Książki

The manager's must-have guide to excelling in all aspects of the job


Mind Tools for Managers helps new and experienced leaders develop the skills they need to be more effective in everything they do. It brings together the 100 most important leadership skills-as voted for by 15,000 managers and professionals worldwide-into a single volume, providing an easy-access solutions manual for people wanting to be the best manager they can be. Each chapter details a related group of skills, providing links to additional resources as needed, plus the tools you need to put ideas into practice. Read beginning-to-end, this guide provides a crash course on the essential skills of any effective manager; used as a reference, its clear organization allows you to find the solution you need quickly and easily.


Success in a leadership position comes from results, and results come from the effective coordination of often competing needs: your organization, your client, your team, and your projects. These all demand time, attention, and energy, and keeping everything running smoothly while making the important decisions is a lot to handle. This book shows you how to manage it all, and manage it well, with practical wisdom and expert guidance.





Build your ideal team and keep them motivated

Make better decisions and boost your strategy game

Manage both time and stress to get more done with less

Master effective communication, facilitate innovation, and much more



Managers wear many hats and often operate under a tremendously diverse set of job duties. Delegation, prioritization, strategy, decision making, communication, problem solving, creativity, time management, project management and stress management are all part of your domain. Mind Tools for Managers helps you take control and get the best out of your team, your time, and yourself.

Mind Tools for Managers: 100 Ways to be a Better Boss

Acknowledgments xv





Author Biographies xvii





Introduction xix





PART I. KNOW AND MANAGE YOURSELF 1





Chapter 1 Know Yourself 3





1. Understand Your Own Personality and Manage Accordingly (The Big Five Personality Model) 4





2. Understand and Make Better Use of Your Personal Strengths (Personal SWOT Analysis) 6





3. Set Clear Personal Goals, and Show a Strong Sense of Direction (Personal Goal Setting) 7





4. Build Your Self-Confidence 8





5. Be Aware of How Your Actions Impact Others ( Journaling for Self-Development) 10





6. Think Positively and Manage Negative Thoughts (Cognitive Restructuring) 11





7. Adopt a Self-Development Mindset (Dweck's Fixed and Growth Mindsets) 13





Other Techniques for Knowing Yourself 15





Chapter 2 Plan and Manage Your Time 16





8. Find More Time in Your Day by Eliminating Low-Yield Activities (Activity Logs) 17





9. Prioritize Tasks Effectively for Yourself and Your Team (Action Priority Matrix) 19





10. Use a Structured Approach for Tracking and Prioritizing Many Tasks (Action Programs) 21





11. Schedule Your Time Effectively 22 12. Keep Yourself Focused: Managing





Distractions, Improving Flow 24





13. Beat Procrastination 25





Other Techniques for Planning and Managing Your Time 27





Chapter 3 Cope with Change and Stress 28





14. Develop Personal Resiliency, and Grow from Setbacks 29





15. Analyze and Manage Sources of Stress (Stress Diaries) 31





16. Manage Negative Emotions at Work (The STOP Method for Anger Management) 32





17. Manage the Impact of Pressure on Performance (The Inverted-U Model) 33





18. Overcome Fears of Failure or Success 35





19. Learn from Your Experience in a Systematic Way (Gibbs's Reflective Cycle) 37





Other Techniques for Coping with Change and Stress 39





Chapter 4 Manage Your Career over Time 40





20. Find a Career That Suits Who You Are (Ibarra's Identify Transition Process) 41





21. Find a Role That Provides Meaning and Pleasure and Fully Uses Your Strengths (The MPS Process) 44





22. Shape Your Role to Suit Your Strengths and Aspirations ( Job Crafting) 44





23. Thrive at Work (The GREAT DREAM Model) 46





24. Find the Work-Life Balance That's Best for You (The Wheel of Life (R)) 48





25. Understand the Types of Behavior That Can Derail Your Career (Hogan Management Derailment) 49





Other Techniques for Managing Your Career 51





PART II. MANAGE TASKS, AND GET THINGS DONE 53





Chapter 5 Get Work Done in an Efficient and Focused Way 55





26. Translate the Organization's Mission into Goals That People Understand (OGSM) 56





27. Align People's Objectives with Corporate Goals (OKRs) 57





28. Systematically Analyze and Optimize the Work Team Members Do (DILO) 58





29. Use a Structured Approach to Continuous Improvement (PDSA) 60





30. Systematically Identify What Needs to Be Done - Gap Analysis 62





31. Conduct Post-Completion Project Reviews (Retrospectives) 64





32. Manage Projects Using Agile Methodologies (Agile Project Management) 65





Chapter 6 Solve Problems Effectively 68





33. Get Systematically to the Root of a Problem (Root Cause Analysis) 69





34. Identify the Many Possible Causes of a Problem (Cause and Effect Analysis) 71





35. Map Business Processes Clearly (Swim Lane Diagrams) 73





36. Solve Problems by Capitalizing on What's Going Well (The 5-D Approach to Appreciative Inquiry) 77





37. Bring People Together to Solve Problems (Manage Group Dynamics) 78





Other Useful Problem-Solving Techniques 80





Chapter 7 Make Smart Decisions 81





38. Decide Whether a Decision Makes Financial Sense (Net Present Value Analysis) 82





39. Choose Between Options and Considering Multiple Factors (Decision Matrix Analysis) 84





40. Consider Many Factors, Such as Opportunities, Risks, Reactions, and Ethics in Decision Making (ORAPAPA) 86





41. Analyze Systematically What Could Go Wrong (Risk Analysis and Risk Management) 88





42. Prioritize Risks by Impact and Probability of Occurrence (The Risk Impact/Probability Chart) 90





43. Avoid Psychological Bias in Decision Making 91





Other Useful Decision-Making Techniques 94





Chapter 8 Foster Creativity and Innovation 95





44. Develop New Ideas by Understanding User Needs (Design Thinking) 96





45. Innovate by Studying People's Day-to-Day Use of Products and Services in Depth (Ethnographic Research) 98





46. Innovate by Making Sense of How the Business World Is Changing (Scenario Planning) 100





47. Innovate in All Areas of Your Business, Not Just with Products and Services (Doblin's 10 Types of Innovation) 102





48. Generate Many Ideas Using Free Association (Brainstorming) 104





Other Techniques for Fostering Creativity and Innovation 106





PART III.WORK WITH AND MANAGE OTHER PEOPLE 107





Chapter 9 Understand and Motivate Other People 109





49. Lead by Example (Being a Good Role Model) 110





50. Listen Carefully and Intensely to Other People (Mindful Listening) 112





51. Understand How to Motivate People (Herzberg's Motivation-Hygiene Theory) 113





52. Work Effectively with People from Different Generations (Understand Different Generational Characteristics) 115





53. Develop Emotional Intelligence 117





54. Motivate People to Go above and beyond (Transformational Leadership) 119





Other Techniques for Understanding and Motivating Other People 121





Chapter 10 Get the Best from Members of Your Team 122





55. Delegate Effectively 123





56. Be Clear About Who Is Accountable for What (The RACI Matrix) 125





57. Give Effective Praise and Recognition 126





58. Build Team Members' Self-Confidence 128





59. Support Your People Effectively (Heron's Six Categories of Intervention) 129





Other Ways to Get the Best from Members of Your Team 131





Chapter 11 Communicate Effectively 132





60. Understand the Key Principles of Good Communication (The Seven Cs of Communication) 133





61. Speak Well in Public 134





62. Write Effective E-Mails 136





63. Build Good Working Relationships with People at All Levels (Create "High-Quality Connections") 137





64. Communicate Effectively Across Cultures (Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions) 138





Other Techniques for Communicating Effectively 141





Chapter 12 Hire and Develop Good People 142





65. Design Jobs Effectively (Motivation- Centered Job Descriptions) 143





66. Recruit Effectively (Competency-Based Interviewing) 146





67. Assess Individual Development Needs (Skills Matrices) 148





68. Give Effective Feedback (The SBI Feedback Model) 149





69. Coach People Effectively (The GROW Model) 151





Chapter 13 Build a Great Team 154





70. Formally Define the Team's Mission, Authority, Resources, and Boundaries (Team Charters) 155





71. Brief Your Team Clearly 157





72. Build Trust in Your Team 159





73. Build Openness and Self-Knowledge within a Team (The Johari Window) 160





74. Find the Specific Motivators That Work Best with Your Team (Understand Team-Specific Motivation) 162





75. Manage Negative Behaviors and Resolve Conflict (Lencioni's Five Dysfunctions of a Team) 164





Chapter 14 Deal with Difficult Management Situations Effectively 166





76. Resolve Conflict Effectively (Fisher and Ury's Principled Negotiation) 167





77. Deal with Bad Behavior at Work 168





78. Deal with Office Politics, and Protect Your Team from Them 170





79. Handle Poor Performance 173





80. Be Tactful 175





PART IV. GENERAL COMMERCIAL AWARENESS 177





Chapter 15 Develop Situational Awareness 179





81. Understand Your Organization's Mission and Values (Mission Statements) 180





82. Scan for External Changes That May Impact Your Organization (PESTLIED Analysis) 182





83. Understand How Companies Compete in Your Market (Value Curves) 184





84. Understand Your Organization's Core Competencies 186





85. Organizational Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT Analysis) 188





Chapter 16 Get Ahead in the Wider Organization 191





86. Understand and Shape How Others in Your Organization See You (The PVI Model) 192





87. Ask for Feedback (The SKS Technique) 194





88. Build Honest Rapport with Others 195





89. Develop Effective Networking Skills 197





90. Influence Your Peers to Get Things Done (Yukl and Tracey's Influencers) 199





Chapter 17 Make Change Happen in Your Organization 201





91. Understand Stakeholder Needs, and Bring Stakeholders Along with You (Stakeholder Management and Power/ Interest Grids) 202





92. Understand the Key Steps Needed to Succeed with a Change Process (Kotter's Eight-Step Change Model) 205





93. Anticipate and Manage People's Emotional Reactions to Change(The Change Curve) 206





94. Persuade and Influence People (Effectively (The Influence Model) 208





95. Lead Change Without Formal Authority ("Stealth Innovation") 210





Chapter 18 Work Effectively with Customers and External Stakeholders 212





96. Understand Your Customer's Worldview (Develop Customer Personas) 213





97. Understand and Develop Your Relationship with Your Customer (Customer Experience Mapping) 215





98. Understand How Decisions Are Made in Another Organization (Influence Mapping) 217





99. Decide the Best Approach to a Negotiation (Lewicki and Hiam's Negotiation Matrix) 219





100. Collaborate to Create Mutually Beneficial Outcomes (Win-Win Negotiation) 222





Appendix: Survey Methodology 225





References 227





Index 235