Synopsis
Managing (Right) for the First Time is intended as a field guide for first time managers, or for managers who want to begin doing a better job. The author worked closely with 600+ companies and interviewed more than 10,000 employees, then summarized the findings in an interesting and eminently readable form. Read this book and you're likely to understand management and leadership like you never have before, but also learn very practical steps toward becoming a better manager and leader. The book begins with preface and introduction, and then contains 21 digestible chapter, starting with a unique view of the basics and then building to an interesting conclusion. Chapter 1 talks about who managers are and how you become one in real life, since the circumstances for your promotion have a significant bearing on how your management experience unfolds. Chapter 2 examines the various reasons for promotion, explaining the implications of each. Chapter 3 explains the few but critical elements that allow an inspired start as a leader, including (Chapter 4) how to manage your boss effectively so that the two of you can actually get things done. Chapter 5 recounts the early discoveries you'll make, hopefully eliminating many of the surprises that might stunt your growth as a manager. Then Chapter 6 explains that there are not just two kinds of managers (good managers and bad managers), but in fact three kinds: evil managers, those who are managing, and those who are not managing. This chapter alone provides some seminal thinking that is certain to change your management life. Chapter 7 details the process for finding the right employee candidates. Chapter 8 provides a thorough look at how to screen applicants reliably. And chapter 9 provides a checklist style program for integrating employees through their initial orientation and first few weeks on the job. To that end, Chapter 10 lays out some important principles to keep in mind when structuring employee roles. Chapter 11 is perhaps the fulcrum of the book in that it compiles the most important individual elements of managing employees well, followed by a revolutionary approach to performance reviews (Chapter 12) that you might actually enjoy doing! Chapter 13 urges you to move beyond reluctant leadership, followed by a logical next step in Chapter 14: being a leader that your employees want to follow. It's all neatly tied together in Chapter 15, which examines the creating and sustaining of an appropriate culture at your firm or department. Chapter 16 explains the different styles of managing, allowing for the different personality types. Chapter 17 notes the important transitions you'll make over time, particularly if you want to remain effective. And Chapter 18 contains a short but important message for control freak managers. Chapter 19 argues for a more open approach to management, and chapter 20 shares a unique perspective on work/life balance so that your role is sustainable over time. Chapter 21 concludes with some specific suggestions designed to help the managers who follow you. Finally, there's a concluding section with real advice from real managers who were asked to speak to you, the reader, sharing what they wish they had known when they set out on their own journey.
About the Author
David C. Baker was born in Michigan, but lived in San Miguel Acatan, Guatemala with a tribe of Mayan indians until he was eighteen years old, after which he moved to the United States. He spent six years in graduate school, earning an advanced degree in ancient languages and theology. He has taught at the undergraduate and graduate level. David managed a publisher and mail order book house from 1983-1988 and then owned and ran a marketing firm in Warsaw, IN from 1988-1994. David lives in Nashville, TN with his wife Julie. They have two grown boys: Jonathan, who lives in Atlanta, and Nathan, who lives in Nashville. David enjoys playing racquetball, riding fast motorcycles, taking photographs (ReTake), and flying (he's a helicopter and airplane pilot). Since 1994, David has been a speaker, a writer, and a consultant for the marketing industry via his own firm (ReCourses). He has worked with more than 600 firms individually and thousands of people have been through his seminars. David founded RockBench Publishing Corp., a traditional and electronic publisher of courageous thought leadership content. He has been a featured speaker at nearly every marketing industry conference (HOW, AIGA, PRSA, Counselors Academy, MYOB, SEGD, BDA, PROMAX, Y, etc.), as well as a frequent contributor to nearly all the major publications that serve the marketing industry (Critique, Communication Arts, HOW, Rough, Creative Business, PR Intelligence Report, Creative Planet, In-Review, Graphic Artists Guild, Agency Insider Report, Post Industry, Internet Professional Publishers Association, etc.). He edited Persuading for its entire tenure of six years, earning accolades from subscribers all over the planet. His work has been discussed in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Inc. Magazine, BusinessWeek, Fast Company, Forbes, CBS Business Network, and MarketingProfs. He also contributed portions of Cameron Foote's The Business Side of Creativity, Robert Bly's Internet Direct Mail: The Complete Guide to Successful E-Mail Marketing Campaigns, and the new AIGA book on Professional Practices in Graphic Design. He has contributed to a dozen other publications by leading authors, and a recent three-part booklet series was published by NewPage: David C. Baker Speaks, and he has also written Financial Management of a Marketing Firm, also available on Amazon.
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