Next week preview: Gary Hamel's "The Future of Management"--a must read

Gary Hamel's new book "The Future of Management" changed the direction of my career--eleven months before it was even published.

Let me explain. Last November I saw Hamel speak at the now-defunct Fortune Innovation Forum and was struck by the power of his words and performance. (Here's my post from that week.) Hamel was saying that the last one hundred years had not brought us far in the maturity of management. And that companies remain woefully inadequate in engaging their employees and fueling their passion. To paraphrase Hamel as he finished his speech, "Try to figure out how to get all employees to give 100% of their capabilities to their work. That is an interesting management problem for the 21st century."

I was hooked. I started to examine my own work, and what I wanted out of it. I made changes--due to a lot of factors, but not least because of what Gary Hamel said.

At long last, then, his book is out. And it's a must-read. It's full of inspiration, a bit of scolding, and lots of ideas for making companies far better than they are today. So we'll devote next week to breaking down "The Future of Management." See you then.

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