The Boss's Survival Guide: Everything You Need to Know About Getting Through (and Getting the Most Out Of) Every Day Book

The Boss's Survival Guide is for managers under siege. If, once upon a time, managing people felt like a stay at the Taj Mahal, today it's more like a visit to Beirut's Commodore Hotel where, during their Civil War, guests we re asked upon check-in, "sniper side or shelling side?". As author and columnist Bob Rosner pointed out in his earlier book, Working Wounded, bosses are poked from above and prodded from below. How to cope? The Boss's Survival Guide aims to give managers tools for handling the shrapnel. Its 430 pages discuss the 65 most vexing challenges bosses face today (including how to screen out "jerks" when hiring, how to let people go fairly and legally, how to change employees' problem behaviours, and how to keep people motivated) and offer concrete advice for handling each one. Lest the size of the book daunt you, this is not one to sit and read cover to cover. It's meant as a reference tool, a kind of "Physicians Desk Reference" that you'd keep on the corner of your desk for help when you're facing a specific dilemma. Which is not to say that it's a dull read. On the contrary, the authors have worked overtime to present the information in humorous, easy-to-digest snapshots. Each chapter is divided into four sections: a short background area called "Know the Issue", a set of concrete action steps, a highly useful section called "Stay out of Jail" and "Manage Up", a short section on how to handle your own boss. Most chapters also include brief Real World Examples and indicate where to go if you need more information on a particular problem. Overall, the book is a comprehensive, highly readable reference tool that would be of use to both new and seasoned managers. In a cover quote, business luminary Ken Blanchard writes, "This book has everything you'll ever need to know about being an effective boss but don't have time to learn." He's right on the money. --Charles DeckerRead More