Overdrive: Managing in Crisis-Filled Times (New Directions in Business)

"A lively and informative compilation of methods used by savvy, recognized CEOs to survive and thrive in a crisis. Silva and McGann recount contemporary corporate war stories that illustrate the impracticality of planning for a crisis—common or catastrophic—and the necessity of exercising vision, creativity, and flexibility to avoid or endure a crisis."—David H. Murdock, Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, Dole Food Company

"This book is an indispensable asset for any corporate executive facing the inevitability of crisis control."—Craig L. Fuller, Senior Vice President, Philip Morris Companies Inc.

" Whether dealing with a sudden crisis of unimaginable size or the daily press of issues, each has the potential to explode into a major catastrophe. Overdrive gives specific answers to questions that you hoped you'd never have to ask. Silva and McGann offer practical, proven solutions that every executive needs in order to lead in our crisis filled times."—Bruce L. Christensen, Dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communications, Brigham Young University, Former President and Chief Executive Officer of PBS

It used to be that crisis was something that only happened to companies in trouble. But in today's turbulent, hotly competitive global marketplace, crisis is a permanent fact of life in every business organization, and the new name of the management game is "crisis management." Now in this groundbreaking book, Michael Silva (Creating Excellence) and Terry McGann tell you exactly what the new rules of the game are, and, more importantly, how to play to win!

• Teaches you practical lessons in how to strategically manage crisis to forge stronger, more competitive companies
• Provides a rational, innovative framework for thinking about and responding to crisis
• Shows you how to leverage the opportunities that crises present for changing the rules of the game and making strategic breakthroughs
• Brings abstract concepts to vivid life with scores of vignettes and case studies from a wide range of industries and dozens of businesses, both large and small
• Based on the authors' years of experience as crisis management consultants to top Fortune 500 companies

Crisis happens only to companies in trouble, it is always somebody's fault, it is always destructive, and a lot of it in an organization indicates an inability to manage crisis effectively . . .right? Wrong! Despite the fact that most executives surveyed claim to spend at least seventy-five percent of their time putting out fires, most businesspeople continue to cling to these and other dangerously outdated myths about crisis. The truth is, in today's ever more chaotic, fiercely competitive global marketplace, crisis is an inescapable fact of life for every business organization—especially the ambitious ones. In fact, many top business thinkers now view crisis as an indispensable catalyst for strategic growth and competitive strength.

Now, in this groundbreaking new book, Michael Silva—author of the bestselling, Creating Excellence—and Terry McGann, arm you with a blueprint for success in these crisis-ridden times. Offering important practical lessons in strategic crisis management, they school managers in all the cutting-edge leadership and management skills they need not only to survive crisis, but to use it to forge stronger, more competitive companies. Drawing on their years of experience as crisis management consultants to the Fortune 500, as well as the experiences of dozens of companies whose stories they vividly tell, Silva and McGann:

• Separate crisis management myth from reality and provide a rational and innovative framework for thinking about and responding to crisis
• Help you to recognize and leverage the opportunities that crises present for changing the rules of the game and making strategic breakthroughs
• Help you to forge a new organizational vision founded upon the three crucial factors of crisis prevention, crisis identification, and crisis solution
• Offer crisis management guidelines based on the golden rules of Vision (see it all, see it fast), Values (say it all, say it fast), and Versatility (change it all, change it fast)
• Bring abstract concepts to vivid life with scores of vignettes and examples from a wide range of industries and scores of businesses.

Crisis has become a permanent player in the management game for all companies—corporate high-rollers and "mom and pop" retailers alike. Read Overdrive, and find out what the new rules of the game are, and, more importantly, learn how to play to win!

MICHAEL SILVA is recognized internationally as a cutting-edgethinker in the management of crisis. In the last twenty years, hehas worked with executives of over half of the Fortune 500 andscores of international companies, dealing specifically with theapplication of crisis leadership principles under extremelyturbulent conditions. He is the author of Europe 1992 and the WorldPower Game and the coauthor of the international bestsellerCreating Excellence: Managing Corporate Culture, Strategy andChange in the New Age.

TERRY McGANN is chairman of Sacramento Advocates, a consulting firmspecializing in assisting private sector companies whose strategiesinvolve significant relationships with federal government agencies.Sacramento Advocates' clients include Apple Computer, Kraft, Cigna,PepsiCo, and SmithKline Beecham.