There’s an old saying that to have a fulfilled life you need to have a child, plant a tree – and write a book.  A lot of people feel they ‘have a book’ in them.  Perhaps you are one of them.

Stephen Bungay certainly is and rather than waiting for retirement to write one he took time off in mid-career to write not one but two books about military history, despite never having been trained as an historian.

In this talk he will explain how he went about it, focusing on the writing aspect rather than the content.  He will explain the process he followed, how he did the research, but above all, how he approached story-telling, from structuring the plot to choosing words and constructing sentences.

Stephen’s aim is to encourage potential authors to follow their passion, give them some tips about how to do so, and make them aware both of the demands a book makes on its author and of the immense rewards of taking on that challenge.

So whether you’re a budding author, an avid reader, enthusiastic historian, a serious strategist or simply intellectually curious,  this event is a wonderful opportunity to hear Stephen’s first-hand account of his unique approach to writing non-fiction.

The evening will include a drinks reception.

 

About Stephen Bungay

After graduating from Oxford and the University of Tübingen, West Germany, Stephen worked for the Boston Consulting Group for a total of seventeen years.  He then ran the commercial operations of a Lloyds-based insurer before subsequently becoming a Director of the Ashridge Strategic Management Centre from 2001-22.

He has taught on executive programmes at several business schools and is a regular guest speaker at the Royal College of Defence Studies in London.  He has published articles on a range of business topics in journals such as HBR and is in demand as a conference speaker.

His first book on military history, The Most Dangerous Enemy – A History of the Battle of Britain, published in 2000, has now become the standard work on the subject.  A second work, Alamein, appeared in 2002.  Since 2004, he has been making regular appearances on television history documentaries.

His book about strategy execution, The Art of Action – How Leaders Close the Gaps between Plans, Actions and Results appeared in 2011.  An updated tenth anniversary edition was released in the summer of 2021.  Some of its key concepts have been being applied in a wide range of companies ranging from start-ups to major corporates and have featured in international conferences.

More recently he has worked on the most effective ways of developing strategy in an environment of high uncertainty.   He recently launched a new website about the subject, https://www.agilestrategy.co.uk/

He now works as an independent consultant and speaker.  Stephen’s basic approach to strategy and strategy execution is outlined on his website, www.stephenbungay.com.