{"id":394,"date":"2012-09-13T16:27:03","date_gmt":"2012-09-13T16:27:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.workplaceinteractors.com\/theinteraction\/?p=394"},"modified":"2012-09-13T16:27:03","modified_gmt":"2012-09-13T16:27:03","slug":"the-best-management-book-ive-ever-read","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.workplaceinteractors.com\/theinteraction\/2012\/09\/13\/the-best-management-book-ive-ever-read\/","title":{"rendered":"The best management book I’ve ever read"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Erika Andersen<\/a> of Proteus International<\/a> is coming out with a new book next month. \u00a0It’s called\u00a0Leading So People Will Follow<\/a>,\u00a0<\/em>and I’m looking forward to it.<\/p>\n

A few years back, Erika wrote the best book on management that I had ever read. \u00a0I was reviewing books then for\u00a0Perdido Magazine<\/a>,\u00a0<\/em>and they sent me a copy of Growing Great Employees<\/a>. \u00a0<\/em>It’s still the book I recommend when clients or friends ask me for a solid, useful approach to management in general. \u00a0Here’s the review I wrote, courtesy of Perdido:<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Say you\u2019re a manager.\u00a0 The people who report to you are pretty good, but there are a few problems, of course.\u00a0 You\u2019ve had some management training from your company \u2013 mostly focusing on theory, rather than practice.\u00a0 Some of the approaches you\u2019ve learned are useful, when you can remember them in time.\u00a0 Often you run on instinct; often you regret it later.\u00a0 You recall vague terms:\u00a0 \u201ccore competencies,\u201d coaching for performance.\u201d\u00a0 It\u2019s kind of a jumble in your mind.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve read a few books on management, but most of them are either too simple or too abstract.\u00a0 Usually they tout one skill, such as listening, as the cure for all workplace ills.\u00a0 You\u2019d give a lot for a clear, well-organized manual on the people side of management.<\/p>\n

Got fifteen bucks?<\/p>\n

Growing Great Employees<\/em> might be the handbook you\u2019ve been waiting for.\u00a0 It\u2019s the best management training book I\u2019ve seen.<\/p>\n

Beautifully organized, comprehensive, and straightforward, Growing Great Employees<\/em> is better than its title.\u00a0 (And don\u2019t be put off by its unifying metaphor, gardening, which appears mostly in chapter headings and introductions.)\u00a0 Erika Andersen, founder of the consulting firm Proteus International, has put twenty-five years\u2019 experience into a reader-friendly, meaty guide to \u201call that people stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

In admirably clear language, Andersen covers an astonishing amount of material:\u00a0 the hiring interview, TRACOM\u2019s Social Styles \u2122, delegating, positive and corrective feedback, performance agreements \u2013 even how to fire someone.\u00a0 There\u2019s a guide for making sure new employees start out well; a technique for discovering the key responsibilities of a job; a model for changing your own mindset to become a better coach.\u00a0 Each topic is discussed step by step and illustrated with dialogues and case studies.\u00a0 Diagrams and models are lucid, logical and easy to follow.\u00a0 Every chapter ends with a page of \u201cBig Ideas\u201d that summarizes the main points just covered.<\/p>\n

Even more useful are the many practical exercises throughout the book.\u00a0 Called \u201cTry It Out,\u201d these experiments cover actual practice (using listening skills in a real conversation), planning (writing out statements and questions you might use in a corrective feedback session), analysis (filling out a job description template) and self-assessment (determining your preferred learning style).\u00a0 There are checklists and charts, and even space to write in the book.<\/p>\n

But what makes Growing Great Employees<\/em> a true handbook \u2013 and truly useful \u2013 is its structure.\u00a0 In the introduction, Andersen offers a summary of each chapter, acknowledging that many readers might not choose to read the book \u201cin a straight line.\u201d\u00a0 Since reading non-fiction books out of order is a secret vice of mine, I was delighted; what\u2019s more, throughout the book Andersen provides references back to earlier chapters as needed.\u00a0 For example, in Chapter 4, during a discussion of non-verbal signals, she writes, \u201c\u2026if you\u2019re reading this book out of order, at this point you might want to go back and read the first chapter, where we focus on listening skills.\u201d\u00a0 This interconnected approach, reminiscent of hyperlinks on a website, makes the book much more accessible if a reader is trying to work through a particular management problem.<\/p>\n

Throughout, there\u2019s a personal flavor, as if you\u2019re having a private consultation with Andersen.\u00a0 The tone is positive, down-to-earth, and specific \u2013 a welcome change from most management books, which seem either to oversimplify or to wallow in impenetrable jargon.\u00a0 Growing Great Employees<\/em> does neither.\u00a0 Non-gardeners may roll their eyes a bit at chapter titles such as \u201cStaking and Weeding\u201d and \u201cSome Plants Don\u2019t Make It,\u201d but Andersen has a charming way of laughing a bit at her own tendency to push the metaphor.\u00a0 (She says in the introduction, \u201cI intend to wring every last drop [from the gardening image] by the end of the final chapter.\u201d)\u00a0 It\u2019s not really a gimmick:\u00a0 more of a useful trellis on which some prize roses grow.<\/p>\n

Is Growing Great Employees<\/em> for you?\u00a0 It\u2019s worth a look.\u00a0 As productivity demands increase and hierarchies flatten, hiring and keeping good people becomes crucial.\u00a0 As Andersen says, \u201cMost of the things that make employees want to work for a particular company can be provided by a skillful manager.\u00a0 I can help you be that kind of manager.\u201d\u00a0 I think she\u2019s right.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Erika Andersen of Proteus International is coming out with a new book next month. \u00a0It’s called\u00a0Leading So People Will Follow,\u00a0and I’m looking forward to it. A few years back, Erika wrote the best book on management that I had ever read. \u00a0I was reviewing books then for\u00a0Perdido Magazine,\u00a0and they sent me a copy of Growing …<\/p>\n

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