New Art of Managing People Alessandra




The New Art of Managing People, Updated and Revised: Person-to-Person Skills, Guidelines, and Techniques Every Manager Needs to Guide, Direct, and Motivate the Team by Tony Alessandra & Phillip L Hunsaker

Phil Hunsaker and Tony Alessandra Brilliantly update and connect the most vital skills, guidelines and communication techniques to empower, motivate and genuinely accomplish results with employees. The New Art Of Managing People especially outlines the road map to developing, assessing and creating long lasting rewards. This important book comes at a time when communication and management skills are more critical than ever before...when employees want to be part of a thriving team and feel the energy of knowing they have helped in accomplishing company goals and agenda.

With so many management books out there, it's hard to know which one has evidence behind its claims and teachings. This one does. Drs. Alessandra and Hunsaker offer up ideas and strategies that are easily put to use. There are some that we've used and others that we will- when the opportunity presents. This should be required reading in all corporate and university curricula.

When a manager establishes a friendly yet productive working atmosphere, the benefits to the whole organization are substantial. The Art of Managing People provides practical strategies, guidelines and techniques for
* Developing the interpersonal skills necessary to improve relations with employees
* Understanding the differences between people, and behaving accordingly
* Assessing, and then improving, current working situations
* Creating trust between managers and employees.

Person-to-person skills are the key to developing an effective team of satisfied, energetic workers. Letting your workers express their own personalities and maximize their potentials will
* Reduce stress within the work force,
* Create a positive spirit throughout the company, and
* Increase the organization's productivity and profitability.


Management: Skills and Application Rue & Byars





Management: Skills and Application by Leslie Rue & Lloyd Byars

Excellent book! Should be mandatory reading for all individuals. It not only gives very clear quidance on Managament, it also delivers basic but very important messages on communication with an emphasis on the importance of listening. Will benefit just about anyone from the sole proprietor to the CEO responsible for thousands.

MANAGEMENT: Skills and Application, 13e by Rue and Byars is a short, value-priced paperback that presents the fundamentals of management principles to undergraduate students. It continues its tradition of presenting principles of management in a straightforward and accessible manner, focusing on the essential skills that are needed to become a successful manager.


Skills for New Managers Stettner




Skills for New Managers by Morey Stettner

Most of us developed our management skills, or lack thereof, in the same way: through trial and error. But Morey Stettner's new book will give anyone freshly promoted to the ranks of management a valuable head start by spelling out practical steps that new managers can take to be effective. For all of you old-timers, reading this book will induce a near constant mental stream of "I wish someone had told me that when I was starting out." For example, Stettner's first step, writing out a basic plan of how you want to manage your subordinates, might at first seem a bit naïve to veterans. But consider this point: How much time did you spend thinking about the techniques you would use in managing people before taking over your first managerial assignment? The probable answer is not much. In a clear voice laced with illustrative examples, Stettner covers the critical skills managers rely on every day: speaking, listening, criticizing and disciplining.

Skills for New Managers provides proven tips to handle everyday management situations­­all in a fast moving, easy-to-reference format.

Learning to manage is probably the most demanding, yet career-enhancing, on-the-job training you will ever have. Skills for New Managers will show you how to succeed and flourish as a manager. This succinct, highly focused model for effective management will help you master topics including:

Hiring­­how to uncover and hire people who will shine and make you look good
Criticism and discipline­­tips on how to carry out two of the most difficult, but essential, aspects of management
Leadership­­strategies and behavior styles for mentoring, coaching, problem resolution, and more
Effective management skills can be learned. Skills for New Managers will give you everything you need to create your own management style, use that style to promote solid performance in your employees and take the next critical step in your climb up the career ladder.



Richard Templar's Management Rules




The Rules of Management, Expanded Edition: A Definitive Code for Managerial Success (Richard Templar's Rules) by Richard Templar

Unlike majority of leadership and management texts, the author here has taken a very different approach. And he has undoubtedly succeeded in making it a fun-filled read with rules based coaching on management principles. Now, while most of the texts become very lingo-oriented, and "written for corporate bulldogs", this one is very simple, precise and to-the-point.

What you will like:
  • Every rule/learning is completed in a very short time, maximum 2 pages.
  • After every rue, there is a text box, which shows the key take-away in one sentence.
  • The language is very simple, and goes with the flow. No need for management jargon.
  • No need to for a continuous cover-to-cover read. Just pick it up, flick any page, read a rule, think about about it and make a conscious effort to apply it. Or modify according to your business setting and then apply it.
  • Book is divided into two sections, Part 1: Managing Your Team and Part 2: Managing Yourself. It is equally important to understand and develop your own traits and also be able to relate to your team and get work done. Both the skills require different set of efforts and "Rules".


If you are an aspiring manager, or a soon-to-be manager, I'd recommend reading the Part 2 first. Because you have to demonstrate the managerial traits in your personality and work-style, before you can actually contend for a managerial job. This is especially true for corporates, where one has to "deserve" such positions.



Practice of Management by Drucker




The Practice of Management by Peter F. Drucker

This book was written in the 1950's. At the time, the concepts of management espoused by Peter Drucker were revolutionary - the result of study and observation post WW-II and his first hand observation of the failure of pure command and control management.

If you are new to the topic, Drucker's work is an important foundation for modern management techniques. His observations and insights are as relevant to the human psychology, the practice of management and the theory of business today as they were 60 years ago.

Having said that, the book is merely foundational and background now. The modern manager has largely been trained, thanks to Drucker, in his management paradigm. As a result, the trained manager will find some useful nuggets, some interesting observations, and about 400 pages of what is now "common sense management". The revolution of the 1950's is largely in the past today. The book is less useful or revolutionary today for a manager than it was 60, or even 20 years ago. And for that, Drucker should be commended. However, it makes it tougher to recommend the book for more than a reader who is more interested in the background/foundation it espouses than someone looking for new ideas or fresh thinking.

There is a lot of self-centered managers thinking they are very good, but in reality they are below average human beings both intellectually and ethically. There are also many managers that are good people and try to do their best. I think all managers belonging to the latter category should read this 60 year old book. Drucker wanted managers to contribute to humanity by being good managers. I would say that it is inspirational to read Drucker's words knowing that they were written such a long time ago. The book is written in a very engaging manner and is not what you would expect for such an old book. Managers today struggle with pretty much the same issues as identified in this book. This is not to say that this book contains everything, but by reading it, you realise how much useless or fluffy stuff is written in many current management books.


MKTG6 by Charles W. Lamb




MKTG6 (with Marketing CourseMate with eBook Printed Access Card) by Charles W. Lamb


Created through a "student-tested, faculty-approved" review process with direct input from students and faculty, *MKTG6* is an engaging and accessible solution to accommodate the diverse lifestyles of today's learners. *MKTG6* employs up-to-date, relevant examples from a wide range of independent upstarts and larger companies students love. *MKTG6* also offers a dynamic range of web-based review and testing products to facilitate today's on-the-go lifestyle.

About the Author
Charles W. Lamb, Jr., served as chair of the department of marketing at the M. J. Neeley School of Business from 1982 to 1988 and again from 1997 to 2003. He is currently chair of the Department of Information Systems and Supply Chain Management and is a former president of the Academy of Marketing Science and the Southwestern Marketing Association. Lamb has authored or co-authored more than a dozen books and anthologies on marketing topics and over 150 articles that have appeared in academic journals and conference proceedings. 
In 1997, he was awarded the prestigious Chancellor's Award for Distinguished Research and Creative Activity at TCU. This is the highest honour that the university bestows on its faculty. Other key honours he has received include the M. J. Neeley School of Business Research Award, selection as a Distinguished Fellow of the Academy of Marketing Science, and a Fellow of the Southwestern Marketing Association.



MGMT4 by Chuck Williams




MGMT4 (with Management CourseMate with eBook Printed Access Card) by Chuck Williams

This book is very actualized in the management tendencies in the best companies in the world. It share many managerial experiences problems and solutions and many case studies. The 

Created through a "student-tested, faculty-approved" review process with more than 150 students and faculty, MGMT4 2011 EDITION offers an engaging and accessible solution to accommodate the diverse lifestyles of today's learners. 

This paperback combines the latest developments and core management concepts in a streamlined book that reads like a business periodical. 

Powerful content as well as multimedia resources, such as MP3 review podcasts, online quizzing, videos and an eBook, encourage interactive learning and management success.



21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership




The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You by John C. Maxwell

At the beginning of The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You by John Maxwell, the author reminds us that any book is fixed at a moment in time. Maxwell's first version of this book captured his best thinking as it was a decade ago.

But while the book has remained unchanged, its author has grown and matured. He has read more, worked with more people, and taught his principles over and over again. And so the book we get from this fifty-one-year-old author is a more mature and developed one than we got from John Maxwell when he was forty-one. That is a very good thing.

In the intervening decade Maxwell found that some laws needed to be combined. He also adds two new laws. The number of laws remains the same.

This book is better than the first version. You can count up the new stories and examples if you want, but the numbers aren't the story. The story is that this man who wrote one of the best books on leadership has added the growth, maturity and insights of a decade and made it even better.

As Maxwell outlines it on page 245, there has been a trajectory to his thinking. In the beginning he understood leadership development as primarily a process of personal development. That's still part of his thinking, but he's added understanding of the importance of a leadership team, and, especially, the importance of developing other leaders.

There are two key questions to ask and answer about any book like this. First: "If I read this book and apply what I learn, will I be a better leader?"

The answer to that is a resounding "yes." The content here is good and it's practical. Leadership is an apprentice trade. You learn most of it on the job, by trying things out, observing how you do, and adjusting how you do things in the future based on results and feedback.

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership gives you a great starting point for learning. At the end of each chapter there's a section on applying this lesson to your life. There's also a law (number 3) called "The Law of Process" that reminds you that "Leadership develops daily, not in a day."

There's no promise of magic here. But you can count on improved results if you use the book to guide your actions.

The second question to ask and answer is: "Is the book written well enough that I can move through it easily and learn its lessons?"

The answer to that one is another "yes." There's excellent use of stories and examples, which will help you learn and understand. Key points are highlighted throughout the book. The writing is smooth and easy to read.

There are some things to quibble with. I think his description of how Robert E. Lee wound up with the generals he did is simply, historically wrong. But you can leave that example out of the book and the chapter where it appears and still get value from both.

There are also things that may trouble individual readers. Maxwell learned his leadership trade as a pastor and it's obvious from several of his personal stories. That makes some people uncomfortable. Others think that you need to learn leadership in business or the military, because a church is a "soft" environment.

Don't believe it. Maxwell learned is trade in one of the most demanding environments for a leader. Pastors and other nonprofit leaders don't have many of the tools of reward that their business colleagues have. The lack the disciplinary tools that the military gives its leaders.

The result is that people who learn their trade in the nonprofit world develop skills of communication and persuasion that can escape leaders in other sectors. The lessons Maxwell learned will work anywhere.

If you're just starting out as a leader, this book can provide you with a self-development roadmap to guide you as you work to master the leadership craft. If you've been practicing leadership for a while, this book will give you a refresher as well as new insights.



Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders




The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels by Michael Watkins

Fully a quarter of all managers in major corporations enter new leadership roles each year. Whether their assignments involve leading a work group or taking over a company as CEO, they face very similar challenges--and risks--in those critical first months on the job. How new leaders manage their transitions can make all the difference between success and failure. 

In this hands-on guide, Michael Watkins, a noted expert on leadership transitions, offers proven strategies for moving successfully into a new role at any point in one's career. Concise and practical, The First 90 Days walks managers through every aspect of the transition, from mental preparation to forging the right alliances to securing critical early wins. Through vivid examples of success and failure at all levels, Watkins identifies the most common pitfalls new leaders encounter and provides tools and strategies for how to avoid them.

This book is not just for managers at the executive level. It's also for you and me. It's for functional managers, project managers, and supervisors. The book targets new leaders at all levels that are making the transition from one rung of the ladder to the next.

If you have just been promoted to a new leadership position (or expect to be soon), then this book is for you.

The book outlines ten strategies that will shorten the time it takes you to reach what Watkins calls the breakeven point: the point at which your organization needs you as much as you need the job. Here they are ... the ten strategies:

1. PROMOTE YOURSELF. Make a mental break from your old job. Prepare to take charge in the new one. Don't assume that what has made you successful so far will continue to do so. The dangers of sticking with what you know, working hard at doing it, and failing miserably are very real.

2. ACCELERATE YOUR LEARNING. Climb the learning curve as fast as you can in your new organization. Understand markets, products, technologies, systems, and structures, as well as its culture and politics. It feels like drinking from a fire hose. So you have to be systematic and focused about deciding what you need to learn.

3. MATCH STRATEGY TO SITUATION. There are no universal rules for success in transitions. You need to diagnose the business situation accurately and clarify its challenges and opportunities. The author identifies four very different situations: launching a start-up, leading a turnaround, devising a realignment, and sustaining a high-performing unit. You need to know what your unique situation looks like before you develop your action plan.

4. SECURE EARLY WINS. Early victories build your credibility and create momentum. They create virtuous cycles that leverage organizational energy. In the first few weeks, you need to identify opportunities to build personal credibility. In the first 90 days, you need to identify ways to create value and improve business results.

5. NEGOTIATE SUCCESS. You need to figure out how to build a productive working relationship with your new boss and manage his or her expectations. No other relationship is more important. This means having a series of critical talks about the situation, expectations, style, resources, and your personal development. Crucially, it means developing and gaining consensus on your 90-day plan.

6. ACHIEVE ALIGNMENT. The higher you rise in an organization, the more you have to play the role of organizational architect. This means figuring out whether the organization's strategy is sound, bringing its structure into alignment with its strategy, and developing the systems and skills bases necessary to realize strategic intent.

7. BUILD YOUR TEAM. If you are inheriting a team, you will need to evaluate its members. Perhaps you need to restructure it to better meet demands of the situation. Your willingness to make tough early personnel calls and your capacity to select the right people for the right positions are among the most important drivers of success during your transition.

8. CREATE COALITIONS. Your success will depend on your ability to influence people outside your direct line of control. Supportive alliances, both internal and external, will be necessary to achieve your goals.

9. KEEP YOUR BALANCE. The risks of losing perspective, getting isolated, and making bad calls are ever present during transitions. The right advice-and-counsel network is an indispensable resource

10. EXPEDITE EVERYONE. Finally, you need to help everyone else - direct reports, bosses, and peers - accelerate their own transitions. The quicker you can get your new direct reports up to speed, the more you will help your own performance.

This book is not only relevant on the individual level. This transition process for new managers happens so often that it should be handled with more professionalism by (big) organizations. Whereas we as managers try to work actively with introduction programmes and training for new employees, then many managers must face their transition challenge alone. It shouldn't be like that. The "sink or swim" approach should be doomed.



Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices Drucker




Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices by Peter F. Drucker

Management is an organized body of knowledge. "This book," in Peter Drucker'swords, "tries to equip the manager with the understanding, the thinking, the knowledge and the skills for today'sand also tomorrow's jobs." This management classic has been developed and tested during more than thirty years of teaching management in universities, in executive programs and seminars and through the author's close work with managers as a consultant for large and small businesses, government agencies, hospitals and schools. Drucker discusses the tools and techniques of successful management practice that have been proven effective, and he makes them meaningful and easily accessible.

Domain specific know-how is obviously essential to effective management. In this book, Peter Drucker discusses non-domain-specific know-how for management. Even though the book is long at 861 pages, it is NOT wordy and he makes every sentence count.

Insightful, practical, straight-forward and meaningful (to me) discussion topics included job design, organizational design, growing and selecting managers, improving organizational productivity, strategy, and managing innovation.

A very encouraging book. A long read, however extremely straight forward. Great from a job and organizational design standpoint. Great insight into "non-domain-specific know-how for management." Learn how to ask the right questions about your company. A must read for business.



The Effective Executive Peter F. Drucker





The Effective Executive: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done by Peter F. Drucker


The measure of the executive, Peter F. Drucker reminds us, is the ability to "get the right things done." This usually involves doing what other people have overlooked as well as avoiding what is unproductive. Intelligence, imagination, and knowledge may all be wasted in an executive job without the acquired habits of mind that mold them into results.

Drucker identifies five practices essential to business effectiveness that can, and must, be learned:
  • Managing time
  • Choosing what to contribute to the organization
  • Knowing where and how to mobilize strength for best effect
  • Setting the right priorities
  • Knitting all of them together with effective decision-making
  • Ranging widely through the annals of business and government, Peter F. Drucker demonstrates the distinctive skill of the executive and offers fresh insights into old and seemingly obvious business situations.

Peter Drucker begins this book by pointing out that there is no science of how to improve executive effectiveness, nor any naturally-occurring effective executives. The redeeming point of this problem is that he argues that executive effectiveness can be learned.
The principles begin with a focus on time management. We can get greater quantities of every other resource we need, except time. Drucker reports that executives spend their time much differently than they think they do and much differently than they would like to. His solution is to begin by measuring how you spend your time, and compare it with an ideal allocation. Than begin to systematically get rid of the unimportant in favor of the important. His suggestions include stopping some things, delegation, creating policy decisions to replace ad hoc decisions, staying out of things that others should do, and so forth. Any student of time management will recognize the list he suggests. One of the best points is to give yourself large blocks of uninterrupted time to do more significant tasks. He also cautions us not to cut down on time spent with other people. If an hour is required, don't try to do it in 15 minutes.

Next, Drucker argues that we should focus on what will make a difference rather than unimportant questions. Otherwise, we will fill our time with motion rather than proceeding towards results.

Beyond that, he points out that we have to build on our own strengths and those of the people in our organization. That is how we can outperform the competition and accomplish much more.

We also need to be systems thinkers, getting to the core of the issue first. If we are weak on new products, we need to work on the new product development process before fine-tuning our marketing. If we reverse the order of these activities, our results will be far less.

Perhaps the best section in the book has to do with executive decision-making, when to make a decision, about what, and what principles to apply. If you only read this section, you would be well rewarded for studying this fine book.

I especially liked the familiar Drucker use of important historical examples to make his points. You'll remember the principles better because the examples are so vivid.

Although this book was written some time ago, it retains the strength of its insight today. Truly , this is a timeless way to achieve greater effectiveness.

You may be concerned about how you are going to learn to apply these concepts. That is actually quite easy. Drucker provides questions in each section that will guide you, step-by-step, to focus your attention on the most promising areas.

If you only read one book about how to improve your personal effectiveness as an executive, you will find this to be a rewarding choice.



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