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goromajima's review
informative
fast-paced
3.0
Pretty good as an entry level book on management styles--if you've read a number of books on the subject or have been in management for a while, I can't imagine you'd get anything new from it.
readerbug2's review
3.0
This is a simple book about how to become a better manager. It's designed to be read efficiently so the busy working person can read it in-between meetings, at lunch, or during the week before holiday break when the office is mostly dead. Since that is it's goal, it achieves it, and I recommend this book to managers who don't have a lot of time on their hands.
While reading it, I found that I already do some of the techniques mentioned in the book, which was a relief, but now there was a fancy name attached to it. There's an attempt at narrative to keep the reader's interest while others might find it pedantic. A word of advice: don't expect a lot from this book, and you'll come away having learned something. I really do believe the material in here was interesting and valuable, even if I could've done without the imaginary employees.
What struck me the most was how Blanchard discusses that different people need different management styles, and sometimes people need a manager who's more encouraging and supportive than authoritarian. Even though this was written in the 80s, the time of big business and gluttonous commercialism, this was insightful. People make fun of millennials for constantly needing praise in the workforce, when this book illustrates that's not true. Everyone needs it at some point in their careers. Take that, grumpy old people.
Again, if you're a manager looking to spruce up your skills, I recommend reading this book. It's quick, easy, to the point, and the narrative isn't really that bad. Sure, the stories it presents are idyllic and don't illustrate scenarios with "bad" employees, but I still think managers can take the points raised in this book and apply them to those individuals as well as everyone else.
While reading it, I found that I already do some of the techniques mentioned in the book, which was a relief, but now there was a fancy name attached to it. There's an attempt at narrative to keep the reader's interest while others might find it pedantic. A word of advice: don't expect a lot from this book, and you'll come away having learned something. I really do believe the material in here was interesting and valuable, even if I could've done without the imaginary employees.
What struck me the most was how Blanchard discusses that different people need different management styles, and sometimes people need a manager who's more encouraging and supportive than authoritarian. Even though this was written in the 80s, the time of big business and gluttonous commercialism, this was insightful. People make fun of millennials for constantly needing praise in the workforce, when this book illustrates that's not true. Everyone needs it at some point in their careers. Take that, grumpy old people.
Again, if you're a manager looking to spruce up your skills, I recommend reading this book. It's quick, easy, to the point, and the narrative isn't really that bad. Sure, the stories it presents are idyllic and don't illustrate scenarios with "bad" employees, but I still think managers can take the points raised in this book and apply them to those individuals as well as everyone else.
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