Leadership in the era of Economic Uncertainty:The new rules for getting the right things done in difficult times, Book review, Johnson Thomas

Book Review
Johnson Thomas
Book Title: Leadership in the era of Economic uncertainty
Sub-Title: The New Rules for Getting the Right Things Done in Difficult Times
Author: Ram Charan
Hardcover Edition, 139 pages, Rs.375/-
Publisher: Tata McGraw-Hill
www.tatamcgrawhill.com

We are well into the downturn, Organisations are combating the steep recession by gifting their employees with pink slips, some even asking them to take a voluntary cut in their pay cheques while others are shutting down non-performing subsidiaries, there are even others declaring bankruptcy and getting taken over for a pittance by some proficient players in the market. Cash and credit are dwindling, sales forecasts are dismal, the job pool is shrinking and morale is sinking. For business leaders it has become a challenge to stay afloat and fight the beast of recession without losing out on core competencies and profiteering. This is not a time to reflect or back out from the fight. It’s a time to act, decide and energise the workforce with urgency and shrewd leadership. During this time of grave uncertainty, others are looking to you for strength and guidance. Are you up to it? is the question!

Ram Charan, world renowned adviser to business leaders and corporate boards, best-selling author and award winning teacher, known for his insights into business problems and real-world practicality in solving them, is out with his quick-fix mantras for corporate leadership in crisis. His book ,’Leadership in the era of economic uncertainty: New Rules for getting the right things done in difficult time’ is timely and opportune. Ram Charan is the author/co-author of nearly fifteen books including ‘Boards that Deliver:Execution’ written with former Honewell CEO, Larry Bossidy was on the New York Times bestseller list for nearly three years and has almost two million copies in print. Ram’s books have an interactive style, his approach is real-world and practical and his lessons are worth paying heed to. In this concise and easy to practice guide, Ram helps you steer your business through the quagmire of contracting markets, cash shortages and ongoing uncertainty. Ram’s insights have depth and knowledge behind it, they are essentials for every business in these sink or swim climes. Provided you practice them, they will ensure that your business emerges much fitter and stronger than the rest of the competition. His mantras are not something that learned businessmen are unaware of, they are sensible practices that should be practiced at all times to ensure strength and invincibility of the business. Ram points out the necessity for cash flow to be vigilantly protected, cash must be used much more efficiently, he opines. He wants business leaders to use ground intelligence, develop better understanding of customers, reevaluate pricing strategy and use cost cutting strategically to survive the storm and position their business to thrive in the aftermath. He makes great use of examples and case studies to illustrate learnings of how leaders at DuPont, Hanesbrands, Wipro and other companies which used his techniques to great and profitable effect. The language is simple enough, business leaders of all shapes and stature are likely to understand and want to implement these resoundingly successful techniques. Read the book and you are sure to know what is to be done to get your company out of the red and into the green! It’s like telling someone overweight that they need to watch their diet and exercise to become leaner and fitter and more appealing. It’s definitely not something that goes down well with most people though. If you are intelligent enough, you will sift through the defensiveness and reach out to the deeper meaning of Ram’s truths. The choice is yours!

Johnson Thomas
Johnsont307@gmail.com