AMA Business Boot Camp

Professionals today, whether they are new or seasoned, need a solid foundation of essential skills in order to keep pace with the speed of change. The American Management Association, the preeminent provider of business education worldwide, trains the majority of the Fortune 500 companies in competitive business skills. Now, for the first time, AMA has assembled the most critical, “must-have” skills for managers and leaders in one handy volume. AMA Business Boot Camp paves the way for readers to:

• Motivate, increase morale, and enhance productivity

• Manage organizational change

• Improve their ability to communicate and influence others

• Screen, evaluate, and select corporate strategies

• Conduct effective performance reviews

• Protect themselves against the pitfalls of intra-organizational politics

• And much more

Covering everything from management and leadership to project management and strategy, this one-of-kind reference serves as a crash course in the fundamentals required for lasting success.

Tracing its roots back to 1913, the American Management Association has provided thousands of companies with the training their people need. From small shops to most of the Fortune 500 firms, the AMA supplies a wide range of competitive business skills—everything from management and leadership to project management and strategy. In order to keep pace and survive in today’s workplace, you need to manage effectively, think critically, solve problems, innovate, collaborate, and communicate more powerfully at every level within your organization...in short, to master the essential competencies that make up AMA’s curriculum.

Based on the collective wisdom of the world’s preeminent corporate training organization, AMA Business Boot Camp assembles the most critical, “must-have” proficiencies you need to meet all business challenges head-on. This authortative guidebook serves as a comprehensive introduction or refresher to the wide variety of capabilities displayed by the most exceptional managers and leaders. From motivational techniques to strategic thinking, communication to hiring and firing, this book covers the core business fundamentals you must develop to thrive in any organization, including:

Critical thinking and problem-solving skills vital to your ability to make decisions and take action as appropriate.

Methods of effective communication that will allow you to synthesize and transmit your ideas, both in written and oral formats.

Collaboration and team-building strategies that enable you to work effectively with others, including those from diverse groups and with opposing points of view.

Creativity and innovation techniques that will help you “see what’s not there” and make great things happen.

When you have the proper leadership and management training, the sky is the limit for you and your company. By acquiring the critical abilities you need to thrive in any workplace setting, you enable yourself to lead successful teams, achieve astounding success with every project, have a positive effect on colleagues above and below you, and enhance the productivity and value of your organization.

Collecting in one handy volume the most powerful wisdom offered by the most respected provider of leadership education for the past century, AMA Business Boot Camp provides you with a clear path that will take you to new heights of career success.

EDWARD T. REILLY is the President and Chief Executive Officer of American Management Association, International. Prior to joining AMA, he was President and CEO of Big Flower Holdings, Inc. (now Vertis, Inc.), a leading provider of integrated marketing and advertising services. Previously, he spent over 25 years with the broadcast and book publishing groups of The McGraw-Hill Companies, where he ultimately served as President of The McGraw-Hill Broadcasting Company.

The preeminent provider of business education worldwide, the American Management Association trains over 100,000 managers and executives a year through its renowned management education seminar programs and conferences. Now, for the first time, the fundamental skills taught by this elite leadership and management institution have been collected in one easy-to-digest volume.

Giving you an overview of exactly what the AMA considers to be the most important and powerful competencies for today’s serious business professional, AMA Business Boot Camp supplies you with the building blocks of knowledge you need to succeed as a manager and leader. You’ll learn how to:

communicate with purpose • motivate your people, increase morale, and enhance productivity • coach to boost performance • improve your ability to influence others • manage organizational change • plan and execute projects • think strategically • manage staff changes • conduct effective performance reviews • screen, evaluate, and select corporate strategies • understand your organization’s operational vision . . . and make that vision a reality • leverage your own leadership style • build power and influence . . . and use them wisely.

Filled with easy-to-apply techniques and tangible strategies, the book contains action tips to solidify learning, as well as valuable tools such as a coaching planning worksheet, a project management planning template, and a self-assessment to help determine your comfort level with delegation.

Throughout your career in business, you will have to navigate the waters of organizational politics. You will have to build relationships with difficult people. You will need to keep a tight focus on your mission, inspire and direct different groups of people, sell your projects to others, and come up with great ideas to save the day.

As an aspiring (or growing) manager and leader, you are the lifeblood of your organization, keeping your people focused on the activities that drive results, and forging objectives that inspire everyone around you. AMA Business Boot Camp helps you cultivate the initiative, managerial expertise, and leadership know-how that will allow you reach any desired outcome, make any vision tangible, and propel your career in the world of business into the stratosphere.