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Behind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management (Pragmatic Programmers)

Behind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management (Pragmatic Programmers)
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Manufacturer: Pragmatic Bookshelf
Average Customer Rating: Average rating of 4.5/5Average rating of 4.5/5Average rating of 4.5/5Average rating of 4.5/5Average rating of 4.5/5

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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 658
EAN: 9780976694021
Format: Illustrated
ISBN: 0976694026
Label: Pragmatic Bookshelf
Manufacturer: Pragmatic Bookshelf
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 176
Publication Date: 2005-09-19
Publisher: Pragmatic Bookshelf
Studio: Pragmatic Bookshelf

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Editorial Reviews:

Great management is difficult to see as it occurs. It's possible to see the results of great management, but it's not easy to see how managers achieve those results. Great management happens in one-on-one meetings and with other managers---all in private. It's hard to learn management by example when you can't see it.

You can learn to be a better manager---even a great manager---with this guide. You'll follow along as Sam, a manager just brought on board, learns the ropes and deals with his new team over the course of his first eight weeks on the job. From scheduling and managing resources to helping team members grow and prosper, you'll be there as Sam makes it happen. You'll find powerful tips covering:

  • Delegating effectively
  • Using feedback and goal-setting
  • Developing influence
  • Handling one-on-one meetings
  • Coaching and mentoring
  • Deciding what work to do---and what not to do
  • ...and more.

Full of tips and practical advice on the most important aspects of management, this is one of those books that can make a lasting and immediate impact on your career.




Spotlight customer reviews:

Customer Rating: Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5
Summary: Single best "management" book out there
Comment: Behind Closed Doors is the single best book on management out there. It covers the breadth of what you'll need to deal with in an extremely accessible style, uses sidebars and out-takes effectively to communicate strategies and rules of thumb, and is formatted so that after you've read it a quick skim of the pages can bring back all the concepts.

One of my favorite bits about this book is that it includes advice on managing other managers - one of the few books on management I have encountered that addresses that situation.

The authors are pragmatic rather than dogmatic in their suggestions and writing, and recommend consistency above all else.

Customer Rating: Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5
Summary: One of the Best Management Books Ever Written
Comment: This is, hands down, one of the best and most comprehensive books on the topic of management I have ever read.

For both newbies and experienced folks alike, this steps through critical skill sets that are necessary for building and leading a successful team. It's told in story format - with characters and scenarios, which offers up the perfect way to absorb the knowledge presented.

Customer Rating: Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5
Summary: Good management introduction
Comment: Behind Closed Doors takes a different approach for a management book - it follows the first seven weeks of a new (external) manager coming into a company and shows, step-by-step, what the new manager does and why. The book then covers 13 key techniques presented as general guidelines. While much of the approach works well, unfortunately the book is inconsistent. For example, while it is geared towards new managers, the new manager in the book is a director - a manager of managers. While that does help illustrate involvement between a manager and his/her (perfect) boss, the book really doesn't illustrate much about the manager's relationships with anyone else. The book is also a little technologically backward by not recognizing/suggesting software tools to aid in certain cases. For example, a BVC (Big Visible Chart, e.g. large whiteboard) is still recommended for portfolio project management, despite the huge drawback that it does not keep track of history.

Overall, there are many positive points to this book, including a fresh perspective, enjoyable to read prose, and especially the 13 key techniques. For new managers, I would definitely recommend this book. For experienced managers, it might serve as a decent review of the fundamentals, but it probably won't be a huge help.


Customer Rating: Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5
Summary: Greate Management 101 book
Comment: Practical approach to management. This book shows the application of good management practices using real-world scenarios. It is easy to read and written in such a way that you can instantly start applying its concepts in your environment.

Customer Rating: Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5
Summary: Practical Indeed!
Comment: I am very skeptical of most business improvement books and one size fits all methodologies, but I can tell you that this book absolutely shines as a glint of hope in the sea of business improvement noise. As opposed to trying to force a given technique that will apply to everyone in every business, this book provides some very "real" examples that exist in the software development world and some very simple concepts and techniques that can be used. This book is not written like an academic book of problems and solutions, but more of a story based book on a "real world" scenario, which truly solidifies the pragmatic name of the publisher. This pragmatic approach makes the book very easy to read, understand, and ultimately use. I think if you use at least one or two of the techniques presented in this book such as One-on-Ones and Big Visual Charts (BVCs) that the book will have more than paid for itself in terms of the time you will have spent reading it and of course the money!


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