# Management in Times of War

Management in Times of War: Leadership Examples from Ukraine's Government and Private Sector is a bestseller by Ukrainian public figure Kostiantyn Koshelenko, published in 2024. The book is a collection of tools and ideas aimed at supporting productivity, team development, and adherence to values amidst the chaos of war.

## Overview

The book focuses on management during extreme crises, particularly during Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It presents the author's tools and concepts for maintaining productivity, team development, and adhering to personal values in conditions of instability. Koshelenko draws his reflections from his experience managing the digital transformation of Ukraine's social sector during the war.
In addition to Kostiantyn Koshelenko, 40 managers from Ukraine and other countries who work in fields such as logistics, government, banking, information technology, insurance, security, sports, and commerce share their crisis management experiences. Among them are Alexia Michiels, a partner at Resilience Institute; Alla Vanetsyants, chairwoman of Bank Pivdenny; Igor Smelyansky, CEO of Ukrposhta; Greg Satell, lecturer at The Wharton School and contributor to Harvard Business Review and Fast Company; Lauren Young, a security and defense expert and Yale University lecturer; Jan Dirk Geertsema, author, consultant, and lecturer at the University of California and Kyiv-Mohyla Business School on the course "Leadership and Human Logic"; Anastasia Shevchenko, general manager of Lugera Ukraine; Andrea McKinney, vice chairwoman of Hamilton Health Sciences; Andreas Keßler, investor and business consultant; Lithuanian-American businessman Arvydas Siaudvytis; Arnaud Contival, chairman of @AI&DATA; Artem Kovbel, co-founder of Crowe Erfolg; Charles Mok from Stanford University's Cyber Policy Center; Chris Anderson, vice president of GreenSlate; leadership transformation coach Daiva Plath; Derek Elder, director of Derson Capita; Dmytro Feliksov, owner of the Readeat bookstore; Dmytro Stryzhov, founder of "Sheriff"; Evgen Zaigraiev, MBA and board member of PrivatBank; Håkan Jyde, director of Scania Ukraine; Hanna Bobino, owner and documentary filmmaker at micro-media YAKTYTAM; Hanna Oleynik, business development director of UINNO; Haakon Ueland, social worker, musician, and author; Jason Foodman, CEO and entrepreneur; Jack McKissen, LinkedIn "Top Voice" on management; Jean Cullen, chairman of Cullen International; Jeroen van Zelst, IT director at Omring; Ivan Tretyakov, race director at Run Ukraine; Ihor Nikolenko, LinkedIn business mentor; Katherine Vellinga, co-founder of Zirkova Vodka; Mike Nichols, managing director and consultant; Maryna Avdeeva, shareholder of Arsenal Insurance; data scientist Marijn Marcus; Martin Vesper, Chief Data Officer; Mia Kolmodin, founder of Dandy People; Oksana Zholnovych, Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine; Oleg Lytvynov, founder of "BILUX"; Roman Kuziuk, founder of the publishing house "Kintsevyi Beneficiar"; Tetiana Yashkina, founder of a retail chain; and Victoria Veremienko, marketing director at Run Ukraine. The book provides practical advice on applying management practices in difficult circumstances with limited resources.

## Reviews

The book has been positively reviewed by Oleksandr Novikov, Head of the National Agency for Corruption Prevention; Ian Bremmer, President of Eurasia Group; Daniel F. Runde, author of The American Imperative: Reclaiming Global Leadership through Soft Power; and David Rogers, a leading expert on digital transformation and author of The Digital Transformation Playbook.
"A good and interesting book. Its strength lies in the perspective it offers, which is summarized in the title. It resonates with much of what I teach at The Open University Business School and my experience managing large teams, even though I am not in a war-torn country. This book will appeal to both practitioners and management students. Leadership has a vast contextual aspect that requires deep discussion during wartime — this book enriches that knowledge and is a valuable contribution from the author." — Antonio Garcia, lecturer at The Open University, a former officer in the South African National Defence Force, and co-author of Number 788.
“In a crisis, the nonessential falls away, and what remains is what truly matters. ‘Management in Times of War’ brilliantly captures how Ukrainian leaders harnessed this Essentialist mindset to rise above adversity. They didn’t choose the circumstances, but they did choose their response with their typical grit and intention. As the war continues, these leaders must continue to evolve. This book beautifully illustrates where leaders can go from here.” — Greg McKeown, author of two NYT bestsellers, Essentialism and Effortless.