Librado E. Gonzalez
The road ahead is a difficult one. Increasing competition both at home and abroad, continuing ideological and policy conflict, practical problems, and day to day difficulties of every kind and from every source place extraordinary demands and almost unbearable pressures on the conscientious executive of today.
The business executive in the next decades of this century and beyond must demonstrate unprecedented leadership, leadership that combines disciplined intellect and faith in the highest ideals. The business manager in a free society truly belongs to the people. Without that highest and noblest dedication, our economic system, indeed, our richly blessed way of life, will require attention in too many ways.
It was easy to see that this book was distilled from the thoughts and experiences, the hopes and fears, the strengths and weaknesses, and the skills or lack of skills of top executives throughout this land. The author was clearly sensitive to and conversant with the problems of running a business in our modern world. His background as a student of management problems further testifies to this.
The management issues reader must know himself/herself and be happy with what he/she is while at the same time building a healthy, calculated dissatisfaction with the status quo. He/she must realize, whether he/she is currently happy with his/her growth and caliber or not, that he/she must continue to grow, change, and stretch.
Librado E. Gonzalez has held a variety of positions in general management and personnel administration in the textile, bedding, and furniture industry, as well as the government.
Mr. Gonzalez is the author of numerous articles in local and international newspapers, he lectures private and government organizations on management topics. He conducts seminars throughout the world, with heaviest emphasis on management development, performance appraisal, communication and executive motivation.
Mr. Gonzalez’s academic degrees include Central America, North America and European Universities.
This is not a book on principles of management. Nor is it a treatment of management theory. It was written to response to literally thousands of questions and problems encountered both in my work as a manager, and a consultant. I have sought to set forth in it all the main ingredients needed by the manager of a business or major department to generate profits and growth effectively and to achieve other worthwhile objectives in an increasingly competitive world.
The broad spectrum of subject matter was prepared to provide the executive as well as the aspiring executive with perspective, philosophy, and tools. Hundreds of top men have expressed a real impatience to present such material to their key personnel in order to achieve a climate compatible with the needs of a fluid and ever shifting world economy. Some of the changes called for certainly cannot be accomplished in a bland and comfortable way, but the requirements of modern business are seldom completely comfortable.
The book does not flow in the traditional way, since I have occasionally shifted gears from a department or company focus to an international focus. I have done this deliberately: we cannot normally control the variables of operating management in textbook fashion. In short, I fondly hope this book is different, but completely realistic. Only time will tell.
Acknowledgements are always inadequate in a compendium of this kind, and I owe a profound debt to many people. Three principal sources of inspiration and help must, however, stand out. First, the distilled experience and wisdom of my associates, which were indispensable. Second, my family for making difficult management conversation into a simple common sense approach. Finally, the varied and stimulating experiences made possible by companies and employees I worked with, which is making a truly significant contribution to management throughout the world.
