ABOUT JERRY MANAS
Jerry Manas is a bestselling author who translates complex leadership, management, and organizational culture concepts into engaging, accessible insights. Specializing in resource management, culture change, story-driven leadership, and customer-centric project delivery, Jerry unlocks workforce potential to drive transformational change and lasting business value. His unique blend of history, science, and practical experience has earned praise from respected leaders 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 and engagements, Jerry explores how organizations optimize workforce performance through effective resource allocation, cultural change leadership, storytelling, and customer-focused project delivery. His pragmatic frameworks and actionable insights empower leaders worldwide to transform complexity into clarity and build aligned, agile teams that consistently deliver exceptional customer outcomes.​
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Jerry’s thought leadership has 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 Icelandic National TV, where he applied his books’ lessons to support the country’s economic recovery. ​A sought-after speaker, Jerry addresses audiences globally on resource management, organizational leadership, customer-focused project management, and historical lessons for today’s leaders.
Building on this expertise, he also leads interactive workshops on storytelling for leaders, designed to equip executives and managers with practical narrative skills to inspire teams and drive change. Drawing on his deep organizational leadership experience—and his unique perspective as an award-winning suspense novelist writing as J.B. Manas—Jerry teaches how to craft compelling stories that resonate, engage, and transform.
When not writing or speaking, Jerry partners with PMO leaders, executives, and resource managers to bring the same storytelling clarity and strategic focus to resource allocation. He helps organizations improve visibility into resource use, avoid missed deadlines, and confidently execute strategy amid shifting priorities and limited resources. Jerry’s creation of the Capacity Quadrant and Service-Oriented Project Management (SOPM) frameworks exemplifies his ability to combine effective optimization and strategic focus with culture alignment and value delivery—turning complex operational challenges into engaging stories of team success and customer impact.
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Jerry 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 served as a US Registered Expert with ANSI/ISO, representing the US in 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).
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Jerry is a founding member of The Creating We Institute, an international thought leadership community advancing WE-centric organizational thinking through neuroscience and positive psychology research. He serves as a Senior Advisor on Strategy Execution and previously contributed on the Advisory Council for the University of Richmond Customer Experience Program.