The Manager: Understanding and Influencing People

There are three factors that determine the profits of an organization, but only one over which management has any direct influence: the behavior of the people in the organization.

From this book, managers will learn to:

- Assess the assets and liabilities of people quickly and accurately.

- Understand the motivations of subordinates, peers, and superiors.

- Appreciate the pervasive role of fear in driving the behavior of others.

- Effectively respond to disruptive, ineffective behavior by others.

- Evaluate the obstacles preventing a person from achieving their full potential.

- Give constructive feedback that results in overcoming these obstacles.

- Build a competent, cooperative, results-oriented team.

Throughout the text are practical exercises for the reader to engage in, which will effect specific behavioral changes in others, thus giving the reader the experience of using the principles in meaningful, real-life situations and, in effect, serving as a "virtual coach" for the reader. This is a practical guide to successful techniques that lead to readily observable, dramatic changes in the behavior of others.

David W. Thompson, Ph.D., is the President of MTR Corp, a management consulting firm based in Chicago. He is the author of Psychology in Clinical Practice; Managing People, Influencing Behavior; and What You Fear is Who You Are: The Role of Fear in Relationships.

Dr. Thompson's primary professional interests are in the areas of managerial assessment, and management training and development. He holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago and a doctoral degree in psychology from the Illinois Institute of Technology.