These 75 conceptual nuggets of wisdom touch on all of the important people management paths that managers need to navigate when hiring, leading, record-keeping, avoiding legal pitfalls, inspiring employee engagement, and developing an effective employee-friendly corporate culture. The real strength of the book is in the comprehensive detail that the author provides for each topic.
A continual problem that I have encountered at different levels of management is retaining talented employees. Those bright stars on your team get noticed both inside and outside your company. You want them to grow and shine, but at most companies there aren’t enough open positions or money to give promotions and raises as fast as everyone wants them.
In the segment “Salvaging Restless Top Performers…,” the author homes in on the importance of employee engagement. His recommendations include developing trust, encouraging open communication, and giving recognition and appreciation to top-performing teams and individuals on a regular basis. This strategy of openness, as well as commitment to and recognition of employees, fosters a culture of doing important work that matters.
A related topic is what the author calls “Servant Leadership”—a selfless strategy that puts team members’ needs above the manager’s own and sets the expectation for them to do the same. This involves stoking inspiration and emotion, not just falling back on logic and repetition of goals. Methods to keep employees engaged include rotating assignments and training opportunities. The author also offers suggestions for what to talk and ask about in meetings with employees in order to understand and motivate them.
This book has a lot of valuable employee management advice to offer. I expect you’ll be cracking this book open regularly like I do, going back to find the insights relevant to the managerial challenges you’re facing at any given time.
July 2019
