This book fills the “people management” learning gap for new managers. Here is a complete “How to” for both managing and leading. Learn how to best manage your boss, your people and yourself in the all important first management role. The book covers hiring, motivating, delegating, influencing, managing time, firing – in fact everything you will need to know and learn about leading and managing. NEW EDITION: Managing Change, Managing the Social Media, Managing Virtual & Remote Teams.
“What To Do When You Become The Boss” has been primarily written to help the new manager settle in and become both effective and efficient in his or her new role.
But it should also be a great boost to organisations who are keen to improve their bottom line. Not only are good managers more productive than their counterparts, but an effective manager who also shows good leadership skills, can have a major impact on both their direct reports and indeed their peers. Training and developing new managers can be a lot cheaper and more productive, and certainly more motivating, than many of the endless cost cutting measures organisations seem to currently embark on.
This book is unusual. Readers are directed to specific areas according to their individual learning style. So even those who do not normally read books find it easy (for example with summaries, or tips on how to get others involved in their learning) to gain some very important management and leadership lessons. Only the first two chapters are essential reading! Other chapters can be read and used as needed – for example, “How to select the right person for the role”, or an interesting one that catches the eye “How to select your new boss”. For the new manager, this book becomes a very time efficient way of learning how to lead and manage. And for budget minded organisations, at $24.95 it’s far cheaper than traditional training courses.
“What To Do When You Become The Boss” engages the reader. The chapters are short, yet each has a comprehensive checklist that shows the new manager how to implement good management and leadership concepts on a day to day basis. It’s a very practical read for all new managers, actually for all managers.
Excerpt
How Busy Are You?
You receive a phone call from the CEO who asks whether you’d be interested in taking on a special assignment. In this assignment you would report directly to the CEO and participate in making some of the important strategic decisions facing the organisation. This assignment would provide you personally with major growth and career
opportunities. The offer has only one catch; because the assignment is
only part time requiring about one day per week, you would have to do
your present job in the remaining four days.
Would you take the assignment?
Before reading any further please answer “”Yes” or “No” – Would
you take the assignment?
Harvard Business Review (Ashkenas, R.N. and Schaffer R.H., Jan 2002)
report that this question has been posed to hundreds of managers, most of
whom believed that they already lacked the time to do their jobs properly.
Yet, ninety nine percent of them take the assignment.
Why?
Professional Reviews
A
“Nothing is more practical that a good theory”. Kurt Lewin’s quote sums up this book and Bob’s ability to address the realities of managing people in changing environments. In each chapter he demonstrates a rare gift of being able to translate conceptual frameworks into practical processes and actions which managers can build into their daily work routines. The rich array of case studies, many drawn from Bob’s own experience as a line manager, add colour and weight to this comprehensive ‘must read’ user’s guide for new and not so new managers.
Humphrey Armstrong, Organisational Psychologist, Lifelong Learning Systems, Sydney, Australia
Intuitive, informative, and insightful
Intuitive, informative, and insightful discussions of what to do (and what not) when you become the boss. As I read, I was reminded of how important it is to understand the dynamics when managing your team, your boss, your peers and last but not least, yourself. This book is packed with excellent advice. It’s an invaluable resource for those about to join the league of managers. Actually, it’s an invaluable resource for everyone already in management.
Martin P. J. John, Pigments & Additives Division, Head of Marketing & Sales Support, Clariant International Ltd, Basel, Switzerland
A fabulous book'
A fabulous book! Whatever the industry or profession, this book is invaluable to the new manager. Working in a foreign country tasked with capacity building is challenging and it’s not always easy to focus on the training and transfer of skills and knowledge. This book has made me realise the importance of empowering people and provided me with useful insights on motivating those I supervise and work with. Structured according to the reader’s learning style, this book engages the reader and covers relevant topics in an easy to read format.
Maria José Campos, Senior Legal Officer, Timor Sea Designated Authority, Dili, Timor
Don’t Wait, Lead Now is a must-read for emerging leaders and anyone in leadership that wants to up their game— full of practical, real-world examples that highlight the traits and behaviors that create high-performing teams.
