Time, Talent, Energy - by Michael C Mankins & Eric Garton (Hardcover)

About the Book

Business leaders know that the key to competitive success is smart management of scarce resources. That's why companies allocate their financial capital so carefully. But capital today is cheap and abundant, no longer a source of advantage. The truly scarce resources now are the time, the talent, and the energy of the people in your organization--resources that are too often squandered. There's plenty of advice about how to manage them, but most of it focuses on individual actions. What's really needed are organizational solutions that can unleash a company's full productive power and enable it to outpace competitors. Building off of the popular Harvard Business Review article, "Your Scarcest Resource," Michael Mankins and Eric Garton, Bain & Company experts in organizational design and effectiveness, present new research into how you can liberate people's time, talent, and energy and unleash your organization's productive power. They identify the specific causes of organizational drag--the collection of institutional factors that slow things down, decrease output, and drain people's energy--and then offer a simple framework for how managers can overcome it. With practical advice for using the framework and in-depth examples showing how the best companies manage their people's time, talent, and energy with as much discipline as they do their financial capital, this book shows managers how to create a virtuous circle of high performance.--

Book Synopsis

Managing Your Scarcest Resources

Business leaders know that the key to competitive success is smart management of scarce resources. That's why companies allocate their financial capital so carefully. But capital today is cheap and abundant, no longer a source of advantage. The truly scarce resources now are the time, the talent, and the energy of the people in your organization--resources that are too often squandered. There's plenty of advice about how to manage them, but most of it focuses on individual actions. What's really needed are organizational solutions that can unleash a company's full productive power and enable it to outpace competitors.

Building off of the popular Harvard Business Review article "Your Scarcest Resource," Michael Mankins and Eric Garton, Bain & Company experts in organizational design and effectiveness, present new research into how you can liberate people's time, talent, and energy and unleash your organization's productive power. They identify the specific causes of organizational drag--the collection of institutional factors that slow things down, decrease output, and drain people's energy--and then offer a pragmatic framework for how managers can overcome it. With practical advice for using the framework and in-depth examples of how the best companies manage their people's time, talent, and energy with as much discipline as they do their financial capital, this book shows managers how to create a virtuous circle of high performance.

Review Quotes

"Employees spend too much time on useless meetings, emails and alerts. It kills organizations from within, and allows top talent to search for fresh pastures. Now they have done it again. Harvard Business Review Press and the consultants from Bain & Company have come up with an excellent book.... that rises far above the others." -- Borsen

"Most businesses get caught up in details that are important but not essential. That's where the book comes in. It helps leaders optimize their businesses at the most fundamental level." -- Small Business Trends (smallbiztrends.com)

"Time, Talent, Energy hammers home the link between making better use of the hours at work and the Holy Grail of productivity. Mankins and Garton [point out] that time is just one component of human capital. Companies that effectively manage not just time but also their talent find themselves with the additional energy that is a crucial differentiator between them and their competitors... Quite simply, companies with inspired employees perform better than the rest." -- Forbes.com

ADVANCE PRAISE for Time, Talent, Energy:

Mark Fields, President and CEO, Ford Motor Company--
"We were all taught in business school that disciplined management of financial capital is critical to business success. Mankins and Garton uncover the new key to competitive advantage--disciplined management of human capital--and outline the steps leaders can take to harness the productive power of their people."

Peter Coleman, CEO, Woodside Petroleum--
"An absorbing read that outlines the synergies between the organizational elements of time, talent, and energy and how to best harness those components. A persuasive guide for any leader to follow in their quest to drive their organization to longevity and success."

Irene Rosenfeld, Chairman and CEO, Mondelez International--
"The idea of allocating human capital as rigorously as financial capital is a really powerful one. This book brings that idea to life with impactful and practical examples for leaders looking to increase the effectiveness of their workforce."

Sandy Ogg, founder, CEO.works; former Operating Partner, Blackstone; and former Chief Human Resources Officer, Unilever--
"An organization's people are the fundamental source of great ideas and great execution. No company can succeed without harnessing the time, talent, and energy of its workforce. This book outlines how to tap into these scarce resources. Read it and win."

Andrew N. Liveris, Chairman and CEO, Dow Chemical Company--
"A concise and practical guide for managing scarce resources and unlocking the full potential of your organization, Time, Talent, Energy is more than an insightful book. It's an essential read for all CEOs and senior executives who want to get the most out of their workforce."

Michael Dell, Chairman and CEO, Dell Technologies--
"Time, Talent, Energy makes a compelling case for why every CEO and senior leader should focus on managing human capital to beat the competition."

About the Author

Michael Mankins is a partner in Bain & Company's San Francisco office and the former head of the firm's Organization practice in the Americas. He is the author or coauthor of two books and numerous articles in Harvard Business Review and other leading publications.

Eric Garton, a partner in Bain & Company's Chicago office, has written and spoken widely on organizational issues. He leads the firm's global Organization practice and is a senior member of its Consumer Products and Industrial Goods & Services practices.