Must-Win Battles: Creating the focus you need to achieve your key business goals

Must-Win Battles shows in a step-by-step way, how to identify the key goals that need achieving and how to win emotional and intellectual buy-in from the employees who make it all happen. By focusing on the right key short-term efforts you attain the twin benefits of delivering in the here-and-now, and making progress toward larger strategic goals.

Businesses around the world are struggling for growth and profitability in today's fast-changing world. Those that achieve standout success are characterized by clear vision, focused execution, and commitment by people to doing what counts. But for the 99% of businesses that lack many of these attributes, how do they go about getting them? Should they turn to another management fad? Probably not. Senior managers are now sceptical in the face of "initiative overload". Instead they are looking for inspiration among real-world companies and real leaders. Based on a successful executive programme at IMD, one of the world's foremost executive education institutions and has been tested at some of the world's best-known companies, with intimate and compelling case studies running throughout, Must Win-Battles offers the inspiration and advice that many are looking for.

"Enlightening and thought provoking in an era of cluttered agendas. Must Win Battles sets a clear path for leaders to focus their team's head, heart, and hands. 

Michael D. White, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, PepsiCo International

New York

“Moving a company to the next level requires confronting the right challenges, and Peter Killing, Thomas Malnight, and Tracey Keys show how to pick your battles and then how to win them.  Their Must-Win Battles provides a practical playbook for unleashing and aligning the intellectual and emotional energies essential for any business triumph.”

 Michael Useem, Director-Center for Leadership and Change Management, The Wharton School and author of The Leadership Moment

 "In "Must Win Battles" Peter Killing and Thomas Malnight have distilled their richly varied experiences drawn from many organizations over many years.  Together they have created a practical handbook for all managers who are interested in re-energizing and improving their business performance.  Must Win Battles is easy to read and brimful with practical advise; well worth a few hours of your time".   Iain Ferguson CBE , Chief Executive , Tate & Lyle PLC. Named European Businessman of the Year by Forbes Magazine, 2005

 “Working with must-win battles has fundamentally changed our approach to where we seek growth in the market and the way we engage our people in realizing these goals. Must-win battles are the glue that ties the business together globally, that everyone understands and can contribute to.  The process clarifies for everyone the long-term vision and business direction, where to allocate resources and why it is important to get aligned.”   Diego Bevilacqua, President, Global Business: Foodsolutions, Unilever

“Every executive knows that there are certain battles that must be won for the business tobe successful.  This great new book provides a real-world, step-by-step approach to choosing the right battles in a way that helps unleash the organizational will to achieve them.  Must Win Battles is a wonderful contribution to the art and science of management!  So much so that it’s inspired me to launch my own MWB journey.”  Bob Rieder, President & CEO Cardiome Pharma Corp.

Peter Killing and Tom Malnight are Professors of Strategy at IMD. The ideas in this book come directly from their extensive work with management teams across many countries, and in both large and small organizations, who are creating winning strategies using the must-win battle concepts.  From these experiences it is abundantly clear that the "intellectual" approach to strategy is not enough. What Peter, Tom and the managers highlighted in this book believe is that "strategic priorities with heart" will win the day.

At IMD Peter runs company-specific programs for companies such as Nestlé, BMW, PepsiCo International, Scottish & Newcastle, Tetra Laval and Tate & Lyle. Tom’s experience includes work with companies including Unilever, A.P. Moller - Maersk Group, Masterfoods, Firmenich, Carlsberg and Adecco. He also directs IMD's Booster program, an intensive program focusing on accelerating project and team development, while Peter runs the Breakthrough Program for Senior Executives and Mastering New Challenges, a program for managers about to take on new responsibilities.

Both Tom and Peter have written widely on the topics of strategy, change and leadership, in publications ranging from the Harvard Business Review to the Academyof Management Journal. Peter is a co-author of a strategy text, Strategic Analysis and Action, which is currently in its sixth edition.

Tom has a DBA from the HarvardBusinessSchooland was on the faculty of The Wharton School for seven years before joining IMD.  Before his doctorate, he spent ten years with Mitsubishi International Corporation, including two years in Japan.  Peter holds a PhD from the IveyBusinessSchoolin Canada, where he taught for twenty years and was Associate Dean of Executive Education at the time he came to IMD.

Tracey Keys  has twenty years of experience as a consultant and manager, focused on complex strategy and organisational issues.   She has worked with companies in the media, consumer goods, finance and new media sectors across Europe, the USand Africa.  Previously, Tracey has held senior roles at the BBC, where she was Head of Corporate Planning, Booz ½Allen ½Hamilton, and Deloitte & Touche/ Braxton Associates.  She has also been an active advisor to start-ups, several of which have been launched successfully in the technology, publishing, wine and consulting fields.  Tracey is a Fulbright Scholar and holds an MBA from The Wharton School where she was distinguished as a Palmer Scholar.