Cover

Table of Contents

Introduction

About This Book

Conventions Used in This Book

What You’re Not to Read

Foolish Assumptions

How This Book Is Organized

Part I: Getting Started as a Manager

Part II: Mastering Key Management Duties

Part III: Tools and Techniques for Managing

Part IV: Tough Times for Tough Managers

Part V: The Part of Tens

Icons Used in This Book

Where to Go from Here

Part I: Getting Started as a Manager

Chapter 1: You’re a Manager — Now What?

Identifying the Different Styles of Management

Tough guy (or gal) management

Nice guy (or gal) management

The right kind of management

Meeting the Management Challenge

Skipping quick fixes that don’t stick

Partnering with your employees

Being open to new ideas and procedures

Establishing two-way trust

Mastering the New Functions of Management

Energize

Empower

Support

Communicate

Taking the First Steps toward Becoming a Manager

Look and listen

Do and learn

Chapter 2: Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way

Understanding the Difference between Management and Leadership

Figuring Out What Leaders Do

Inspire action

Communicate

Support and facilitate

Surveying Leading Leadership Traits

Optimism

Confidence

Integrity

Decisiveness

Sharing Leadership Roles with Employees

Chapter 3: Recognizing and Rewarding High Performance

Managing Positive Consequences

Figuring Out What Motivates Today’s Employees

Using a variety of motivating incentives

Creating a supportive work environment

Realizing that you hold the key to your employees’ motivation

Recognizing the limitations of money as a motivator

Creating a Recognition and Rewards System

Using Praise and Recognition to Everyone’s Advantage

Including four types of praise

Using elements of a good praising

Covering key aspects of effective recognition

Making an impact with a simple “Thanks”

Making a big deal about little things

Finding power in peer-initiated recognition

Rewarding Employees without Breaking the Bank

Chapter 4: Creating an Engaged Workforce

Understanding the Power of Employee Engagement

Creating a Clear and Compelling Direction

Assessing employees’ understanding of mission and purpose

Modifying strategies to meet goals

Opening Lines of Communication

Employing direct, two-way communication

Exploring communication techniques

Communicating bad news and dealing with rumors

Involving Employees and Encouraging Initiative

Guiding employee focus

Asking employees for their input and ideas

Involving employees in decision making

Increasing Employee Autonomy, Flexibility, and Support

Giving employees a say in their own work

Allowing flexible work schedules

Making the most of technology for working remotely

Providing managerial accessibility and support

Part II: Mastering Key Management Duties

Chapter 5: Hiring: The Million-Dollar Decision

Starting with a Clear Job Description

Defining the Characteristics of Desirable Candidates

Finding Good People

Going through traditional recruiting channels

Leveraging the power of the Internet

Becoming a Great Interviewer

Asking the right questions

Following interviewing do’s

Avoiding interviewing don’ts

Evaluating Your Candidates

Checking references

Reviewing your notes

Conducting a second (or third) round

Hiring the Best (and Leaving the Rest)

Being objective

Trusting your gut

Revisiting the candidate pool

Chapter 6: Goal Setting Made Easy

Knowing Where You’re Going

Identifying SMART Goals

Setting Goals: Less Is More

Communicating Your Vision and Goals to Your Team

Juggling Priorities: Keeping Your Eye on the Ball

Using Your Power for Good: Making Your Goals Reality

Chapter 7: Developing Employees through Coaching and Mentoring

Why Help Develop Your Employees?

Getting Down to Employee Development

Taking a step-by-step approach

Creating career development plans

Balancing development and downsizing

Coaching Employees to Career Growth and Success

Serving as both manager and coach

Identifying a coach’s tools

Teaching through show-and-tell coaching

Making turning points big successes

Incorporating coaching into your day-to-day interactions

Finding a Mentor, Being a Mentor

Chapter 8: It’s a Team Thing

Identifying Advantages of Empowered Teams

Freeing up manager time and boosting morale

Spotlighting quality

Operating in a smaller and nimbler way

Staying innovative and adaptable

Setting Up and Supporting Your Teams

Deciding on the type of team

Helping teams work in the real world

Taking advantage of new technology in team operations

Meetings: Putting Teams to Work

Avoiding common problems with meetings

Following the eight keys to great meetings

Leveraging Internet meeting tools

Chapter 9: Managing Virtual Employees

Making Room for a New Kind of Employee

Preparing to get virtual

Understanding changes to the office culture

Weighing the pros and cons of telecommuting

Managing from a Distance

Increasing your interaction

Providing long-distance recognition

Using the Internet

Managing Different Shifts

Chapter 10: Monitoring Performance and Execution

Turning Goals into Action

Developing a System for Immediate Performance Feedback

Setting your checkpoints: The milestones

Reaching your checkpoints: The actions

Sequencing your activity: The relationships

Establishing your time frame: The schedules

Putting Performance Measuring and Monitoring into Practice

Case 1: Revamping processes for world-class performance

Case 2: Helping employees give 100 percent

Measuring Progress with Bar Charts, Flowcharts, and Other Yardsticks

Bar charts

Flowcharts

Software/Web tools

Assessing Execution and Moving Forward

Part III: Tools and Techniques for Managing

Chapter 11: Delegating to Get Things Done

Delegating: The Manager’s Best Tool

Debunking Myths about Delegation

You can’t trust your employees to be responsible

You’ll lose control of a task and its outcome

You’re the only one with all the answers

You can do the work faster by yourself

Delegation dilutes your authority

You relinquish the credit for doing a good job

Delegation decreases your flexibility

Taking the Six Steps to Delegate

Sorting Out What to Delegate and What to Do Yourself

Pointing out appropriate tasks for delegation

Knowing what tasks should stay with you

Checking Up Instead of Checking Out

Chapter 12: Communicating Your Message

Understanding Communication: The Cornerstone of Business

Getting the Message by Being an Active Listener

Harnessing the Power of the Written Word

Making Presentations

Preparing to present

Making an impact with pictures

Delivering your presentation

Scrutinizing Communication: What’s Real and What’s Not

Believing actions, not words

Reading between the lines

Probing for information

Chapter 13: The Fine Art of Performance Evaluations

Evaluating Performance: Why Bother?

Spelling Out the Performance Evaluation Process

Doing the Right Prep Work

Preparing for the no-surprises evaluation

Avoiding common evaluation mistakes

Chapter 14: Budgeting, Accounting, and Other Financial Stuff

Exploring the Wonderful World of Budgets

Making a Budget

Pulling Rabbits out of Hats and Other Budget Tricks

Maneuvering up-front budgets

Staying on budget

Understanding the Basics of Accounting

Figuring out the accounting equation

Knowing double-entry bookkeeping

Identifying the Most Common Types of Financial Statements

The balance sheet

The income statement

The cash-flow statement

Chapter 15: Harnessing the Power of Technology

Weighing the Benefits and Drawbacks of Technology in the Workplace

Making advances, thanks to automation

Improving efficiency and productivity

Taking steps to neutralize the negatives

Using Technology to Your Advantage

Know your business

Create a technology-competitive advantage

Develop a plan

Get some help

Getting the Most Out of Company Networks

Chapter 16: Embracing Corporate Social Responsibility and Ethics

Understanding Socially Responsible Practices

Figuring out how you can employ CSR

Enjoying net benefits of socially responsible practices

Developing a CSR strategy for implementation

Evaluating the Political Side of Your Workplace

Assessing your organization’s political environment

Identifying key players

Redrawing your organization chart

Doing the Right Thing: Ethics and You

Defining ethics on the job

Creating a code of ethics

Making ethical choices every day

Part IV: Tough Times for Tough Managers

Chapter 17: Managing Change and Morale

Understanding Urgency and Crisis

When urgency is really poor planning

Recognizing and dealing with crises

Accepting that Change Happens

Identifying the four stages of change

Are you (or your employees) fighting change?

Guiding Employees through Change

Helping employees cope

Encouraging employee initiative

Keeping employees’ spirits high

Making a Change When All Else Fails

Chapter 18: Employee Discipline for Improving Performance

Getting to the Root of Employee Discipline

Focusing on Performance, Not Personalities

Identifying the Two Tracks of Discipline

Dealing with performance problems

Dealing with misconduct

Disciplining Employees: A Suite in Five Parts

Step 1: Describe the unacceptable behavior

Step 2: Express the impact to the work unit

Step 3: Specify the required changes

Step 4: Outline the consequences

Step 5: Provide emotional support

Putting it all together

Making a Plan for Improvement

Implementing the Improvement Plan

Chapter 19: Terminating Employees When All Else Fails

Understanding the Types of Terminations

Voluntary terminations

Involuntary terminations

Firing someone humanely, no matter what the reason

Conducting a Layoff

Following Procedure to Fire an Employee

Taking steps to protect yourself prior to firing

Planning the meeting and stating the facts

Defusing tense firing meetings

Determining the Best Time to Terminate

Part V: The Part of Tens

Chapter 20: Ten Common Management Mistakes

Not Making the Transition from Worker to Manager

Not Setting Clear Goals and Expectations for Your Employees

Failing to Delegate

Failing to Communicate

Not Making Time for Employees

Not Recognizing Employee Achievements

Failing to Learn from Change

Resisting Change

Choosing the Quick Fix over the Lasting Solution

Taking It All Too Seriously

Chapter 21: Ten Tips for New Managers

Set Clear Goals and Expectations

Don’t Play Favorites

Set a Good Example

Remember That You Get What You Reward

Get to Know Your People

Learn How to Delegate

Find a Good Mentor, Be a Good Mentor

Encourage Teamwork

Communicate, Communicate, Communicate

Be a Coach

Chapter 22: Ten Tips for Maintaining Your Work–Life Balance

Make the Case for a More Flexible Workplace

Avoid Workaholism

Manage Your Stress

Change What You Can Change

Accept What You Can’t Change

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

Use Positive Affirmations

Relax!

Take a Mental Vacation

Have Fun

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Bob Nelson, PhD: Dr. Nelson (San Diego, California) is president of Nelson Motivation Inc., a management training and consulting company that specializes in helping organizations improve their management practices, programs, and systems.

Dr. Nelson has sold more than 3.5 million books on management and motivation, which have been translated in more than 35 languages, including 1001 Ways to Reward Employees (now in its 55th printing), The 1001 Rewards & Recognition Fieldbook, 1001 Ways to Energize Employees, 1001 Ways to Take Initiative at Work, Keeping Up in a Down Economy, Ubuntu: An Inspiring Story of an African Principle of Teamwork and Collaboration, and (with Peter Economy) The Management Bible and Consulting For Dummies, 2nd Edition.

He has appeared extensively in the media, including on CBS’s 60 Minutes, CNN, MSNBC, PBS, and National Public Radio, and has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, BusinessWeek, Fortune, and Inc. magazines to discuss how to best motivate today’s employees.

Dr. Nelson holds an MBA in organizational behavior from UC Berkeley and received his PhD in management with Dr. Peter F. Drucker at the Drucker Graduate Management School of Claremont Graduate University in suburban Los Angeles, where his doctoral dissertation was titled “Factors that Encourage or Inhibit the Use of Non-Monetary Recognition by U.S. Managers.”

For more information about available products or services offered by Nelson Motivation Inc., including registration for Dr. Nelson’s free Tip of the Week, visit www.nelson-motivation.com. For information about having Dr. Nelson present to or consult with your organization, association, or conference, contact Nelson Motivation Inc. at 800-575-5521 in the U.S., or Dr. Nelson directly at bobrewards@aol.com or by phone at 858-673-0690 PST.

Peter Economy: Peter Economy (La Jolla, California) is the associate editor for Leader to Leader, the Apex Award–winning publication of the Leader to Leader Institute. Peter is also the best-selling author of more than 50 books, including Managing For Dummies, The Management Bible, The SAIC Solution: How We Built an $8 Billion Employee-Owned Technology Company, and Lessons from the Edge: Survival Skills for Starting and Growing a Company. Peter was the home-based business expert for the AllBusiness.com, NBCi, McAfee.com, iVillage.com, and CNBC.com websites. He also was the staff management expert for TIME magazine’s TIME Vista Boardroom Web site, along with such business luminaries as reengineering expert Michael Hammer and marketing gurus Michael Treacy and Jack Trout. Peter also penned a regular column on client relations for 1099.com, a Web site geared to the needs of independent professionals, and he has written articles for a number of magazines, including Gallup Management Journal and Sailing World. Peter earned his BA from Stanford University and his postgraduate certificate in business administration from Edinburgh Business School. Visit Peter at his Web site, www.petereconomy.com.

To any manager who has struggled to do the job and every employee who has had to live with the consequences.

Bob recalls three influential mentors in his career: Jim Reller, a delegator par excellence in Bob’s first corporate position at Control Data Corporation, often gave out assignments with a disclaimer such as, “I could probably do this task faster than you, but I believe you’ll learn a lot from the process”; Dr. Ken Blanchard, co-author of The One Minute Manager, whom Bob worked with for more than ten years, demonstrated how to get the best efforts from people by using the softer side of management and never directly telling them what to do; and Dr. Peter F. Drucker, whom Bob worked with in his PhD studies at Claremont Graduate University, taught him that the best management principles were also the simplest ones.

These mentors taught more than just the technical skills of assigning work, conducting a performance appraisal, or disciplining an employee. They emphasized the people side of management: how to motivate employees by example, reward them when they exceed expectations, and make each person feel like he or she is the most important in the world.

Bob and Peter also appreciate everyone at Wiley Publishing, Inc., who has helped to make their books — and Managing For Dummies, 3rd Edition, in particular — be the best, including Stacy Kennedy, Elizabeth Rea, Krista Hansing, and Julie Cookson.

On the personal side, Bob would like to acknowledge the ongoing love and support of his parents, Helen and Edward; his wife, Jennifer; and his children, Daniel and Michelle. Peter acknowledges his wife, Jan, and his children, Peter J, Skylar Park, and Jackson Warren, for their everlasting love and for putting up with his crazy life. May the circle be unbroken.

We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our online registration form located at http://dummies.custhelp.com. For other comments, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002.

Introduction

Congratulations! As a result of your astute choice of material, you’re about to read a completely fresh approach to the topic of management. If you’ve already read other books about management, you’ve surely noticed that most of them fall into one of two categories: (1) deadly boring snooze-o-rama that makes a great paperweight; or (2) recycled platitudes glazed with a thin sugar coating of pop psychobabble, which sound great on paper but fail abysmally in the real world.

Managing For Dummies, 3rd Edition is different. First, this book is fun. Our approach reflects our strong belief and experience that management can be fun, too. You can get the job done and have fun in the process. We even help you maintain a sense of humor in the face of the seemingly insurmountable challenges that all managers have to deal with from time to time. On some days, you’ll face challenges — perhaps pushing you to your limit or beyond. However, on many more days, the joys of managing — teaching a new skill to an employee, helping land a new customer, accomplishing an important assignment, and so on — can bring you a sense of fulfillment that you never imagined possible.

Second, the vast majority of popular business books seem to be here today and gone tomorrow. Like it or not, many managers (and the companies they work for) seem to be ruled by the business fad of the month. In Managing For Dummies, 3rd Edition, we buck the trend by concentrating on tried-and-true solutions to the most common situations that real supervisors and managers face. Our solutions stand up over time and work in even turbulent times. Since we published the first edition of Managing For Dummies in 1996, managers all around the world have bought more than half a million copies of this book, and it has been translated into more than 16 different languages. Long story short, you won’t find any mumbo-jumbo here — just practical solutions to everyday problems that any manager will find of value.

Managing For Dummies, 3rd Edition breaks the rules by providing a comprehensive overview of the fundamentals of effective management, presented in a fun and interesting format. It doesn’t put you to sleep, nor is it sugarcoated. We know from personal experience that managing can be an intimidating job. New managers — especially ones promoted into the position for their technical expertise — often have trouble knowing what they need to do. Don’t worry. Relax. Help is at your fingertips.

About This Book

Managing For Dummies, 3rd Edition is perfect for all levels of management. If you’re a new manager or a manager-to-be, you can find everything you need to know to be successful. If you’re an experienced manager, we challenge you to shift your perspective and take a fresh look at your management philosophies and techniques. Despite the popular saying that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, you can always incorporate changes that make your job (and the jobs of your employees) easier, resulting in more fun and effectiveness.

Of course, even the most experienced manager can feel overwhelmed from time to time, new tricks or not.

For Bob, this moment came when he was giving an important business presentation to a group of international executives — only to have one of the executives point out that his pants were unzipped. Although Bob scored bonus points for getting his audience’s attention with this novel fashion statement, he could’ve done so in a more strategic way.

For Peter, his overwhelming moment came when he reprimanded an employee for arriving late to work and later learned that the employee had been late because she had stopped at a bakery to buy Peter a cake in celebration of Boss’s Day. Needless to say, the event wasn’t quite as festive as it could’ve been!

Face it, whether you’re new to the job or are facing a new task in your current job, all managers feel overwhelmed sometimes. The secret to dealing with stress is to discover what you can do better (or differently) to obtain your desired results. When you do make a mistake, pick yourself up, laugh it off, and learn from it. We wrote this book to make learning easier so that you won’t have to make all the same mistakes and learn the hard way.

Conventions Used in This Book

When writing this book, we included some general conventions that all For Dummies books use. We use the following:

We italicize any words you may not be familiar with and provide definitions.

We bold all keywords in bulleted lists and the actual steps in numbered lists.

All Web sites and e-mail addresses appear in monofont.

What You’re Not to Read

Not surprisingly, we think every word in this book is worth your time. We know, however, that you may not want to read it all. With that understanding in mind, we make it easy for you to identify “skippable” material by placing it in sidebars. A sidebar is a gray box in each chapter that contains information that is interesting and related to the topic at hand, but not absolutely essential for your success as a manager.

Foolish Assumptions

As we wrote this book, we made a few assumptions about you, our readers. For example, we assumed that you’re either a manager or a manager-to-be and that you’re truly motivated to discover some new approaches to managing organizations and to leading people. We also assumed that you’re ready, willing, and able to commit yourself to becoming a better manager.

How This Book Is Organized

Managing For Dummies, 3rd Edition is organized into five parts. Each part covers a major area of management practice, and the chapters within each part cover specific topics in detail. Following is a summary of what you’ll find in each part.

Part I: Getting Started as a Manager

Becoming a successful manager means understanding and applying several basic skills. This part begins with a discussion of what managers are and what they do, and then looks at the most basic management skills: leading, inspiring, and engaging.

Part II: Mastering Key Management Duties

The heart of management boils down to a number of important management duties — tasks every manager needs to master to successfully get the job done. These duties include hiring new employees, setting goals, coaching and mentoring, working with teams, managing virtual employees, and monitoring performance and execution. We cover each of these duties in this part.

Part III: Tools and Techniques for Managing

To carry out their day-to-day duties, managers have a variety of tools and techniques at their disposal. We cover the most important of these management tools and techniques in this part, including delegating, communicating, evaluating performance, budgeting and accounting, harnessing technology, and applying corporate social responsibility.

Part IV: Tough Times for Tough Managers

As any manager can testify, management isn’t all fun and games. In fact, managing can be downright challenging at times. In this part, we consider some of the toughest tasks of managing: managing change and disciplining and firing employees.

Part V: The Part of Tens

Finally, we include the Part of Tens: a quick-and-dirty collection of chapters, each of which gives you ten pieces of information that every manager needs to know. You’ll find common management mistakes, advice for new managers, and strategies for maintaining your work-life balance. Look to these chapters when you need a quick refresher on managing strategies and techniques.

Icons Used in This Book

To guide you along the way and point out the information you really need to know, this book uses icons along its left margins. You’ll see the following icons in this book:

This icon points to tips and tricks that make managing easier.

If you don’t heed the advice next to these icons, the situation may blow up in your face. Watch out!

Remember these important points of information, and you’ll be a much better manager.

This icon points out wise sayings and other kernels of wisdom that you can take with you on your journey to becoming a better manager.

These anecdotes from Bob and Peter and other real-life managers show you the right — and sometimes wrong — ways to be a manager.

Where to Go from Here

This book is unique because you can read each chapter without having to read what comes before or after. Or you can read the book backward or forward. Or you can just carry it around with you to impress your friends.

If you’re a new or aspiring manager and you want a crash course in management, you may want to start at the beginning and work your way through to the end. Forget about going back to school to get your MBA — you can save your money and take a trip to Hawaii instead. Simply turn the page and take your first step into the world of management.

If you’re already a manager and are short on time (and what manager isn’t short on time?), you may want to turn to a particular topic, such as delegating tasks or hiring employees, to address a specific need or question. The table of contents and index can direct you to the answers you seek.

Enjoy your journey!

Managing For Dummies®, 3rd Edition

Managing For Dummies^®, 3rd Edition