Managing People

by D.K. Publishing

The practical guide that gives you the tools to succeed when managing people.

This title in DK's Essential Managers series contains all you need to manage people effectively and to develop or hone your management style.

Find out how to improve your skills by learning how to motivate staff, improve performance, and create positive relationships. You'll learn to build confidence, communicate clearly, and establish trust for navigating situations such as giving feedback, settling conflicts, and managing teams remotely.

In a slim, portable format, Essential Managers gives you a practical "how-to" approach with step-by-step instructions, tips, checklists, and "ask yourself" features showing you how to focus your energy, manage change, and make an impact.

Whether you're new to people management or looking to enhance your existing skills, this is the guide for you.

Genres: Management

96 pages, Paperback

Published January 4, 2022

About the author

Dorling Kindersley (DK) is a British multinational publishing company specializing in illustrated reference books for adults and children in 62 languages. It is part of Penguin Random House, a consumer publishing company jointly owned by Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA and Pearson PLC. Bertelsmann owns 53% of the company and Pearson owns 47%.

Established in 1974, DK publishes a range of titles in genres including travel (including Eyewitness Travel Guides), arts and crafts, business, history, cooking, gaming, gardening, health and fitness, natural history, parenting, science and reference. They also publish books for children, toddlers and babies, covering such topics as history, the human body, animals and activities, as well as licensed properties such as LEGO, Disney and DeLiSo, licensor of the toy Sophie la Girafe. DK has offices in New York, London, Munich, New Delhi, Toronto and Melbourne.

Source: Wikipedia.

Reviews

[Bassam Ahmed · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a book issued as part of the Essential Managers series, which it addresses the Professional Management knowledge and best practices. This book is about the best practices (and the Know How) of "Managing People", it was written by Philip Hunsaker & Johanna Hunsaker in  2009 (1st copy), yet the copy I read was the third version that published in 2021.

The book was divided in to four chapters (1. Understanding yourself, 2. Interacting with others, 3. Managing a team, 4. Leading others.). It is highly informative in addressing the management approach and the required interpersonal skills, tools and techniques, theories, approaches and concepts that can develop a manager capability of understanding his/her organisation, managing him/her self, and leading the team to achieve the desired goal in a safe environment and promoting growth mindset.

It is easy to understand and useful for both, professionals and those whom are new to management. Recommended.


Some of the Quotes:

"Awareness of your emotions, personality, what you enjoy and dislike, what motivates you, and what comes easily or poses challenges is a key precursor to developing effective managerial ability. Quite simply, if you can't manage yourself, you will not be able to manage anyone else." Page 10

"Emotional intelligence (El) is the ability to monitor and work with your and others' emotions. It is measured in EQ, which is the emotional equivalent of IQ." Page12 *Daniel Goleman

"Your EQ is the measure of your ability to understand and interact with others and becomes more important the more people you deal with. EQ does not measure personality traits or cognitive capacity. Emotional intelligence can be developed over time and can be improved through training and therapy." Page 12

"Those with a high EQ will be better able to control their own emotions, while the same time using them as a basis for action. Working with emotions, rather than being at the mercy of them, makes individuals more successful in dealing with the demands of the environment around them. They are better able to control impulses and deal with stress, and better at problem solving. All of these qualities help the individual to perform more competently at work." Page 12-13

"Applying emotional intelligence at work means you are open to the ideas of others and can build and mend relationships with them. You are aware of your feelings and act accordingly, articulating ideas so that others can understand them, developing rapport, building trust, and working towards consensus. Managers who are attuned to their own feelings and the feelings of others use this understanding to enhance personal, team, & organizational performance." Page13

"Emotional intelligence has two aspects: one inward facing & one outward facing." Page 14

"The four competencies of emotional intelligence:
INWARD COMPETENCIES
▪︎ SELF-AWARENESS
- Emotional self- awareness
- Accurate self- assessment
- Self-confidence
▪︎ SELF-MANAGEMENT
- Emotional self-control
- Trustworthiness
- Conscientiousness
- Achievement orientation
- Adaptability
- Optimism
- Initiative
OUTWARD COMPETENCIES:
▪︎ RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT
- Development of others
- Inspirational leadership
- Influence
- Communication
- Effecting change
- Conflict management
- Bond building
- Teamwork and co
▪︎ SOCIAL AWARENESS
- Empathy
- Organizational awareness
- Service orientation" page 14-15

"71% of managers value EQ more highly than IQ in their employees." Page 15

"Effective managers need to be assertive, express their ideas and feelings openly, and stand up for their rights, and all in a way that makes it easier for those they are managing to do the same. The assertive manager is straightforward yet sensitive needs of others; he or she does not seek to rule over less assertive people." Page 16-17

"The assertive manager is straightforward yet sensitive to the needs of others." Page 17

"X-style managers
Prominent management theorist Douglas McGregor distinguished two management styles - X and Y - based on the assumptions held by managers about the motives of their team. X-style managers believe that workers need to be coerced and directed. They tend to be strict and controlling, giving their workers little latitude and punishing poor performance. They use few rewards and typically give only negative feedback. These managers see little point in workers having autonomy, because they think that the workforce neither expects nor desires cooperation.
Y-style managers
Y-style assumptions reflect a much more optimistic view of human nature. Y-style management contends that people will gladly direct themselves towards objectives if their efforts are appropriately rewarded. Managers who hold Y assumptions assume a great deal of confidence in their workers. They are less directive and empower workers, giving them more responsibilities and freedom to accomplish tasks as they deem appropriate." Page 18

"Values are stable and enduring beliefs about what is good, right, and worthwhile, and about the behaviour that is desirable for achieving wha is worthwhile. To be an effective manager, it is necessary to have a good understanding of what your values are and to act accordingly." Page 20

"Values are formed early in our lives, from the influence of our parents, teachers, friends, religious leaders, and media role-models. Some may change as we go through life and experience different behaviours. Your values manifest themselves in everything you do and the choices that you make." Page 20

"One of the best ways to clarify your personal values and gain a clear understanding of what is important to you is to think about how you would like to be remembered in your eulogy." Page 20

"TYPES OF VALUE:
Values can be classified into two types: terminal and instrumental. Terminal values (your "ends" in life) are desirable ends or goals, such as a comfortable, prosperous life, world peace, great wisdom, or salvation. Instrumental values (the "means" to those ends) are beliefs about what behaviours are appropriate in striving for desired goals and ends. Consider a manager who works extra hours to help deliver a customer's rush order. The attitude displayed is a willingness to help a customer with a problem. The value that serves as the foundation of this attitude might be that of service to others." Page 21

"A personal mission statement provides you with the long-term vision and motivation to manage yourself and others in your team according to your own values. It also allows you to establish your purpose and goals as a manager and sets a benchmark for self-evaluation." Page 22

"Your personal mission statement spells out your managerial philosophy. It defines the type of manager you want to be (your character), what you want to accomplish (your contributions), and what principles guide your behaviour (your values). It provides you with the vision and values. to direct your managerial life - the basis for setting long-and short-term goals, and how best to deploy your time." Page 22

"Make sure that your personal mission statement is an accurate reflection of your values, goals, and aspirations for success." Page 22

"Setting and attaining your personal managerial goals:
1- BE SMART
2- SEE THE FUTURE
3- REWARD YOURSELF
4- EVALUATE PROGRESS
5- GET SUPPORT
6- SET YOUR GOALS." Page 22-23

"Communication is the process of sending a message to another person with the intent of evoking an outcome or a change in behaviour. It is more efficient when it uses less time and fewer resources; it is effective when the information is conveyed exactly as you intend." Page 26

"To increase your sender credibility, ensure that you:
- Know what you are talking about.
- Establish mutual trust.
- Share all relevant information.
- Be honest.
- Be reliable.
- Be warm, friendly and supportive.
- Be dynamic.
- Make appropriate self-disclosures." Page 28-29

"Make information in your messages specific, and refer to concrete details, to avoid misunderstandings." Page 29

"Active listening is making sense of what you hear. It requires paying attention and interpreting all verbal, visual, and vocal stimuli presented to you." Page 30

"Active listening has four essential ingredients: concentration, empathy, acceptance, and taking responsibility for completely understanding the message." Page 30

"Active Listing skills and techniques: Make eye contact - Show interest- Aviod distracting actions - Ask questions - Take in the whole picture- Paraphrase - Don't interrupt - Confront your biases." Page 31

"As much as 93 per cent of the meaning that is transmitted in face-to-face communication can come from nonverbal channels, so you should be aware of these cues." Page 32

"The famous quote, attributed to Confucius: "I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand"." Page 34 *Confucius

"Watching, thinking, and doing:
The learning of new skills is maximized when learners get the opportunity to combine watching, thinking, and doing. The experiential learning model encompasses four elements: learning new concepts (conceptualizing), planning how to test the ideas (plan to test), actively applying the skill in a new experience (gaining concrete experience), and examining the consequences of the experience (reflective observation). After reflecting on the experience, learners use the lessons they have learned from what happened to create a refined conceptual map of the skill, and the cycle continues." Page 34

"To use the experiential learning model to teach skills, you need to: ensure that learners understand the skill both conceptually and behaviourally; give them opportunities to practise it; give feedback on how well they are performing the skill; and encourage them to use the skill often enough so that it becomes integrated into their behavioural repertoire." Page 34

[Joey Pinto · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice workbook, don’t read without a pencil to scribble notes and define your own plans. Its going to be a reference book for me rather than a one time read. I wish the contents were more fluid or had a readable progression, but its very factual and I’d like to go back to it when the need arises. I love the infographics and questionnaires. Its hard to keep track of the information though. I will be flipping through the pages to look at my own notes though.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s short and concise with up to date information of how to manage people post covid. It’s written for managers with clear messages and actions in each chapter.