Managing to Make a Difference

Book description

A practical, real-world training manual for mid-level management

Managing to Make a Difference presents a leadership guide for those in the middle. The C-suite has a wealth of resources for leadership guidance, but middle managers face a quandary: often given little guidance on how to excel, they are also under enormous pressure to do a variety of things other than "lead." This book provides much-needed tools and techniques for building a high-performing team—without letting your other duties suffer. Organized around a coherent philosophy and based on solid research, the discussion offers a roadmap to engagement, talent development, and excellence in management. From difficult situations and organizational challenges to everyday motivation and inspiration, these techniques help middle managers achieve the goals of their organization while empowering their workers to achieve their own.

Talent development is probably not your full-time job—yet it drives the engagement that results in high performance. This book shows you how to hit the "sweet spot" of middle management, with a host of tools and strategies to help you help your team shine.

  • Motivate, inspire, and lead your team with confidence
  • Manage through challenges and overcome obstacles
  • Develop key talent and maintain high engagement
  • Adopt practical management tools based on substantiated research

Most organizations direct the majority of their development resources to the C-suite, but still expect their mid-level managers to attract, engage, retain, and develop talent; but successfully juggling everyday duties while maintaining team performance and leading around roadblocks leaves little room for management planning. Managing to Make a Difference offers the solution in the form of tools, techniques, and practical strategy for a high performing team.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Praise for Managing to Make a Difference
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright
  5. Preface
  6. Acknowledgments
  7. Introduction
  8. Section I: Cultivate Positive Relationships
    1. Chapter 1: Relationships Create Opportunities to Make a Difference
      1. The Power and Importance of Relationships
    2. Chapter 2: Get to Know Your Employees
      1. Focus on You
    3. Chapter 3: Go Ahead, Get Close to Your People
    4. Chapter 4: Accept People as They Are
    5. Chapter 5: Tolerate Undesirable Behaviors
    6. Chapter 6: Make People Significant
    7. Chapter 7: Prioritize One-on-Ones
      1. How Frequently Should You Meet?
      2. How Long Should Those Meetings Last?
      3. What Should You Discuss in These Meetings…And Who Should Decide?
    8. Chapter 8: Don't Make Relationship Conflicts Worse
      1. Trust and Conflict—You Can Take the First Step
    9. Chapter 9: Apologize
    10. Chapter 10: Forgive
    11. Chapter 11: Cultivate a Great Relationship with Your Boss
    12. Chapter 12: Embrace the Ebb and Flow of Relationships
  9. Section II: Accelerate People's Growth
    1. Chapter 13: Abandon the “Follow Shirley” Method
    2. Chapter 14: Help People Self-Actualize
    3. Chapter 15: Coach to Improve Performance
    4. Chapter 16: Optimize Fit
    5. Chapter 17: Set the Right Expectations
    6. Chapter 18: Ask the Right Questions
    7. Chapter 19: Kick Butt the Right Way
  10. Section III: Maximize Engagement and Motivation
    1. Chapter 20: Emphasize the Why
    2. Chapter 21: Meet People's Needs
    3. Chapter 22: Don't Sit on Good People
    4. Chapter 23: Resist the Temptation to Seize Control
    5. Chapter 24: Empower Your People
      1. Who Gets to Decide What?
    6. Chapter 25: Harness Discretionary Effort
    7. Chapter 26: Solicit Volunteers for Unpopular Tasks
    8. Chapter 27: Create a Sense of Urgency
    9. Chapter 28: Set Challenging Goals
    10. Chapter 29: Be Unreasonably Optimistic
  11. Section IV: Build Extraordinary Teams
    1. Chapter 30: Recruit Continuously
    2. Chapter 31: Bet on Talent
    3. Chapter 32: Ensure the Right Fit
    4. Chapter 33: Match the Right People to the Right Training
    5. Chapter 34: Delegate to the Right People
    6. Chapter 35: Ask for Commitment
    7. Chapter 36: Invest Your Time With Top Performers
    8. Chapter 37: Conduct Occasional Team-Building Events
    9. Chapter 38: Advance from Team to Family
    10. Chapter 39: Avoid the Peter Principle
    11. Chapter 40: Don't Lead People On
    12. Chapter 41: Sometimes Firing Someone Is the Caring Thing to Do
    13. Chapter 42: Never Badmouth Top Performers Who Resign
    14. Chapter 43: Don't Always Take the Easy Way Out
  12. Section V: Shape Your Culture
    1. Chapter 44: Focus on the Right Things
      1. Beware!
    2. Chapter 45: Exemplify Cultural Values in Employee Orientation
    3. Chapter 46: Welcome and Integrate New Team Members
    4. Chapter 47: Adjust to Accommodate New Employees
    5. Chapter 48: Curate Your Organization's Folklore
    6. Chapter 49: Enliven Cultural Values and Expectations
    7. Chapter 50: Provide Frequent, Candid Feedback
    8. Chapter 51: Shape a Culture of Recognition and Appreciation
    9. Chapter 52: Emotionally Rehire People
    10. Chapter 53: Celebrate Personal and Professional Accomplishments
    11. Chapter 54: Ask, “How Can I Help?”
    12. Chapter 55: Encourage Employees to Have Fun
    13. Chapter 56: Address Poor Performance
    14. Chapter 57: Address Bad Behavior
    15. Chapter 58: Exert Moral Authority
    16. Chapter 59: Rise Above the Politics
    17. Chapter 60: Don't Chase Hearsay, Rumors, or Gossip
    18. Chapter 61: Speak Positively about Those Not Present
  13. Section VI: Embrace Change
    1. Chapter 62: Embrace Uncertainty, Be Confident, Instill Hope
    2. Chapter 63: Encourage Suggestions: Have an Appetite for New Ideas
    3. Chapter 64: Don't Strive for 100 Percent Buy-In
    4. Chapter 65: Take Action on Legacy Employees
    5. Chapter 66: Replace Employees Who Are Blocking Change
    6. Chapter 67: Overcommunicate During a Management Transition
    7. Chapter 68: Prepare for the Unknowable Future
  14. Section VII: Invest in Your Own Growth
    1. Chapter 69: Develop Yourself
    2. Chapter 70: Define What Success Means to You
    3. Chapter 71: Spend More Time on the 20
    4. Chapter 72: Build Your Strengths
    5. Chapter 73: If You Have Been Newly Promoted, Just Take Charge
    6. Chapter 74: If You Feel Trapped in Your Job, Change Something
    7. Chapter 75: Take Steps to Fit in on a New Job
    8. Chapter 76: Hire Some People Who Can Replace You
    9. Chapter 77: Find a Mentor
    10. Chapter 78: Become a Better Mentee
    11. Chapter 79: Express Your Gratitude
  15. About the Authors
    1. Larry Sternberg, JD, Talent Plus Fellow
    2. Kim Turnage, PhD
  16. Index
  17. End User License Agreement

Product information

  • Title: Managing to Make a Difference
  • Author(s): Larry Sternberg
  • Release date: May 2017
  • Publisher(s): Wiley
  • ISBN: 9781119331834