Product Description

When You're Asked to Do the Impossible is a powerful guide for high-intensity, high-stakes teams in business, healthcare, government, education, and other areas of life. The first book to translate the operating principles of the U.S. Army's elite Rangers into guidelines for teams in civilian life, this book establishes that to do the "impossible" individuals and teams must be developed to the highest professional levels, must be well led, must be exceptionally well prepared and supported -- and must be able to succeed in the face of everything gone wrong.
The proven principles and lesons here stand against the bureacratic inertia, power plays, mediocracy, slovenly ethics, and defense of the status quo that hobbles modern efforts in most fields. They challenge leaders and team members at all levels to develop new ways of thinking, communicating, and interacting in order to achieve the "big wins" that are out of reach of most organizations. When You're Asked to Do the Impossible paints a no-nonsense picture picture of just how good teams can be, as it presents the principles and characteristics of some of the highest performing teams in the world.a

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1063892 in Books
• Published on: 2003-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 320 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781592281718
• Condition: USED - VERY GOOD
• Notes:
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From the Back Cover
When You’re Asked to do the Impossible sets out the principles and methods of the U.S. Army’s elite Rangers for use by civilian teams and organizations that, too, must operate under extremely difficult and demanding circumstances as they respond to crucial challenges. Such high-stakes teams are all around us. In addition to emergency management teams, medical trauma units, SWAT and hostage rescue teams, firefighters, and NASA astronaut crews, for example, there are numerous but less visible teams within business, education, and government that are tasked with difficult, if not impossible, missions. Incorporating interviews with active duty Rangers and those who hold leadership positions in business and public service, this volume also makes extensive use of illuminating case studies from Johnson & Johnson, Pepsi Cola, Royal Dutch/Shell, Disney, the FBI, Ford, NASA, Chrysler, McNeil, Ben & Jerry’s and Nordstrom to demonstrate how innovative, focused civilian teams have led the way.
When You’re Asked to do the Impossible provides a unique perspective for blending the skills and talents of individuals, organizations and leaders in order to create high performance teams that take on the greatest challenges – with clear and realistic expectations of attaining or surpassing their goals. For anyone who is asked to do the “impossible,” Anthony Le Storti presents a readily accessible, sharply defined guide to activating and deploying for success.

About the Author
A former U.S. Army Airborne Ranger, Anthony Le Storti is the president of IDEATECTS, Inc., a management consultant firm dealing with cognitive skills development, leadership, and the dynamics of human systems. He has consulted for numerous Fortune 500 companies and presented widely on creativity, leadership and teamwork.

Customer Reviews

Why Ranger leadership work sin Business
Nice surprise. Makes me wonder if I'd rather have an MBA or a Ranger on my business team. This book illustrates how for over 200 years, Army Rangers have led and won the ultimate impossible and unfair competitions - America's military battles - And how that can work for business. Rangers operate with inviolate, unchanging core operating principles spelled out in the Ranger Creed and executed with unrivaled training and leadership. MBA's are not trained to, and business does not have, a set of inviolate core principles to enable consistent achievement of the impossible. The book's examples provide clear guidance on how to transfer Ranger principles into business leadership success. I was very pleasantly surprised.

Applying Ranger Knowledge to Business
In my view the author does the impossible himself by applying the vast knowledge and wisdom he gained as an elite combat Ranger in the Vietnam war to the complexities faced in civilian organizations. The learnings are certain to help organizations as they strive to achieve competitive advantage. The book is filled with interesting case studies and meaningful quotations that help the reader grasp the practical value of applying Ranger knoledge to strategic planning and problem solving. This is a must book for all who are iterested in help with the challenge of keeping their organization vital. David Tanner, Founding Director, Dupont Center for Creativity & Innovation.

Disappointed but not surprized
I was disappointed with the book. I should have read a sample chapter which would have revealed that this was not what I was looking for. As a veteran, I have looked for books that could help bridge a Milspec approach to a business approach, or more a transition from military to civilian life, but have realized that there could be no such book. No business personnel go through indoctrination as military personnel have, nevermind combat, and therefore the common base in missing. Its a completely different culture. "Counter insurgency and the Corporate Citizen" titled book is more appropriate for business people and former military alike.

I appreciate the author's effort to use the Ranger ethics, values and lessons learned. There just isn't a civilian social construct to maintain the metaphor. I write 'civilian' because law enforcement, medical staff, and the like, are not corporate equivalents.

The book uses the classic pontiffs of management academia and common One Minute Manager syntax, laced with a military storytelling and ideals. I have yet to find a book that reveals corporate/business politics, and how to survive them in a raw and realistic fashion.

The author states that he is not trying to do a one to one parallel between the military. Fine, to me it then begs the question, why write the book in the first place, especially with a focus on the Ranger Corps, or any fighting unit? Ranger values to business is more an ideal, thus a book of generalities/management cliches serves no greater purpose.

Sigh.