Skills for New Managers by Morey
Stettner
A Great Book Any Manager
Skills for New Managers will include hands-on information on the following
key topics: hiring new employees by asking the right questions; delegating
work efficiently; dealing with the stress that comes with a management
position; communicating effectively with your employees; how to master
mentoring, leadership, and coaching styles. These books will be rich in
practical techniques and examples, each book will supply specific answers
to problems that managers will face throughout their careers. Skills for
New Managers will detail specific techniques and strategies that managers
can use to smooth their way into a management position, from hiring to
delegating. The series will also continue its user-friendly, icon-rich format,
which is designed to be easily digested for managers at all levels of the
organizational hierarchy. Books in the series will also feature short, snappy
chapters, bulleted lists, checklists and definition of terms as well as
summaries at the end of every chapter.

Personal Review: Skills for New Managers by Morey Stettner
I like the approach the author Morey Stettner takes with this book for new
managers. As one would expect, it covers most of the topics a new
manager would need - and they are handled in a clear and practical way
that make it easy to absorb and apply. In addition to that, Stettner is a
realist. He doesn't presume to "know it all" and that his suggestions will fit
every new manager's style or needs. He asks new managers to try them
out and adjust to suit. This is an unusual and unpretentious approach for a
management "how to" book.
The book starts with asking the new manager to develop his or her
personal credo by thinking about the qualities of good managers he/she
has previously known or worked for. There's a practical exercise, "My
favourite manager", that makes this task easy. Once again, the realistic
approach comes into play with Stettner making sure that the new manager
adjusts his/her ideal to account for their current organisational culture.
I particularly liked his advice on how to start one's first meeting with new
staff to create that all important first impression. I also liked the chapter on
"listening" which gives some excellent, practical tips such as the three step
tactic of how to avoid becoming defensive - Patience-Ask-Confirm.
The many practical examples made it easy to see how the author's ideas
might work in practice. However, it was a little frustrating when some
chapters started with a case study to illustrate the problem, but did not
finish the case with examples of how the manager solved the problem (I
expected this to happen later in the chapter). I also found some examples
a little dated (e.g. "type out your answers") and there was no mention of a
360 degree tool when discussing how the new manager might seek
feedback.
I would have also liked to see more emphasis given to planning and
running meetings. There was no mention of how to manage emails. For
most new managers these two tasks take a lot of time and focus.
However, overall these are minor criticisms. It's nice to read a book written
by a true professional who understands social psychology and how
businesses work, but who doesn't need to elaborate or preach about
either. It's just full of good, plain, workable advice. Highly recommended
for any new manager.
Bob Selden author What To Do When You Become The Boss: How new
managers become successful managers
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