Cisco Vision for Higher Education

September 2nd, 2010 in Networking | No Comments

New Manager Toolkit

As a practicing manager, I am regularly asked by new and aspiring managers for book and training recommendations.

When we assume the role of a manager in an organization we are already destined for failure. Let me qualify that by saying that as managers, we will make mistakes and lots of them. Management is not an easy job when done right and there is no field manual to tell you what to do in every situation.

So… what you want to learn is how to be effective in the organization. To do that, you need to be as prepared as you can be, use common sense, and have a good understanding of the fundamentals of the trade.

No one has much free time anymore so I’ll keep the reading list short and in priority order.

The Five Dysfunctions of a team by Patrick Lencioni – if you do nothing else, read this one. I often encounter new managers who clearly have not taken this to heart and are ineffective in their current role.
The Powell Principles by Colin Powell – short, easy to read, the bible for managers.
The Secret by Ken Blanchard and Mark Miller
Leadership and Self Deception by the Arbinger Institute
The Starfish and the Spider – this is a more advanced topic but very relevant for managers today

That’s it for the reading.

Now for the basics: Use the Manager Tools Podcasts. Don’t just listen once and forget them, keep them on your iPod or computers as a tool to help with your job.

This is the best gift I can give you.

I have been doing this for years and I still go back and listen to these both as a refresher, or if I need some advice about a current situation. The hosts are Michael Auzenne and Mark Horstman, and both can be found on twitter/linkedin.

Best of all, they are available for free on Apple iTunes.

Happy Managing!