“Behind Closed Doors, Secrets of Great Management”
I recently finished reading “Behind Closed Doors, Secrets of Great Management” by Johanna Rothman and Esther Derby. I had been wanting to read the book since attending the Better Software Conference back in 2007 and missing the chance to attend Johanna and Esther’s workshop of the same name. The workshop sold out so fast I decided there must be something great to the message they were sharing. Unfortunately with a busy life of raising kids and fitting in work, it took me a few years to pick up a copy of the book.
As outlined on the back cover, the book is geared to the intermediate skill range and shares with the reader how to:
- Delegate Effectively
- Use Feedback and Goal Setting
- Develop Influence
- Handle One-On-One Meetings
- Coach and Mentor
- Decide What Work to Do and What Not to Do
The book is told in story format following “Sam”, a manager just brought on board who learns the ropes in dealing with his new team over the course of his first seven weeks on the job. For me a good portion of the book affirmed many of the approaches I have been using with my teams for years. Even so I was still able to pull valuable insight and tips from each chapter that I look forward to applying and solidifying as part of my leadership style.
The structure of the book makes it an excellent easy reference and I fully expect to keep it handy for quick refreshers when I run into challenges. I definitely recommend this book to managers of all experience levels and certainly for those who are considering entering the challenging and rewarding role of management.
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[...] development books and am looking to share my thoughts here. Today I added a blog entry on the book “Behind Closed Doors, The Secrets of Great Management”. I will be adding more blog entries as I have several books from the last year or so that I would [...]
[...] Derby) and found it really useful. I wrote a blog several months back on the book that you can read here. Last year I had the pleasure of meeting Johanna in person at the AYE Conference and attending [...]