ABOUT JERRY MANAS
Leadership, strategy, and workforce optimization through story
Jerry Manas is an internationally bestselling author, award-winning novelist, and strategic advisor who helps leaders make strategic decisions, lead through story, and optimize and align their workforce. At the intersection of leadership, culture, and execution, he helps organizations turn complexity into clarity—through books, workshops, executive advisory, and thought leadership on workforce optimization.
Known for simplifying complex topics, Jerry’s work spans leadership, decision-making, storytelling, project delivery, and the effective use of people in organizations. Whether advising executive teams, coaching thought leaders, or writing books that translate big ideas into practical insight, he brings a rare blend of strategic rigor and narrative clarity.
BOOKS AND IDEAS
Jerry is the author of bestselling business and leadership books including Napoleon on Project Management, Managing the Gray Areas, and The Resource Management and Capacity Planning Handbook. His work has been cited by Tom Peters, who frequently references Napoleon on Project Management (HarperCollins Leadership) for its insights on simplicity and character, while Pat Williams, Senior VP of the Orlando Magic, called Managing the Gray Areas “a new path for leaders.”
His book The Resource Management and Capacity Planning Handbook (McGraw-Hill) is widely recognized as the leading book on resource management and workforce planning. Judith E. Glaser, author of Conversational Intelligence, praised it as “the first book dedicated to what is essentially the drivetrain of organizations—the effective use of its people toward its most important activities.”
In addition to his business writing, Jerry is also an award-winning novelist (writing as J.B. Manas) whose fiction reflects his lifelong interest in character, narrative tension, and the deeper forces that shape human behavior. That same storytelling sensibility informs his work with leaders and organizations today, and he is a passionate advocate for storytelling and writing as core leadership skills. Under the name J.B. Manas, he also shares occasional resources and guidance for emerging authors who want to bring their own ideas to the page.
ADVISORY AND STANDARDS
As an advisor, Jerry has worked with leaders seeking greater clarity in workforce planning, prioritization, and strategy execution, as well as in storytelling, emergent leadership, and critical thinking. Drawing on proprietary frameworks such as the Capacity Quadrant™ and Service-Oriented Project Management™, he helps organizations move from reactive fire drills to focused, reliable delivery and more thoughtful, story‑driven leadership.
Jerry has also helped shape global thinking in the field. He co-led the inaugural development of the Project Management Institute’s international standards for Portfolio and Program Management, serving as Editor-in-Chief for the core leadership team. He later served as a US Registered Expert with ANSI/ISO, representing the United States in the creation of standards for Workforce Allocation, Employee Engagement, and Knowledge Management.
A founding member of The Creating WE Institute, Jerry has long integrated WE‑centric thinking, collaboration, storytelling, and conversational intelligence into his approach to leadership, culture, and execution.
WORKING WITH JERRY
Today, Jerry’s work centers on three areas: leadership and storytelling, executive book coaching and ghostwriting, and workforce optimization through strategic advisory. Across all three, his aim is the same: to help leaders clarify what matters, communicate it compellingly, and align people and action around it.
If you’re exploring a leadership workshop, a storytelling initiative, an executive book project, or a strategic advisory engagement, visit the Services page or book a discovery call to start the conversation.