ABOUT JERRY MANAS
Jerry Manas is a bestselling author renowned for transforming complex topics in leadership, management, and organizational culture into engaging, accessible insights. Specializing in workforce planning and resource management, Jerry helps organizations maximize the potential of their people to achieve breakthrough results. With a unique ability to blend history, science, and practical experience, Jerry’s work has earned praise from some of the most respected voices in business and leadership.
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His acclaimed book, Napoleon on Project Management, is frequently cited by legendary management guru Tom Peters (In Search of Excellence) for its insights on simplicity and character. Pat Williams, Senior VP of the Orlando Magic, described Jerry’s Managing the Gray Areas as “a new path for leaders.”
Jerry’s The Resource Management and Capacity Planning Handbook (McGraw-Hill) was lauded by Judith E. Glaser, author of Conversational Intelligence, as “the first book dedicated to what is essentially the drivetrain of organizations—the effective use of its people toward its most important activities.” He also co-authored the bestseller 42 Rules for Creating WE with Glaser, which Angela Ahrendts, former CEO of Burberry, called “today’s greatest guide for team success.”
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Across all his books, Jerry explores how organizations can optimize their workforce—whether through integrated thinking, effective resource allocation, or leadership in uncertain environments.​
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Jerry’s expertise and thought leadership have been featured in major publications such as Leadership Excellence, The National Post, The Globe and Mail, The Chicago Sun Times, The Huffington Post, and The Houston Chronicle. He has appeared on TV and radio internationally, including a notable appearance on Icelandic National TV, where he applied lessons from his books to the country’s economic recovery.
A sought-after speaker, Jerry addresses audiences worldwide on topics including workforce maximization, resource planning, organizational leadership, project management, and lessons from history.
When he's not writing or speaking, Jerry helps PMO leaders, senior executives, and resource management professionals improve visibility into who’s working on what, avoid missed deadlines, ensure the right skills are matched to projects, and confidently deliver strategy—even when priorities shift and resources are tight. Whether it’s handling surprise projects, preventing burnout, engaging technical managers, or making resource planning work across HR and Finance, Jerry delivers actionable guidance, smart tools, and concise metrics for decision-makers at every level.
To this end, Jerry created the Capacity Quadrant and Service-Oriented Project Management (SOPM) frameworks to guide global clients to new levels of resource optimization.
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Jerry also played a pivotal role on the leadership team for the first editions of the Project Management Institute’s international standards for portfolio and program management. He later served as a US Registered Expert with ANSI/ISO, representing the United States in the creation of global standards for Workforce Allocation, Employee Engagement, and Knowledge Management, and as a voting member of the ISO Global Standards ANSI Technical Advisory Committee on HR Management (TC 260).
Jerry is a founding member of The Creating We Institute, an international thought leadership community dedicated to fostering WE-centric thinking in organizations through research in neuroscience and positive psychology, where he serves as a Senior Advisor on Strategy Execution. He also served on the Advisory Council for the University of Richmond Customer Experience Program.