The value mindset is a revolutionary concept, in that it returns to the very roots of capitalism-the concept of investing in order to generate a return based on the risk taken. Yet today, goal-seeking and self-imposed targets compromise the real quest for value in thousands of companies and public sector organizations around the world. As creator of the Wealth Added Index (WAI)-a performance metric that allows you to manage all aspects of value-Stern Stewart's Erik Stern has become a beacon for creating shareholder value in the current storm of corporate malfeasance and poor performance. In The Value Mindset: Returning to the First Principles of Capitalist Enterprise, Stern and coauthor Mike Hutchinson show you how to develop this way of thinking and the willingness to create value over the long term, whatever your role within an organization. Working in finance is not a prerequisite-all individuals have the potential to create lasting value. The Value Mindset takes the principles behind the creation of value, including those that underpin Economic Value Added (EVA#xAE;), further than they have ever been taken before. Through real-world success stories, such as those of Isadore Sharp of the Four Seasons hotel chain and the late Roberto Goizueta of Coca-Cola, you'll gain a firm understanding of how companies should strategically reconfigure to release hidden value. Such reconfiguration goes well beyond outsourcing and demands a complete reassessment of the idea of the company.

The Value Mindset will help you focus more fully on value creation, whether you work in the private or public sector. Topics discussed include: An introduction to the value mindset Strategic reconfiguration Financial architecture-challenging existing thinking Motivating managers and employees to deliver value Taking strategic reconfiguration further-the public sector It's natural to shun change, especially cultural change in business, because it brings with it the unknown-but the world is changing and you must be ready to change with it or face being left behind. Filled with practical concepts that have proven themselves time and again, The Value Mindset reveals how, as a manager or employee, you can transform your company into an organization that can deliver value as well as returns to shareholders. And in the wider world, a value mindset is the means for voters to transform their governments and for governments to deliver value to their voters, at a time when both are a source of continued dissatisfaction.