If you aren't working with a strategy, you're wasting your time. Strategy isn't just a set of plans handed down from the C-suite. To grow as a leader, you need to understand your company's strategy and align your thinking, projects, and team with organizational goals and vision. Master these abilities with the HBR Guides to Building Your Strategic Skills Collection. This three-book set, which includes the HBR Guide to Thinking Strategically, the HBR Guide to Managing Strategic Initiatives, and the HBR Guide to Setting Your Strategy, will help you change the way you think about your work, manage your most important priorities, and craft a strategy for long-term growth. You'll learn how to: Understand what strategy is--and what it isn't Define a clear strategy, whether you're in a start-up or in an established business Manage a portfolio of strategic projects Embed strategic thinking into your daily tasks and decision making Align your team around key objectives Let go of work that doesn’t add value Communicate strategy throughout your organization Arm yourself with the advice you need to succeed on the job, with the most trusted brand in business. Packed with how-to essentials from leading experts, the HBR Guides provide smart answers to your most pressing work challenges.

Set your company up for long-term success. Every company needs a strategy. A focused strategy aligns decision making throughout the organization and helps establish a competitive edge in the marketplace. But with so many options to consider, how do you define a unique strategy that will ensure growth? Whether you're starting a business from scratch or leading an existing company facing new threats, this book offers the direction you need. The HBR Guide to Setting Your Strategy provides practical tips and advice that break down the process of crafting strategy so you can identify the areas your company should build on to help it thrive long into the future. You'll learn to: Understand what strategy is—and what it isn't Define where you'll play and how you'll win Conduct more-effective strategic discussions with your team Test your strategy before you implement it Communicate your strategy to key stakeholders Ensure your strategy is flexible and adaptable Arm yourself with the advice you need to succeed on the job, with the most trusted brand in business. Packed with how-to essentials from leading experts, the HBR Guides provide smart answers to your most pressing work challenges.

This big initiative could make or break this fiscal year--or your career. Managing a successful strategic initiative may be the key to transforming your company--and propelling your career forward. Yet running a cross-functional team on a high-profile project can present a multitude of challenges and risks, causing even the most experienced manager to struggle. The HBR Guide to Managing Strategic Initiatives provides practical tips and advice to help you manage all the stages of an initiative's life cycle, from buy-in to launch to scaling up. You'll learn how to: Win--and keep--support for your new initiative Move rapidly from approval to implementation Assemble transformative, high-performing initiative teams Maintain the confidence of sponsors and stakeholders Stay on schedule and within budget Avoid initiative overload by killing projects that aren't meeting business needs Keep multiple initiatives in strategic alignment Arm yourself with the advice you need to succeed on the job, from a source you trust. Packed with how-to essentials from leading experts, the HBR Guides provide smart answers to your most pressing work challenges.

If you read nothing else on leadership, read these definitive articles from Harvard Business Review. Leadership skills are not innate--they can be acquired and honed. HBR's 10 Must Reads on Leadership 2-Volume Collection provides enduring ideas and practical advice on how to harness inspiring, transformational leadership qualities and spearhead change. Bringing together HBR's 10 Must Reads on Leadership, Vol. 1 and HBR's 10 Must Reads on Leadership, Vol. 2, this collection includes twenty articles selected by HBR's editors and features the indispensable article "What Makes an Effective Executive" by Peter F. Drucker. From timeless classics to the latest game-changing ideas from thought leaders Jim Collins, Daniel Goleman, John Kotter, and more, HBR's 10 Must Reads on Leadership 2-Volume Collection will inspire you to: Identify areas for personal growth Develop a more dynamic and sophisticated communication style Transform yourself from a problem solver to an agenda setter Embrace the challenges of adaptive work Draw strength from adversity Build trust with and among your fellow employees Inspire others to give their all HBR's 10 Must Reads paperback series is the definitive collection of books for new and experienced leaders alike. Leaders looking for the inspiration that big ideas provide, both to accelerate their own growth and that of their companies, should look no further. HBR's 10 Must Reads series focuses on the core topics that every ambitious manager needs to know: leadership, strategy, change, managing people, and managing yourself. Harvard Business Review has sorted through hundreds of articles and selected only the most essential reading on each topic. Each title includes timeless advice that will be relevant regardless of an ever‐changing business environment.

How-to guides to your most pressing work challenges. This 16-volume, specially priced boxed set makes a perfect gift for aspiring leaders looking for trusted advice on such diverse topics as data analytics, negotiating, business writing, and coaching. This set includes: Persuasive Presentations Better Business Writing Finance Basics Data Analytics Building Your Business Case Making Every Meeting Matter Project Management Emotional Intelligence Getting the Right Work Done Negotiating Leading Teams Coaching Employees Performance Management Delivering Effective Feedback Dealing with Conflict Managing Up and Across Arm yourself with the advice you need to succeed on the job, with the most trusted brand in business. Packed with how-to essentials from leading experts, the HBR Guides provide smart answers to your most pressing work challenges.

Bring strategy into your daily work. It's your responsibility as a manager to ensure that your work--and the work of your team--aligns with the overarching objectives of your organization. But when you're faced with competing projects and limited time, it's difficult to keep strategy front of mind. How do you keep your eye on the long term amid a sea of short-term demands? The HBR Guide to Thinking Strategically provides practical advice and tips to help you see the big-picture perspective in every aspect of your daily work, from making decisions to setting team priorities to attacking your own to-do list. You'll learn how to: Understand your organization's strategy Align your team around key objectives Focus on the priorities that matter most Spot trends in your company and in your industry Consider future outcomes when making decisions Manage trade-offs Embrace a leadership mindset

Don't wait for someone else to manage your career. Career paths are far from straightforward. HBR Guides to Managing Your Career Collection offers the ideas and strategies to help you take charge of your career and reach your highest potential--both in and outside of work. Included in this six-book set are HBR Guide to Your Professional Growth, HBR Guide to Work-Life Balance, HBR Guide to Getting the Mentoring You Need, HBR Guide to Managing Up and Across, HBR Guide to Office Politics, and HBR Guide to Changing Your Career. You'll learn how to: Clarify your professional passions Think strategically about career changes Recognize when it's time for a new challenge Find the right mentors to help you grow and move ahead Set boundaries and manage your time Deal with difficult managersNavigate your work culture and its politics The workplace is a complex arena to navigate, yet with advice from HBR's experts, you will be able to surpass any professional obstacle. No matter where you are in your career, the HBR Guides to Managing Your Career Collection will help you plan your next steps and push yourself forward to the next level.

If you manage a team, you need to be able to measure and manage their performance. From establishing a performance review cycle and building toward your year-end assessment, to providing individual feedback and coaching and establishing group cohesion and accountability, this collection teaches you the skills you need to inspire your team to greater success. This specially priced four-volume set includes books from the HBR Guide series on the topics of Performance Management, Coaching Employees, Delivering Effective Feedback, and Leading Teams. You'll learn how to: Set--and adapt--employee and team goals Assess performance fairly Coach your employees through tough situations React calmly if someone gets defensive when you deliver feedback Create plans for individual development Rethink how you use performance ratings Avoid burnout on your team Foster group camaraderie and cooperation Hold your team accountable Arm yourself with the advice you need to succeed on the job, with the most trusted brand in business. Packed with how-to essentials from leading experts, the HBR Guides provide smart answers to your most pressing work challenges.

"You've got a great idea that will increase revenue or productivity--but how do you get approval to make it happen? By building a business case that clearly shows its value. Maybe you struggle to win support for projects because you're not sure what kind of data your stakeholders will trust, or naysayers always seem to shoot your ideas down at the last minute. Or perhaps you're intimidated by analysis and number crunching, so you just take a stab at estimating costs and benefits, with little confidence in your accuracy. To get any idea off the ground at your company you'll have to make a strong case for it. This guide gives you the tools to do that"--

IS YOUR WORKLOAD SLOWING YOU—AND YOUR CAREER—DOWN? Your inbox is overflowing. You’re paralyzed because you have too much to do but don’t know where to start. Your to-do list never seems to get any shorter. You leave work exhausted but have little to show for it. It’s time to learn how to get the right work done. In the HBR Guide to Getting the Right Work Done, you’ll discover how to focus your time and energy where they will yield the greatest reward. Not only will you end each day knowing you made progress—your improved productivity will also set you apart from the pack. Whether you’re a new professional or an experienced one, this guide will help you: Prioritize and stay focused Work less but accomplish more Stop bad habits and develop good ones Break overwhelming projects into manageable pieces Conquer e-mail overload Write to-do lists that really work