What To Do When You Become The Boss: How new managers become successful managers by Bob Selden
Management books are commonplace and most everyone who works in the managerial realm has read at least one book on the subject. Unfortunately for the inspiration- seeking manager, books that deal with management are often dull and sleep- inducing. But to every rule there is an exception and "What to Do When You Become the Boss" is certainly one of them. This management book is different in many ways from the typical management book, both in organization and in content. Starting with an introduction that includes a self- assessment of management style, What to Do When You Become the Boss is a proactive book from beginning to end. This book's goal isn't to explain theories of management. It focuses instead on taking action; implementing change, improving organization, and formulating a strategy that will help a manager achieve his/her greatest potential.
As mentioned before, the introduction of this book includes a self- assessment test that is intended to help the manager find which of four categories- Activist, Reflector, Theorist, or Pragmatist- his/her style of learning/managing matches most closely. Once the personal style is known, the reader is prepared to read and learn. To help make the book more useful to readers and to help managers concentrate on the material with the greatest relevance, there are directions (starting in Part 2) that recommend turning directly to a particular chapter, based on which of the four styles the reader fits. By following these directions, a manager can bypass the less relevant information and proceed to the material that pertains specifically to them.
Even though I fit the definition of a pragmatist, I decided to read the entire book to see what it had to offer and discover how it could help me as a manager. A management book, if it is written correctly, can prove to be a valuable learning tool and it can help tremendously in the daily act of managing people, money, projects, etc. And this book is certainly one of the more helpful I have read on the subject of management. Not only does this book offer some new and different advice on management, it is also very well organized, with case examples; tables; charts; and summaries of the key points in each chapter. The organization makes it easy to thumb through the pages of the book and find the needed advice and the charts and tables help to organize the data further, making the book easy to understand and easy to follow.
What to Do When You Become the Boss is a book about taking charge and working to improve your business, your co- workers, your subordinates, your supervisor, and yourself. This is probably the main quality that sets this book apart from most other management books. Instead of boring the reader to tears with behavioral concepts and management theory, this book moves directly to the action. For example, instead of explaining how Classic Management theory would suggest the proper way to search for the right employee for a position, this book explains exactly what to do, step by step, to maximize the chance of finding exactly the right person for the job. From an analysis of requirements for the position to the implementation of the new employee into the organization, this book offers precise methodologies to help a manager succeed.
Besides the common topics covered in most managerial books, What to Do When You Become the Boss includes a few chapters that set it apart from the usual book. It contains some of the usual material (like ways to motive employees, give effective feedback, etc.) but it also includes a few chapters that offer some advice on topics not discussed very frequently in management books. Examples include the chapters on choosing and managing your boss. Most people don't think of their boss as someone they "manage" or "get to select", but like the book points out, it is very important that a manager's immediate supervisor is someone he/she can trust and someone he/she can go to for advice and assistance when needed. The book recommends examining your future boss starting with the initial interview and he even offers some questions to ask your future boss during the interview process.
Author Bob Selden is a native of Australia, so his writing is a little different from what is usually found in a book written by an American author. For example, it is common to find the letter "s" in place of "z" (like, "organisation" instead of "organization") in some of the words and some of the writing may not be as grammatically user- friendly as some readers would like. Also, some of the advice may not be completely practical to everyone and may require some modification to fit individual needs and requirements. One good example is the chapter about e-mail. The book recommends not getting too wound up on constantly checking e-mail and it suggests not even looking at e-mail until the afternoon. This might very well be good advice, but it isn't always practical to wait until the afternoon to check e-mail for the first time and some companies, in fact, insist e-mail is open and read on a constant basis.
Overall, What to Do When You Become the Boss is a highly effective book on the subject of management and it ranks among the better books I have read on this subject. It is well- written with plenty of good advice and great organization to help the young manager reach his/her greatest potential. It's a handy book that all managers, both new and experienced, can benefit.
