Bruch (University of St. Gallen) and Ghoshal (London Business School) suggest how executives can prevent themselves from making hasty commitments or getting absorbed in everyday routines, and instead devote their time to developing a clear mental picture of their goals and making a conscious choice

In A Bias for Action, Sumantra Ghoshal and Heike Bruch reveal that only 10% of managers act purposefully to get truly important work done. The other 90% simply "spin their wheels" by procrastinating, detaching emotionally, and distracting themselves with busywork. Why does this happen, and what separates productive managers from their less purposeful colleagues? Based on exclusive research across several industries, and illustrated through stirring personal stories, A Bias for Action shows that great managers produce results not by motivating others, but by engaging their own willpower through a powerful combination of energy and focus. Bruch and Ghoshal provide simple strategies for bolstering individual willpower and action-taking abilities, and explore ways to marshal the willpower of others to encourage collective action.

• Chapter
• Management is the Art of Doing and Getting Done
• Chapter
• Purposeful Action vs
• Active Non
• Action
• Chapter
• Developing Focus
• The Story of Jessica Spungin
• Chapter
• Marshalling Energy
• The Story of Klaus Karl
• Chapter
• Beyond Motivation to Volition
• Chapter
• Crossing the Rubicon
• The Story of Mathias Molleney
• Chapter
• Overcoming the Traps of Non
• Action
• Chapter
• Creating the Context for Action
• The Transformation of BP
• Chapter
• Developing Doers
• Leadership Development at Hilti
• Chapter
• Marshalling Organizational Energy for Collective Action
• Chapter
• Purposeful Action is the Secret of Persistent Execution
• Endnotes
• Bibliography