The book provides information to help the reader leapfrog 40 years of experience with hundreds of lessons learned in leading, managing, succeeding, and sometimes coming up short. The 25 strategies outline specific, proven approaches in government and industry that will position the reader to better lead and manage any size or type of organization.

The strategies fall into three basic categories. The first, strategies 1-9 and 25, centers on you as leader and manager and are more personal in nature. They discuss how critical it is to take care of yourself; plan for your future; expand your knowledge and skill sets; schedule quiet time; and incorporate a time-management routine into your daily and weekly schedule. The second category, strategies 10-13, focuses on selecting your leadership team; creating and maintaining a positive work environment; and building a stable workforce. The third, strategies 14-24, delineates strategies for continually raising quality and customer satisfaction; making continuous improvement a mind-set to reduce overhead and non-value added costs; protecting trade secrets; developing strategies and contingency plans; forming business alliances; and monitoring domestic and foreign competitors.

The book was designed for quick initial and follow-up review of information relevant to specific leadership or management requirements using a short, concise, and organized “outline style” format. Each strategy lists a set of rules and key points followed by a more detailed discussion and checklist.

The book fills a void for those individuals entering management with little or no experience. Its goal is to position the reader to exceed all performance expectations and measures. The outlined principles have been used to lead and manage various operations in support of highly sensitive multimillion and multibillion dollar programs involving thousands of people and hundreds of suppliers. Several operations received national recognition and set the standard for others.