Mission Mastery

This book reveals the story of how the first large learning organization was formed. Emerging around 1870, it involved an organizational transformation that followed a disaster some 60 years earlier. The great success of this process was the introduction of a totally new approach to leadership – a competitive edge that would go undetected for another 100 years. The original development involved the Prussian/German Army under a great leader, Helmut von Moltke. NATO countries finally discovered this “secret weapon,” which they have since implemented in their mission command centers, in the 1980s. The book distils five underlying features or pillars of the transformed organization, and describes how they can be applied in civilian organizations to attain a state of Mission Mastery. Never before published, these ideas are supplemented by numerous references and practical examples to illustrate the persuasive power of the case made – namely that most civilian organizations are weak in terms of the five key ingredients needed for Mission Mastery. “This book is a must-read for all charged with developing tomorrow's leaders.” Sir Michael Perry, GBE – previously Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Unilever, Chairman of Centrica, Chairman of the Senior Salaries Review Body, Independent Director at Singapore Technologies Telemedia Pte. Ltd and Chairman of the Faculty Board at the Said Business School, Oxford University. “Mission Mastery is a masterwork.” Professor Stephen J. Perkins, DPhil (Oxon) Dean Guildhall Faculty of Business & Law, London Metropolitan University, UK “No other book on organizational leadership is as relevant today as Mission Mastery”. Gerald A. Arbuckle, Organizational Anthropologist, and author of Humanizing Healthcare Reforms