What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently

I have a passion for line management, mainly because during my career, I've had very few managers do it right. I'm not big on books about how to manage as I disagree mostly with their assertions. This book was suggested by my current manager, and what a gem. Finally, a book that echos the way I manage, but also presents ideas that work in practice, not theory. A short read packed with information. I would and have suggested this book to others!

This book does a great job of illustrating how important the manager is to a company and to employees. Without great managers, no company would be profitable.
It is easy reading and a book that you will want to highlight and write all over. You will also want to read this book over and over again to instill the basics of being a great manager.
This book does break all the rules and shows why managers in the past have not been successful and what it takes to be a manager that everyone wants to work under. A must read for anyone who is interested in being or currently a manager, executive, or leader.
Excellent management book!!

I would recommend this book to a person starting out in manager role. It tells great stories and gives powerful strategies on how to build up an individual at the same time has, you reevaluating yourself! Easy read and highly recommended

Best book on effective management principles I have read. The review of impirical data backing up the principles adds credibility. Perhaps even more useful is the discussion of the hierarchy of needs of top performers. The point that mission statements and effective performance feedback don't satisfy unless the Base Camp needs are met was a thunderbolt.

This book deals with people management. It adopts a generally accepted concept: "The most important resource for a company is its HR capital". Gallup organisation tried to experimentally :
1. Check the validity of the Assumption Above
2. Understand, which are the factors that make a business a place where high talented people will work.
The research has been massive, involving thousands of people. A clear relation between a company's HR capital and its performance could be identified.
The research results for the second question are VALUABLE TO THE READER, SINCE, MANY TIMES ARE COUNTERINTUITIVE AND THEY DON'T AGREE WITH COMMON SENSE. HOWEVER, THEY HAVE BEEN VALIDATED BY RESEARCH. FURTHERMORE, AFTER TRYING TO USE SOME OF THE CONCEPTS OF THE BOOK, I WAS EXTREMELY SURPRISED TO SEE THAT THEY WORK IN PRACTICE (WITHIN 6 MONTHS THEY HELPED ME WITH AT LEAST 2 PEOPLE OF MY TEAM).
The basic concepts follow:
1. Usually the manager is more important for the performance of his people than a company itself. 12 fundamental questions to check this are provided.
2. People are greatly defined genetically and in their childhood. It is a mistake to try change them. "Learn-able" skills and knowledge are different from genetically defined talents.
3. People should be used in positions that are in agreement with their genetic pre-disposition.
4. People should focus on strengths and work around weaknesses (instead of the usual effort to improve weaknesses).
5. Excellence is a result of people working with their strengths to positions that match their talents.
HOWEVER THE ABOVE COMPRISE A VERY SHORT BRIEF OF THE BOOK. I STRONGLY SUGGEST IT FOR ANYBODY DEALING WITH MANAGEMENT. IT WILL HELP BOTH THE MANAGEMENT OF HIS TEAM AND ALSO THE MANAGEMENT OF HIS OWN CAREER.

Excellent book, with lots of great, interesting, sometimes counter-intuitive business lessons. Keep a notebook handy - you'll find lots of nuggets that make sense of your prior experiences and that you can use with your future experiences. The tone of the book is also light in a way that makes it a page turner.

The Gallup Organization has been doing hiring profile work for 50 years. One day, their chairman recognized that they could create a hiring profile for an NHL goalie, but not a front-line manager. He sent the PhD quants back to review the data. They rediscovered situational leadership. Great managers are self-aware and adapt to people and situations, balancing people and task goals.

Gallup has subsequently built a whole consulting practice based upon this book. Their model and conclusions are based on data and have been proven effective in many industries. This is a well-written, accessable management guide.

You were selected for a people manager position but you didn't have any previous experience. Sound familiar?
If I were asked what is expected from you to know and understand to start with the right foot in this role this should be your initiation field book.
Once you became a practitioner of the principles shared in the book you will be a good manager. How would you know for sure? Your direct reports will tell you.

I was immediately hooked on this book mainly because it catered to my already existing thoughts on the subject; however, it did so in much more organized manner with seamless transitions. A must read for anyone in the professional world, regardless if you're a a manager or not.

"First" is the most interesting business book I have read in years! Besides outlining great ideas based upon years of research, the book does an excellent job at detailing how to implement similar practices within our own professions. A definite BUY rating on this one.

I received the abridged audio book as a gift, and loved it so much I just had to own the hard copy. This is an insightful look at what makes a great manager, and the stumbling blocks that get in the way of achieving greatness.

This book represents a healthy dose of 'un-common sense' where conventional wisdom that keeps producing ordinary results is exposed as the real problem. What average managers do produces average cultures with average outcomes. Anyone wanting to create exceptional results and world class cultures MUST listen to then implement the unconventional advise logically laid out.

This book represents a healthy dose of 'un-common sense' where conventional wisdom that keeps producing ordinary results is exposed as the real problem. What average managers do produces average cultures with average outcomes. Anyone wanting to create exceptional results and world class cultures MUST listen to then implement the unconventional advise logically laid out.

Like many business books that are meant to teach best practices through anecdotes, the book loses steam after about 60%. Solid fundamentals in beginning and good concepts. Latter part of the book doesn't seem to pay off the set-up.