Hone: How Purposeful Leaders Defy Drift by Geoff Tuff, Steven Goldbach

https://www.amazon.com/Hone-Purposeful-Leaders-Defy-Drift/dp/1394304536

A clarion call to business leaders to recast their conception of leadership and strategy execution to meet the demands of the modern world

Have a problem with your organization’s strategy in an era of accelerating, exponential change? Modern business orthodoxy has an easy answer: transform it. Hone: How Purposeful Leaders Defy Drift argues this thinking is itself in need of an overhaul. Rather than devote time to expensive, long, and often unsuccessful transformations, leaders should instead focus on holistically designing and honing the management systems that are the nervous systems of their businesses. They can take a cue from chefs and other artisans and hone their organizations. After all, honing doesn’t sharpen knives; it realigns a knife’s steel to its original position. Choosing and honing the set of management systems that promote an organization’s desired outcomes (and uninstalling them when they are past their prime) is one of the most important things a business leader can do―and is just as much art as science.

The third in a trilogy of business strategy books written by renowned strategists and two-time Thinkers50–nominated authors Steven Goldbach and Geoff Tuff, this book explains why and how to optimally hone your organization’s execution of its strategy, with highlights including:

The importance of recognizing and taking action to defy the drift that often afflicts organizations undergoing massive transformation
Guidelines on how to design and continually reshape effective management systems to influence organizational and individual behaviors
Reframing the job of CEOs to be Chief System Designers for their organizations
Reflections on how honing principles within organizations can be used on broader societal challenges such as addressing climate change via the energy transition

Engaging, pragmatic, and inspiring, Hone: How Purposeful Leaders Defy Drift earns a well-deserved spot on the bookshelves of all private, public, and nonprofit sector professionals seeking to bring new sources of advantage to their organizations in a time of accelerating uncertainty and exponential change.

About the author
Geoff Tuff is a globally recognized thought leader and widely sought-after speaker and writer on the subjects of strategy, growth, innovation, and adapting business models to deal with change. He and his co-author, Steve Goldbach, have written two bestselling books – Detonate (Wiley 2018), and Provoke (Wiley 2021). Their latest book, Hone: How Purposeful Leaders Defy Drift, will be released on September 30, 2025. Both Detonate and Provoke were recognized by Thinkers50, the leading authority on management thinking, with award nominations for strategy and leadership. Geoff’s writing has also appeared in journals such as Harvard Business Review and MIT Sloan Management Review and as a regular contribution to HuffPost. Finally, he and Steve are two of the hosts of “The Provocateurs”, a monthly leadership podcast based on the book Provoke.

About the author
Steven Goldbach is a globally recognized strategist and executive advisor, combining creativity and rigor to help organizations create their own future. Together with Geoff Tuff, Steve has co-authored two bestselling books – Detonate (Wiley 2018), and, Provoke (Wiley 2021). Their latest collaboration, Hone: How Purposeful Leaders Defy Drift, will be released in late September, 2025. Both Detonate and Provoke were recognized by Thinkers50, the leading authority on management thinking, with award nominations for strategy and leadership. Steve is one of many rotating hosts of “The Provocateurs”, a monthly podcast based on the book Provoke. It features leadership lessons from leaders from all a variety of disciplines.

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