The art of action : how leaders close the gaps between plans, actions and results / Stephen Bungay.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 275-278) and index.

The problem : what do you want me to do? -- The cause : the three gaps -- Elements of a solution : directed opportunism -- The knowledge gap : what and why -- The alignment gap : briefing and backbriefing -- The effects gap : independent thinking obedience -- Leadership that works : from common sense to common practice.

"Executing strategy is an enduring management problem. There is often a significant gap between what managers plan, what they do and the outcome they achieve. Stephen Bungay finds a fresh approach from an unexpected source {u2013} the nineteenth-century Prussian Army. His solution is based not on theory, but on sets of practices that have evolved over many years in the fast-moving, unpredictable environment of the battlefield."--Provided by publisher.