Title: The Little Black Book for Managers

Author: John Cross & others

Year: 2013
My Rating:  4/5 Stars

Synopsis: 75 bite size management tips spread across 4 areas.  Not ground breaking but inspired a few new ideas and highlighted some principles I could be better at.

1. Your Rewarding Job - the main aspects of your job as a manager
2. Its all about you - the importance of knowing yourself to effectively manage
3. Your Team is What you Make it - how to influence improved team performance
4. Your Talented Staff - How to maximise the output of each team member

I've read a number of books in this arena and have been a manager for some years so a lot of it wasn't new news, however I always find these books inspire some new thinking or highlight something I haven't done for a while - below are the points I've highlighted from this book.

1. YOUR REWARDING JOB

All employee objectives should relate back to certain top level goals, commercial examples would be,
1. Customer Satisfaction
2. Margin
3. Market Share

Challenge team members to assess whether their objectives tie back to the above.

Don't mindlessly obsess about targets, do the right thing and it should come - good wording for team

Create sticky headline messages - Use plain English and catchy phrases for team objectives which they can understand and connect with.  Example = 'the 5 minute suitcase' was an airline objective to get suitcases from the plan to carousel in 5 minutes

2. ITS ALL ABOUT YOU

• Consider what is the correct amount of time spent operating versus managing, should at least be 50/50
• Infect everyone around you with your positive attitude
• Get team members to say yes to objectives as it increases the accountability to deliver

3. YOUR TEAM IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT

• Think of ways to make your team happier and do it
• Show more trust than you think you should
• Don;t give people the answers
• When the team react to your suggestion in silence, assume it is resistance and find out why
• Apply the six thinking hats model
• Understand the specialist skills in your team using the Belbin model

4. YOUR TALENTED STAFF

• Its your duty to kick and pat, know which employees need a kick versus which respond best to a pat and use appropriately
• Better understand attitudes and behaviours through MBTI model
• 360 degree model is Leadership Dimensions Questionnaire www.moments-of-power.com
• People more naturally adapt or innovate use the Kirton Adaption-Innovation inventory
• Sometimes it may be better to allow a team member to execute against an imperfect plan rather than risk dampening the enthusiasm and energy
• Use the STAR method as a debrief system with team members - Situation/Task/Action/Result
• Ben on your guard for monkeys
• Use I feel when giving negative feedback

Worth a read, introduced me to a few new models and a good one to have in the library for future reference.