For more than twenty years, management expert Bruce Tulgan has
been asking, ‘What are the most difficult challenges you
face when it comes to managing people?’
Regardless of industry or job title, managers cite the same core
issues–27 recurring challenges: the superstar whom the
manager is afraid of losing, the slacker whom the manager cannot
figure out how to motivate, the one with an attitude problem, and
the two who cannot get along, to name just a few.
It turns out that when things are going wrong in a management
relationship, the common denominator is almost always unstructured,
low substance, hit-or-miss communication.
The real problem is that most managers are ‘managing on
autopilot’ without even realizing it–until something
goes wrong. And if you are managing on autopilot, then something
almost always does.
The 27 Challenges Managers Face shows exactly how to
break the vicious cycle and gain control of management
relationships. No matter what the issue, Tulgan shows that the
fundamentals are all you need. The very best managers hold ongoing
one-on-one conversations that make expectations clear, track
performance, offer feedback, and hold people accountable.
For every workplace problem–even the most awkward and
difficult–The 27 Challenges Managers Face shows how to
tailor conversations to solve situations familiar to every manager.
Tulgan offers clear approaches for turning around bad attitudes,
reducing friction and conflict, improving low performers, retaining
top performers, and even addressing your own personal burnout.
The 27 Challenges Managers Face is an indispensable
resource for managers at all levels, one anyone managing anyone
will want to keep on hand. One challenge at a time, you’ll
see how the most effective managers use the fundamentals of
management to proactively resolve (nearly) any problem a manager
could face.
Table of Content
A Note on How to Use This Book 1
Chapter One The Fundamentals are All You Need 3
Chapter Two The Challenges of Being the ‘New’ Manager 29
Management Challenge #1: When Going from Peer to Leader 37
Management Challenge #2: When Coming from the Outside to Take Over Leadership of an Existing Team 41
Management Challenge #3: When Bringing Together an Entirely New Team 47
Management Challenge #4: When You are Welcoming a New Member to Your Existing Team 51
Chapter Three The Challenges of Teaching Self-Management 57
Management Challenge #5: When Employees Have a Hard Time Managing Time 62
Management Challenge #6: When an Employee Needs Help with Interpersonal Communication 71
Management Challenge #7: When an Employee Needs to Get Organized 77
Management Challenge #8: When an Employee Needs to Get Better at Problem Solving 80
Chapter Four The Challenges of Managing Performance 88
Management Challenge #9: When You Have an Employee Who Needs to Increase Productivity 98
Management Challenge #10: When You Have an Employee Who Needs to Improve Quality 103
Management Challenge #11: When You Need an Employee to Start ‘Going the Extra Mile’ 107
Management Challenge #12: When Your Employees are Doing ‘Creative’ Work 110
Management Challenge #13: When the Employee You are Managing Knows More About the Work Than You Do 114
Chapter Five The Challenges of Managing Attitudes 118
Management Challenge #14: When an Employee Needs an Attitude Adjustment 125
Management Challenge #15: When There is Conflict Between and Among Individuals on Your Team 137
Management Challenge #16: When an Employee Has Personal Issues at Home 140
Chapter Six The Challenges of Managing Superstars 144
Management Challenge #17: When There is a Superstar You Need to Keep Engaged 153
Management Challenge #18: When You Have a Superstar You Really Want to Retain 158
Management Challenge #19: When You Have a Superstar You are Going to Lose for Sure: How to Lose That Superstar Very Well 165
Management Challenge #20: When You Need to Move a Superstar to the Next Level to Develop as a New Leader 170
Chapter Seven The Challenges of Managing Despite Forces Outside Your Control 175
Management Challenge #21: When Managing in an Environment of Constant Change and Uncertainty 179
Management Challenge #22: When Managing Under Resource Constraints 184
Management Challenge #23: When Managing Through Interdependency 188
Management Challenge #24: When Managing Around Logistical Hurdles 196
Management Challenge #25: When Managing Across Differences in Language and Culture 199
Chapter Eight The Challenges of Management Renewal 204
Management Challenge #26: When You Need to Renew Your Management Relationship with a Disengaged Employee 206
Management Challenge #27: When You Need to Renew Your Own Commitment to Being a Strong, Highly Engaged Manager 212
Epilogue 221
Acknowledgments 223
About the Author 227
Index 229
About the author
BRUCE TULGAN is an adviser to business leaders all over
the world and a sought-after speaker and seminar leader. He is the
founder and CEO of Rainmaker Thinking, Inc., a management research
and training firm, as well as Rainmaker Thinking.Training, an online
training company. Bruce is the author of numerous books, including
the bestselling It’s Okay to Be the Boss, the classic
Managing Generation X, Not Everyone Gets a Trophy, and
It’s Okay to Manage Your Boss. He has written for the
New York Times, USA Today, the Harvard Business
Review, and Human Resources. He lives in New Haven,
Connecticut.
For more information, please visit
www.rainmakerthinking.com
More ebooks from the same author(s) / Editor
34,856 Ebooks in this category
