What do you think?
Rate this book
Don't Be a Dick Manager: The Down & Dirty Guide to Management
"Highly recommended for any manager out there! I would give this more stars if I could!""Lots of information that I plan to use." - reader reviewsTake a successful employee, promote them into management but give them no management training and there’s a very good chance you’ll create a defensive, insecure, unsuccessful, dick manager.Here is the management training you never got! This honest, straightforward guide reveals the things nobody talks about–knowledge that only comes from real-world experience in the management trenches. It will change the way you look at yourself, your job and your career and it will enable you to be a successful leader and mentor.Most importantly, it will help you avoid becoming a dick manager (or, if it’s too late, to reform) so you can enjoy the personal and financial rewards of being a great manager.Discover the power of the Laws of Management and understand the personal characteristics you must have to excel as a manager. Learn how to deal with non-communicative, mean, micromanaging, bully bosses, and how to figure out when it’s time for you to leave an impossible situation.Find out how to deal with ambitious employees and how to turn around hostile, jaded ones. And be warned about the one type of employee who must go, no matter what.Filled with anecdotes from more than 20 years of management experience, this book takes a frank look at the author’s mistakes and triumphs, his great bosses and his dick managers and the lessons learned from all of them.
176 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2020
18 people are currently reading
303 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 13, 2020
If You’re a Manager, You Need This!
Oh, my gosh! I love this book. I absolutely adore nonfiction that comes from the author's own life, hard work, and experience (including the mistakes and embarrassing moments). This is just such a book. He has been a manager for 20 years for a variety of companies. In his dedication, he apologizes to those who have worked under him for it taking him so long to get it. Love that! The author's personality shines through in this book. Right away, he admits that most managers don't deserve their position and don't know what to do. Having been an employee in several settings, I would agree. I certainly saw some of my bad managers reflected in these pages; in fact, I would love to slip this book under their doors… LOL!
The book is broadly divided into three sections. The first one is what he calls the laws of management, and I absolutely loved the first part about the difference between love, fear, and respect. The distinctions between those aren’t often appreciated by a manager. I recently had one who ruled by fear and caused massive churn in our department. Frankly, I never understood why the organization kept her on. I'm sure she cost them over a million dollars in lost employees. (In my profession, it’s estimated that it costs nearly $50K to fully on-board an employee.) In one month, six of us left! In the next section, he gets into the nitty-gritty of evaluation, optimizing the team, communication, running the team, and hiring the right person for the job. Again, lots of practical and no-nonsense advice that managers would do well to adopt. Reading it helped me see what my poor managers could have done differently. It would make a massive difference for them, their employees, and ultimately their organization and the organization's customers. The final section is about the manager herself or himself. As you might be able to tell, I thought this was an awesome book. Highly recommended for any manager out there!
I read and review a lot of books, and this is the first time I've ever said: I would give this more stars if I could!
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
My book blog: https://www.readingfanaticreviews.com
Oh, my gosh! I love this book. I absolutely adore nonfiction that comes from the author's own life, hard work, and experience (including the mistakes and embarrassing moments). This is just such a book. He has been a manager for 20 years for a variety of companies. In his dedication, he apologizes to those who have worked under him for it taking him so long to get it. Love that! The author's personality shines through in this book. Right away, he admits that most managers don't deserve their position and don't know what to do. Having been an employee in several settings, I would agree. I certainly saw some of my bad managers reflected in these pages; in fact, I would love to slip this book under their doors… LOL!
The book is broadly divided into three sections. The first one is what he calls the laws of management, and I absolutely loved the first part about the difference between love, fear, and respect. The distinctions between those aren’t often appreciated by a manager. I recently had one who ruled by fear and caused massive churn in our department. Frankly, I never understood why the organization kept her on. I'm sure she cost them over a million dollars in lost employees. (In my profession, it’s estimated that it costs nearly $50K to fully on-board an employee.) In one month, six of us left! In the next section, he gets into the nitty-gritty of evaluation, optimizing the team, communication, running the team, and hiring the right person for the job. Again, lots of practical and no-nonsense advice that managers would do well to adopt. Reading it helped me see what my poor managers could have done differently. It would make a massive difference for them, their employees, and ultimately their organization and the organization's customers. The final section is about the manager herself or himself. As you might be able to tell, I thought this was an awesome book. Highly recommended for any manager out there!
I read and review a lot of books, and this is the first time I've ever said: I would give this more stars if I could!
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
My book blog: https://www.readingfanaticreviews.com
September 9, 2020
Worked around Jim. Book is true to his spirit
Jim and I shared a common bond early. His book is a perfect distillation. I admit being late to the party, but kinda glad I waited. Its great to read informative and useful knowledge.
Jim and I shared a common bond early. His book is a perfect distillation. I admit being late to the party, but kinda glad I waited. Its great to read informative and useful knowledge.
July 29, 2020
While I'm not a manager myself, I've certainly suffered under a few terrible ones, so I thought this book sounded interesting. And it was! I also appreciated the humble tone set by the author as well as that it covered aspects of teamwork that I had never considered. I warmly recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn how teams work, how to deal with personality issues, avoid inadvertently lowering morale, and inspire people to want to do their best.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
October 23, 2020
I won a Kindle edition of "Don't Be a Dick Manager: The Down & Dirty Guide to Management"
I always said that if I became a "boss"/manager, I didn't want to repeat the mistakes of the dick managers I had the misfortune to work under. Granted, most managers from my past were mediocre, and a few were very, very good at their jobs, but there isn't a single manager out there that couldn't stand to improve a little bit. If you think you're nailing it, you aren't. No one is perfect. Humble yourself a bit and open yourself up to becoming a better version of you as a manager.
Unlike most "encouraging" books of this genre, James Monroe speaks on a level that isn't all mamby-pamby, kumbaya, let's work together (yeah, yeah, yeah - a la Hayley Mills). He approaches the subject like a real human being who has been in the trenches and isn't going to sugar-coat things to make you feel comfortable and complacent. Basically, he reminds you that deep down, everyone is a dick. But, he also gives some great suggestions to help you navigate Bosshood as an effective, likeable manager while pointing out the many pitfalls even the best managers fall victim to at one time or another.
In short. I enjoyed it. It had a few dry spots, but it was obvious this book was written by someone who gets it and is trying to help YOU not be a dick.
I gave it 4 stars because of the few slow sections I had to push myself through, and also because the I felt Mr. Monroe could have jazzed it up with a few more in-your-face swear words and kicks in the pants.
If you're looking for "Who Hid My Cheese?"....this book isn't for you and you probably suck at being a boss. If you admit to being a dick at one time or another and want to improve, this is your read. Enjoy!
I always said that if I became a "boss"/manager, I didn't want to repeat the mistakes of the dick managers I had the misfortune to work under. Granted, most managers from my past were mediocre, and a few were very, very good at their jobs, but there isn't a single manager out there that couldn't stand to improve a little bit. If you think you're nailing it, you aren't. No one is perfect. Humble yourself a bit and open yourself up to becoming a better version of you as a manager.
Unlike most "encouraging" books of this genre, James Monroe speaks on a level that isn't all mamby-pamby, kumbaya, let's work together (yeah, yeah, yeah - a la Hayley Mills). He approaches the subject like a real human being who has been in the trenches and isn't going to sugar-coat things to make you feel comfortable and complacent. Basically, he reminds you that deep down, everyone is a dick. But, he also gives some great suggestions to help you navigate Bosshood as an effective, likeable manager while pointing out the many pitfalls even the best managers fall victim to at one time or another.
In short. I enjoyed it. It had a few dry spots, but it was obvious this book was written by someone who gets it and is trying to help YOU not be a dick.
I gave it 4 stars because of the few slow sections I had to push myself through, and also because the I felt Mr. Monroe could have jazzed it up with a few more in-your-face swear words and kicks in the pants.
If you're looking for "Who Hid My Cheese?"....this book isn't for you and you probably suck at being a boss. If you admit to being a dick at one time or another and want to improve, this is your read. Enjoy!
July 8, 2021
Interesting
Lots of good information that I plan to use. Definitely reminded me of things and I learned some new information. Good read!
Lots of good information that I plan to use. Definitely reminded me of things and I learned some new information. Good read!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews