The Book That's
Sweeping America!
or Why I Love Business!
By Stephen Michael Peter Thomas
John Wiley, $17.95
ISBN 0471173983
Winning Manager
Leadership Skills for Greater Innovation,
Quality, and Employee Commitment
By Julius E. Eitington
Gulf Publishing, $49.95
ISBN 0884159027
Corporation on a Tightrope
Balancing Leadership,
Governance, and Technology
in an Age of Complexity
By John G. Sifonis and Beverly Goldberg
Oxford University Press, $25
ISBN 0195093259
The three types of management books
Review by Michael Pellecchia
I daresay there are three types of management books: the ones where it doesn't matter who the author is, the ones where it doesn't matter what the author says, and I forgot the third one. Assuredly however, all three types will be presented to a manager as a must-read at some point in her career. Here are some of the latest examples to fall in these categories:
The Book That's Sweeping America! Or Why I Love Business!
by Stephen Michael Peter Thomas
This book is an example of the first and second, and perhaps even the third, type of management book. It commands attention with its authoritative endorsements by the likes of Mark Twain and Mahatma Gandhi, among others. It's the first management book I've read to be endorsed by these historical figures. Alas, their praises are sung prominently on the dust jacket and are much more difficult to locate in the book.
All the author ever needed to know, according to his "Welcome!" chapter, was learned at a high school summer job at Wilson's Fish Market. Essentially, the lessons were a variation on how to succeed in business without really trying. As we all know, however, one sometimes cannot help but try. Thus the first chapter is titled "Leadership Is Hard." Some of this difficulty can be ameliorated through management involvement in role-playing exercises, and Thomas does present some ingenious ones.
The second chapter, "Communication Is Important," tells how to avoid tasteless humor, use gestures and facial expressions, and master non-linear presentations. The third chapter focuses on process change, and the fourth addresses time management, dressing and touching. The last chapter is a parody of consultants.
Well under 200 pages, and amply illustrated at that, this book would be a great buy for someone who can't get to a bookstore to read it off the shelf. Everyone in the stressful world of management knows someone who fits this description.
Winning Manager: Leadership Skills for Greater Innovation, Quality, and Employee Commitment
by Julius E. Eitington
Managers who have more space on their bookshelf than time on their hands will appreciate this 662-page compendium of virtually every management technique known to man. It's a hugely convenient reference on communication, collaboration, motivation, training, delegation, problem-solving, counseling, leading teams, and making decisions. Each subject is treated in considerable depth and incorporates not so much the author's opinions as it does the body of pragmatic knowledge on each subject. The author also grants permission to freely duplicate the many worksheets, quizzes, and surveys for the reader's own use.
Corporation on a Tightrope: Balancing Leadership, Governance, and Technology in an Age of Complexity
by John G. Sifonis and Beverly Goldberg
Reading about organizational processes is indisputably tedious, and this book is no exception. However, sometimes out of tedium comes insight, particularly when analogies from the life sciences and physical sciences are drawn to depict the evolution of organizations. These authors are strategic management consultants who take off from Margaret Wheatley's application of chaos theories in Leadership and the New Science. They call their model structure the butterfly organization, and describe how to foster leadership in the face of new technologies and challenges.
Michael Pellecchia writes about business and finance books each month He can be reached at michael_pellecchia@bookpage.com.
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