Evaluating ideas. Lateral thinking for creative breakthroughs - and more.
Recruiting, training, managing and motivating a superior sales force. How to interview and select the best candidates, set sales goals and standards, organize company training and personal development programs. How to monitor, control, get commitment, give feedback, boost morale. Managing by objectives, by goals, by responsibility. Building a winning sales team.
How to put your career on the fast track and move into the top 20 percent. The importance of attitude, setting goals. The need for courage, boldness, integrity. Your area of excellence - what is it? Developing the two most respected qualities. Communication skills. Your reference group. Self-improvement, including dress, manners, impressions. Mentors, and how to find them. Ideas to save you years in moving ahead.