Managing For Dummies®, 3rd Edition

Managing For Dummies®, 3rd Edition

by Bob Nelson PhD, Peter Economy
Released July 2010
Publisher(s): For Dummies
ISBN: 9780470618134

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Book description

The fast and easy way to learn how to manage people, projects, and teams

Being a manager can be an intimidating and challenging task. Managing involves teaching new skills to employees, helping land a new customer, accomplishing an important assignment, increasing performance, and much more. The process of management can be very challenging at times, but it can also bring you a sense of fulfillment that you never imagined possible.

Managing For Dummies, 3rd Edition is perfect for all levels of managers. This clearly written, easy-to-understand guide gives you practical advice on the most important aspects of managing, such as delegating as opposed to ordering, improving employees' performances, getting your message across, understanding ethics and office policies, team building and collaboration, and much more.

  • Tips and advice for new and experienced managers

  • All-new chapters on employee encouragement and corporate social responsibility

  • Guidance on managing employees by leveraging the power of the Internet

Managing in today's lightning-speed business world requires that you have the latest information and techniques for getting the job done. Managing For Dummies, 3rd Edition provides you with straightforward advice and up-to-the-minute strategies for dealing with anything that comes your way.

Table of contents

  1. Copyright
  2. About the Authors
  3. Authors' Acknowledgments
  4. Publisher's Acknowledgments
  5. Introduction
    1. About This Book
    2. Conventions Used in This Book
    3. What You're Not to Read
    4. Foolish Assumptions
    5. How This Book Is Organized
      1. Part I: Getting Started as a Manager
      2. Part II: Mastering Key Management Duties
      3. Part III: Tools and Techniques for Managing
      4. Part IV: Tough Times for Tough Managers
      5. Part V: The Part of Tens
    6. Icons Used in This Book
    7. Where to Go from Here
  6. I. Getting Started as a Manager
    1. 1. You're a Manager — Now What?
      1. 1.1. Identifying the Different Styles of Management
        1. 1.1.1. Tough guy (or gal) management
        2. 1.1.2. Nice guy (or gal) management
        3. 1.1.3. The right kind of management
      2. 1.2. Meeting the Management Challenge
        1. 1.2.1. Skipping quick fixes that don't stick
        2. 1.2.2. Partnering with your employees
        3. 1.2.3. Being open to new ideas and procedures
        4. 1.2.4. Establishing two-way trust
      3. 1.3. Mastering the New Functions of Management
        1. 1.3.1. Energize
        2. 1.3.2. Empower
        3. 1.3.3. Support
        4. 1.3.4. Communicate
      4. 1.4. Taking the First Steps toward Becoming a Manager
        1. 1.4.1. Look and listen
        2. 1.4.2. Do and learn
    2. 2. Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way
      1. 2.1. Understanding the Difference between Management and Leadership
      2. 2.2. Figuring Out What Leaders Do
        1. 2.2.1. Inspire action
        2. 2.2.2. Communicate
        3. 2.2.3. Support and facilitate
      3. 2.3. Surveying Leading Leadership Traits
        1. 2.3.1. Optimism
        2. 2.3.2. Confidence
        3. 2.3.3. Integrity
        4. 2.3.4. Decisiveness
      4. 2.4. Sharing Leadership Roles with Employees
    3. 3. Recognizing and Rewarding High Performance
      1. 3.1. Managing Positive Consequences
      2. 3.2. Figuring Out What Motivates Today's Employees
        1. 3.2.1. Using a variety of motivating incentives
        2. 3.2.2. Creating a supportive work environment
        3. 3.2.3. Realizing that you hold the key to your employees' motivation
        4. 3.2.4. Recognizing the limitations of money as a motivator
      3. 3.3. Creating a Recognition and Rewards System
      4. 3.4. Using Praise and Recognition to Everyone's Advantage
        1. 3.4.1. Including four types of praise
        2. 3.4.2. Using elements of a good praising
        3. 3.4.3. Covering key aspects of effective recognition
        4. 3.4.4. Making an impact with a simple "Thanks"
        5. 3.4.5. Making a big deal about little things
        6. 3.4.6. Finding power in peer-initiated recognition
      5. 3.5. Rewarding Employees without Breaking the Bank
    4. 4. Creating an Engaged Workforce
      1. 4.1. Understanding the Power of Employee Engagement
      2. 4.2. Creating a Clear and Compelling Direction
        1. 4.2.1. Assessing employees' understanding of mission and purpose
        2. 4.2.2. Modifying strategies to meet goals
      3. 4.3. Opening Lines of Communication
        1. 4.3.1. Employing direct, two-way communication
        2. 4.3.2. Exploring communication techniques
        3. 4.3.3. Communicating bad news and dealing with rumors
      4. 4.4. Involving Employees and Encouraging Initiative
        1. 4.4.1. Guiding employee focus
        2. 4.4.2. Asking employees for their input and ideas
        3. 4.4.3. Involving employees in decision making
      5. 4.5. Increasing Employee Autonomy, Flexibility, and Support
        1. 4.5.1. Giving employees a say in their own work
        2. 4.5.2. Allowing flexible work schedules
        3. 4.5.3. Making the most of technology for working remotely
        4. 4.5.4. Providing managerial accessibility and support
  7. II. Mastering Key Management Duties
    1. 5. Hiring: The Million-Dollar Decision
      1. 5.1. Starting with a Clear Job Description
      2. 5.2. Defining the Characteristics of Desirable Candidates
      3. 5.3. Finding Good People
        1. 5.3.1. Going through traditional recruiting channels
        2. 5.3.2. Leveraging the power of the Internet
      4. 5.4. Becoming a Great Interviewer
        1. 5.4.1. Asking the right questions
        2. 5.4.2. Following interviewing do's
        3. 5.4.3. Avoiding interviewing don'ts
      5. 5.5. Evaluating Your Candidates
        1. 5.5.1. Checking references
        2. 5.5.2. Reviewing your notes
        3. 5.5.3. Conducting a second (or third) round
      6. 5.6. Hiring the Best (and Leaving the Rest)
        1. 5.6.1. Being objective
        2. 5.6.2. Trusting your gut
        3. 5.6.3. Revisiting the candidate pool
    2. 6. Goal Setting Made Easy
      1. 6.1. Knowing Where You're Going
      2. 6.2. Identifying SMART Goals
      3. 6.3. Setting Goals: Less Is More
      4. 6.4. Communicating Your Vision and Goals to Your Team
      5. 6.5. Juggling Priorities: Keeping Your Eye on the Ball
      6. 6.6. Using Your Power for Good: Making Your Goals Reality
    3. 7. Developing Employees through Coaching and Mentoring
      1. 7.1. Why Help Develop Your Employees?
      2. 7.2. Getting Down to Employee Development
        1. 7.2.1. Taking a step-by-step approach
        2. 7.2.2. Creating career development plans
        3. 7.2.3. Balancing development and downsizing
      3. 7.3. Coaching Employees to Career Growth and Success
        1. 7.3.1. Serving as both manager and coach
        2. 7.3.2. Identifying a coach's tools
        3. 7.3.3. Teaching through show-and-tell coaching
        4. 7.3.4. Making turning points big successes
        5. 7.3.5. Incorporating coaching into your day-to-day interactions
      4. 7.4. Finding a Mentor, Being a Mentor
    4. 8. It's a Team Thing
      1. 8.1. Identifying Advantages of Empowered Teams
        1. 8.1.1. Freeing up manager time and boosting morale
        2. 8.1.2. Spotlighting quality
        3. 8.1.3. Operating in a smaller and nimbler way
        4. 8.1.4. Staying innovative and adaptable
      2. 8.2. Setting Up and Supporting Your Teams
        1. 8.2.1. Deciding on the type of team
          1. 8.2.1.1. Formal teams
          2. 8.2.1.2. Informal teams
          3. 8.2.1.3. Self-managed teams
        2. 8.2.2. Helping teams work in the real world
        3. 8.2.3. Taking advantage of new technology in team operations
      3. 8.3. Meetings: Putting Teams to Work
        1. 8.3.1. Avoiding common problems with meetings
        2. 8.3.2. Following the eight keys to great meetings
        3. 8.3.3. Leveraging Internet meeting tools
    5. 9. Managing Virtual Employees
      1. 9.1. Making Room for a New Kind of Employee
        1. 9.1.1. Preparing to get virtual
        2. 9.1.2. Understanding changes to the office culture
        3. 9.1.3. Weighing the pros and cons of telecommuting
      2. 9.2. Managing from a Distance
        1. 9.2.1. Increasing your interaction
        2. 9.2.2. Providing long-distance recognition
        3. 9.2.3. Using the Internet
      3. 9.3. Managing Different Shifts
    6. 10. Monitoring Performance and Execution
      1. 10.1. Turning Goals into Action
      2. 10.2. Developing a System for Immediate Performance Feedback
        1. 10.2.1. Setting your checkpoints: The milestones
        2. 10.2.2. Reaching your checkpoints: The actions
        3. 10.2.3. Sequencing your activity: The relationships
        4. 10.2.4. Establishing your time frame: The schedules
      3. 10.3. Putting Performance Measuring and Monitoring into Practice
        1. 10.3.1. Case 1: Revamping processes for world-class performance
          1. 10.3.1.1. Step 1: Setting goals with employees
          2. 10.3.1.2. Step 2: Changing the performance-monitoring system
          3. 10.3.1.3. Step 3: Revising the plan
        2. 10.3.2. Case 2: Helping employees give 100 percent
          1. 10.3.2.1. Step 1: Create a program based on the behaviors you want
          2. 10.3.2.2. Step 2: Assign points to the desired behaviors
          3. 10.3.2.3. Step 3: Measure and reward employee performance
      4. 10.4. Measuring Progress with Bar Charts, Flowcharts, and Other Yardsticks
        1. 10.4.1. Bar charts
        2. 10.4.2. Flowcharts
        3. 10.4.3. Software/Web tools
      5. 10.5. Assessing Execution and Moving Forward
  8. III. Tools and Techniques for Managing
    1. 11. Delegating to Get Things Done
      1. 11.1. Delegating: The Manager's Best Tool
      2. 11.2. Debunking Myths about Delegation
        1. 11.2.1. You can't trust your employees to be responsible
        2. 11.2.2. You'll lose control of a task and its outcome
        3. 11.2.3. You're the only one with all the answers
        4. 11.2.4. You can do the work faster by yourself
        5. 11.2.5. Delegation dilutes your authority
        6. 11.2.6. You relinquish the credit for doing a good job
        7. 11.2.7. Delegation decreases your flexibility
      3. 11.3. Taking the Six Steps to Delegate
      4. 11.4. Sorting Out What to Delegate and What to Do Yourself
        1. 11.4.1. Pointing out appropriate tasks for delegation
          1. 11.4.1.1. Detail work
          2. 11.4.1.2. Information gathering
          3. 11.4.1.3. Repetitive assignments
          4. 11.4.1.4. Surrogate roles
          5. 11.4.1.5. Future duties
        2. 11.4.2. Knowing what tasks should stay with you
          1. 11.4.2.1. Long-term vision and goals
          2. 11.4.2.2. Positive performance feedback
          3. 11.4.2.3. Performance appraisals, discipline, and counseling
          4. 11.4.2.4. Politically sensitive situations
          5. 11.4.2.5. Personal assignments
          6. 11.4.2.6. Confidential or sensitive circumstances
      5. 11.5. Checking Up Instead of Checking Out
    2. 12. Communicating Your Message
      1. 12.1. Understanding Communication: The Cornerstone of Business
      2. 12.2. Getting the Message by Being an Active Listener
      3. 12.3. Harnessing the Power of the Written Word
      4. 12.4. Making Presentations
        1. 12.4.1. Preparing to present
        2. 12.4.2. Making an impact with pictures
        3. 12.4.3. Delivering your presentation
      5. 12.5. Scrutinizing Communication: What's Real and What's Not
        1. 12.5.1. Believing actions, not words
        2. 12.5.2. Reading between the lines
        3. 12.5.3. Probing for information
    3. 13. The Fine Art of Performance Evaluations
      1. 13.1. Evaluating Performance: Why Bother?
      2. 13.2. Spelling Out the Performance Evaluation Process
      3. 13.3. Doing the Right Prep Work
        1. 13.3.1. Preparing for the no-surprises evaluation
        2. 13.3.2. Avoiding common evaluation mistakes
    4. 14. Budgeting, Accounting, and Other Financial Stuff
      1. 14.1. Exploring the Wonderful World of Budgets
      2. 14.2. Making a Budget
      3. 14.3. Pulling Rabbits out of Hats and Other Budget Tricks
        1. 14.3.1. Maneuvering up-front budgets
        2. 14.3.2. Staying on budget
      4. 14.4. Understanding the Basics of Accounting
        1. 14.4.1. Figuring out the accounting equation
          1. 14.4.1.1. Assets
          2. 14.4.1.2. Liabilities
          3. 14.4.1.3. Owners' equity
        2. 14.4.2. Knowing double-entry bookkeeping
      5. 14.5. Identifying the Most Common Types of Financial Statements
        1. 14.5.1. The balance sheet
        2. 14.5.2. The income statement
          1. 14.5.2.1. Revenues
          2. 14.5.2.2. Expenses
        3. 14.5.3. The cash-flow statement
          1. 14.5.3.1. Net income or loss
    5. 15. Harnessing the Power of Technology
      1. 15.1. Weighing the Benefits and Drawbacks of Technology in the Workplace
        1. 15.1.1. Making advances, thanks to automation
        2. 15.1.2. Improving efficiency and productivity
        3. 15.1.3. Taking steps to neutralize the negatives
      2. 15.2. Using Technology to Your Advantage
        1. 15.2.1. Know your business
        2. 15.2.2. Create a technology-competitive advantage
        3. 15.2.3. Develop a plan
        4. 15.2.4. Get some help
      3. 15.3. Getting the Most Out of Company Networks
    6. 16. Embracing Corporate Social Responsibility and Ethics
      1. 16.1. Understanding Socially Responsible Practices
        1. 16.1.1. Figuring out how you can employ CSR
        2. 16.1.2. Enjoying net benefits of socially responsible practices
        3. 16.1.3. Developing a CSR strategy for implementation
      2. 16.2. Evaluating the Political Side of Your Workplace
        1. 16.2.1. Assessing your organization's political environment
        2. 16.2.2. Identifying key players
        3. 16.2.3. Redrawing your organization chart
      3. 16.3. Doing the Right Thing: Ethics and You
        1. 16.3.1. Defining ethics on the job
        2. 16.3.2. Creating a code of ethics
        3. 16.3.3. Making ethical choices every day
  9. IV. Tough Times for Tough Managers
    1. 17. Managing Change and Morale
      1. 17.1. Understanding Urgency and Crisis
        1. 17.1.1. When urgency is really poor planning
        2. 17.1.2. Recognizing and dealing with crises
      2. 17.2. Accepting that Change Happens
        1. 17.2.1. Identifying the four stages of change
        2. 17.2.2. Are you (or your employees) fighting change?
      3. 17.3. Guiding Employees through Change
        1. 17.3.1. Helping employees cope
        2. 17.3.2. Encouraging employee initiative
        3. 17.3.3. Keeping employees' spirits high
      4. 17.4. Making a Change When All Else Fails
    2. 18. Employee Discipline for Improving Performance
      1. 18.1. Getting to the Root of Employee Discipline
      2. 18.2. Focusing on Performance, Not Personalities
      3. 18.3. Identifying the Two Tracks of Discipline
        1. 18.3.1. Dealing with performance problems
        2. 18.3.2. Dealing with misconduct
      4. 18.4. Disciplining Employees: A Suite in Five Parts
        1. 18.4.1. Step 1: Describe the unacceptable behavior
        2. 18.4.2. Step 2: Express the impact to the work unit
        3. 18.4.3. Step 3: Specify the required changes
        4. 18.4.4. Step 4: Outline the consequences
        5. 18.4.5. Step 5: Provide emotional support
        6. 18.4.6. Putting it all together
      5. 18.5. Making a Plan for Improvement
      6. 18.6. Implementing the Improvement Plan
    3. 19. Terminating Employees When All Else Fails
      1. 19.1. Understanding the Types of Terminations
        1. 19.1.1. Voluntary terminations
        2. 19.1.2. Involuntary terminations
          1. 19.1.2.1. Good reasons for firing your employees
          2. 19.1.2.2. Reasons some managers avoid the inevitable
        3. 19.1.3. Firing someone humanely, no matter what the reason
      2. 19.2. Conducting a Layoff
      3. 19.3. Following Procedure to Fire an Employee
        1. 19.3.1. Taking steps to protect yourself prior to firing
        2. 19.3.2. Planning the meeting and stating the facts
        3. 19.3.3. Defusing tense firing meetings
      4. 19.4. Determining the Best Time to Terminate
  10. V. The Part of Tens
    1. 20. Ten Common Management Mistakes
      1. 20.1. Not Making the Transition from Worker to Manager
      2. 20.2. Not Setting Clear Goals and Expectations for Your Employees
      3. 20.3. Failing to Delegate
      4. 20.4. Failing to Communicate
      5. 20.5. Not Making Time for Employees
      6. 20.6. Not Recognizing Employee Achievements
      7. 20.7. Failing to Learn from Change
      8. 20.8. Resisting Change
      9. 20.9. Choosing the Quick Fix over the Lasting Solution
      10. 20.10. Taking It All Too Seriously
    2. 21. Ten Tips for New Managers
      1. 21.1. Set Clear Goals and Expectations
      2. 21.2. Don't Play Favorites
      3. 21.3. Set a Good Example
      4. 21.4. Remember That You Get What You Reward
      5. 21.5. Get to Know Your People
      6. 21.6. Learn How to Delegate
      7. 21.7. Find a Good Mentor, Be a Good Mentor
      8. 21.8. Encourage Teamwork
      9. 21.9. Communicate, Communicate, Communicate
      10. 21.10. Be a Coach
    3. 22. Ten Tips for Maintaining Your Work-Life Balance
      1. 22.1. Make the Case for a More Flexible Workplace
      2. 22.2. Avoid Workaholism
      3. 22.3. Manage Your Stress
      4. 22.4. Change What You Can Change
      5. 22.5. Accept What You Can't Change
      6. 22.6. Don't Sweat the Small Stuff
      7. 22.7. Use Positive Affirmations
      8. 22.8. Relax!
      9. 22.9. Take a Mental Vacation
      10. 22.10. Have Fun

Product information

  • Title: Managing For Dummies®, 3rd Edition
  • Author(s): Bob Nelson PhD, Peter Economy
  • Release date: July 2010
  • Publisher(s): For Dummies
  • ISBN: 9780470618134