Download or read book Escaping the Build Trap written by Melissa Perri and published by O'Reilly Media. This book was released on 2018-11-01 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: To stay competitive in today’s market, organizations need to adopt a culture of customer-centric practices that focus on outcomes rather than outputs. Companies that live and die by outputs often fall into the "build trap," cranking out features to meet their schedule rather than the customer’s needs. In this book, Melissa Perri explains how laying the foundation for great product management can help companies solve real customer problems while achieving business goals. By understanding how to communicate and collaborate within a company structure, you can create a product culture that benefits both the business and the customer. You’ll learn product management principles that can be applied to any organization, big or small. In five parts, this book explores: Why organizations ship features rather than cultivate the value those features represent How to set up a product organization that scales How product strategy connects a company’s vision and economic outcomes back to the product activities How to identify and pursue the right opportunities for producing value through an iterative product framework How to build a culture focused on successful outcomes over outputs

Download or read book The Manager Trap written by MR Howard S. Miller and published by . This book was released on 2011-05-01 with total page 190 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What's a 4 letter word beginning with F managers should avoid? Why do SMART goals not work as effectively as they can? How is being objective instead of subjective more strategic for success as a manager? Howard Miller is an executive and business coach who teaches important management topics. He understands how skills such as delegation, motivation, feedback, and coaching, are all relevant, connected, and vital. In this easy to read book, Howard shows how to avoid The Manager Trap. By understanding the pitfalls and implementing tools which lead to solutions, manager's jobs can shift from being overwhelming to fun and rewarding!

Download or read book Flawed Advice and the Management Trap written by Chris Argyris and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2000-01-13 with total page 271 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Flawed Advice and the Management Trap: How Managers Can Know When They're Getting Good Advice and When They're Not is the first book to show how and why so much of today's business advice is flawed, and how managers and executives can better evaluate advice given to their firms Practitioners and scholars agree that businesses in the coming millennium will be managed differently than firms of the 20th century. And getting there from here, according to today's best advice, will require creative change. In this pioneering work, Argyris, one of the world's leading organizational thinkers, reviews a wide array of business advice from the best and brightest thinkers and consultants and concludes that as appealing as their ideas may be, most of them are simply not workable. They are too full of abstract claims, logical gaps, and inconsistencies, to be useful. And ironically, even when their recommendations are implemented correctly, the result is often failure. Why do these gaps in logic exist, and how can they be more effectively discovered? Applying a disciplined critique to numerous representative examples of advice about leadership, learning, change, and employee commitment, Argyris shows readers how to be more critical of the advice they are given, how to learn new approaches for appraising employee performance, and how to generate an internal commitment to values and better strategy. In our ever expanding global market, innovative business advice is at a premium, and giving this advice has become a lucrative industry in and of itself. This book provides the critical lens necessary to evaluate which advice is best for your organization.

Download or read book The Time Trap written by R. Alec Mackenzie and published by AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn. This book was released on 2009 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Focusing on twenty major obstacles to effective time management, a guide to using time well offers practical solutions to the problem.

Download or read book Unlocking Leadership Mindtraps written by Jennifer Garvey Berger and published by Stanford University Press. This book was released on 2019-01-29 with total page 165 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Author and consultant Jennifer Garvey Berger has worked with all types of leaders—from top executives at Google to nonprofit directors who are trying to make a dent in social change. She hears a version of the same plea from every client in nearly every sector around the world: "I know that complexity and uncertainty are testing my instincts, but I don't know which to trust. Is there some way to know what to do when I can't know what's next?" Her newest work is an answer to this plea. Using her background in adult development, complexity theories, and leadership consultancy, Garvey Berger discerns five pernicious and pervasive "mind traps" to frame the book. These are: the desire for simple stories, our sense that we are right, our desire to get along with others in our group, our fixation with control, and our constant quest to protect and defend our egos. In addition to understanding why these natural impulses steer us wrong in a fast-moving world, leaders will get powerful questions and approaches that help them escape these patterns.

Download or read book Beyond Budgeting written by Jeremy Hope and published by Harvard Business Press. This book was released on 2003 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The annual budgeting process is a trap. Pressured by fixed targets and performance incentives, managers focus on making the numbers instead of making a difference, meeting set goals instead of maximizing potential. With their compensation at stake, managers often resort to deceitful-even unethical-behavior. In the end, everybody loses-the employee, the company, and ultimately the customer. Now, finance experts Jeremy Hope and Robin Fraser reveal the results of an intensive study aimed at fixing the broken budgeting process. They argue that companies must abandon traditional budgeting contracts in favor of a radical new model that links performance measurement to evolving competitive benchmarks-and shifts the firm's focus from controlling employee behavior to delivering customer value. The Beyond Budgeting model is built on the best practices of companies that have successfully revised their centralized planning and budgeting processes. It combines a leadership vision that devolves more authority to operating managers and a finance vision that enables fast decision making through appropriate tools and accessible information. Through vivid examples, Hope and Fraser illustrate how companies can implement these shared visions-and the long-term benefits that accrue from embracing them. Offering a compelling case for breaking free from the budgeting trap, this book paves the way toward making organizations better places to work for, invest in, and do business with.

Download or read book The Empathy Trap written by Jane McGregor and published by Sheldon Press. This book was released on 2013-05-16 with total page 124 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sociopathy affects an estimated 1- 4% of the population, but not all sociopaths are cold-blooded murderers. They're best described as people without a conscience, who prey on those with high levels of empathy, but themselves lack any concern for others' feelings and show no remorse for their actions. Drawing on real life cases, The Empathy Trap: Understanding Antisocial Personalities explores this taboo subject and looks at how people can protect themselves against these arch-manipulators. Topics include: - Defining sociopathy, and related conditions such as psychopathy, narcissism, and personality disorder - How sociopaths operate and why they're often difficult to spot - Identifying sociopathic behavior - The sociopath's relations with other people and why they often go unpunished - Coping with the aftermath of a destructive relationship - Re-establishing boundaries and control of your life - Practical advice for keeping sociopaths at bay - Resources and further help.

Download or read book The Advice Trap written by Michael Bungay Stanier and published by Page Two. This book was released on 2020-02-29 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the author of the runaway bestseller The Coaching Habit comes an authoritative guide to getting the most out of your workforce--and it all starts with curbing your urge to dole out advice. In The Advice Trap, bestselling author, speaker, and leadership coach Michael Bungay Stanier shares his invaluable insights into developing team members' professional performance, using tips that even the busiest managers can put into play. Learn how to confront and quell the three advice monsters that lurk inside us all, and how to resist the seven temptations that can ensnare even the most well-meaning manager. With his trademark wit and wisdom, Michael shows you exactly how to ask questions that drive impact and engagement, eliminate the negative and accentuate the positive. He takes you through examples of common problem situations, and reveals how to overcome them by using his everyday coaching tips. Finally, he shows you how to attain the highest level of engagement with his "blackbelt" tools of employee interaction: transparency, lightness and deep appreciation. A companion to The Coaching Habit, The Advice Trap gives you the power to say less, ask more--and change how you lead forever.

Download or read book The Empty Trap written by John D. MacDonald and published by Random House. This book was released on 2013-06-11 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Empty Trap, one of many classic novels from crime writer John D. MacDonald, the beloved author of Cape Fear and the Travis McGee series, is now available as an eBook. Lloyd Wescott is a big boy, and he understands that big money doesn’t smell like roses. When he’s hired to build and run the Green Oasis resort, he dosn’t know too much about the pedigree of its owner—and he doesn’t want to. He won’t ask any questions. Just as long as the place is legit and he can run it clean as a whistle. But when trouble checks in, skimming from the casino’s tills is the least of Lloyd’s concerns. The quiet elegance of the hotel lobby turns out to be crawling with contract guns. And after one look from a beautiful woman, Lloyd realizes that he’s about to get some hard answers to the questions he never asked. Features a new Introduction by Dean Koontz Praise for John D. MacDonald “The great entertainer of our age, and a mesmerizing storyteller.”—Stephen King “My favorite novelist of all time.”—Dean Koontz “To diggers a thousand years from now, the works of John D. MacDonald would be a treasure on the order of the tomb of Tutankhamen.”—Kurt Vonnegut “A master storyteller, a masterful suspense writer . . . John D. MacDonald is a shining example for all of us in the field. Talk about the best.”—Mary Higgins Clark

Download or read book The Synergy Trap written by Mark L. Sirower and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2010-05-11 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With acquisition activity running into the trillions of dollars, it continues to be a favorite for corporate growth strategy, but creating shareholder value remains the most elusive outcome of these corporate strategies—after decades of research and billions of dollars paid in advisory fees, why do these major decisions continue to destroy value? Building on his groundbreaking research first cited in Business Week, Mark L. Sirower explains how companies often pay too much—and predictably never realize the promises of increased performance and competitiveness—in their quest to acquire other companies. Armed with extensive evidence, Sirower destroys the popular notion that the acquisition premium represents potential value. He provides the first formal and functional definition for synergy -- the specific increases in performance beyond those already expected for companies to achieve independently. Sirower's refreshing nuts-and-bolts analysis of the fundamentals behind acquisition performance cuts sharply through the existing folklore surrounding failed acquisitions, such as lack of "strategic fit" or corporate culture problems, and gives managers the tools to avoid predictable losses in acquisition decisions. Using several detailed examples of recent major acquisitions and through his masterful integration and extension of techniques from finance and business strategy, Sirower reveals: -The unique business gamble that acquisitions represent -The managerial challenges already embedded in current stock prices -The competitive conditions that must be met and the organizational cornerstones that must be in place for any possibility of synergy -The precise Required Performance Improvements (RPIs) implicitly embedded in acquisition premiums and the reasons why these RPIs normally dwarf realistic performance gains -The seductiveness and danger of sophisticated valuation models so often used by advisers The Synergy Trap is the first exposé of its kind to prove that the tendency of managers to succumb to the "up the ante" philosophy in acquisitions often leads to disastrous ends for their shareholders. Sirower shows that companies must meticulously plan—and account for huge uncertainties—before deciding to enter the acquisition game. To date, Sirower's work is the most comprehensive and rigorous, yet practical, analysis of the drivers of acquisition performance. This definitive book will become required reading for managers, corporate directors, consultants, investors, bankers, and academics involved in the mergers and acquisitions arena.

Download or read book Escape the Improvement Trap written by Michael Bremer and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2017-08-09 with total page 319 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Written by two experts who have dedicated their careers to quality improvement, Escape the Improvement Trap: Five Ingredients Missing in Most Improvement Recipes separates itself from other improvement books by looking at why most companies rarely achieve anything more than an average level of improvement maturity. They identify five critical ingre

Download or read book Management Traps written by Larry Miller and published by Archway Publishing. This book was released on 2019-04-01 with total page 51 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Do you struggle making sure your staff does the right thing, in the right way, and at the right time? Managing people can be a daunting task, even for those managers who have had good and extensive management training. Anyone can accidentally fall into hard-to-recognize traps when communicating performance goals or process improvements to co-workers and staff. As our high-tech environment creates a greater need for social and communication skills in the workplace, avoiding these traps is becoming more critical. In this guide, Larry Miller, a human resources expert, walks you through how to: • confront people to solve problems; • repeat critical messages to promote action and results; • question assumptions when deciding who to hire; and • measure the right things when evaluating employees. The author also explores how to lead by example, communicate well with others, avoid hasty conclusions, and choose the right words to inspire improved performance. Regardless of the size of company, type of company, or requirements and duties of any job, management traps occur. Avoid or resolve these traps and improve your bottom line in the process with the lessons in this guide.

Download or read book Product Leadership written by Richard Banfield and published by "O'Reilly Media, Inc.". This book was released on 2017-05-12 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In today’s lightning-fast technology world, good product management is critical to maintaining a competitive advantage. Yet, managing human beings and navigating complex product roadmaps is no easy task, and it’s rare to find a product leader who can steward a digital product from concept to launch without a couple of major hiccups. Why do some product leaders succeed while others don’t? This insightful book presents interviews with nearly 100 leading product managers from all over the world. Authors Richard Banfield, Martin Eriksson, and Nate Walkingshaw draw on decades of experience in product design and development to capture the approaches, styles, insights, and techniques of successful product managers. If you want to understand what drives good product leaders, this book is an irreplaceable resource. In three parts, Product Leadership helps you explore: Themes and patterns of successful teams and their leaders, and ways to attain those characteristics Best approaches for guiding your product team through the startup, emerging, and enterprise stages of a company’s evolution Strategies and tactics for working with customers, agencies, partners, and external stakeholders

Download or read book Ask a Manager written by Alison Green and published by Ballantine Books. This book was released on 2018-05-01 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the creator of the popular website Ask a Manager and New York’s work-advice columnist comes a witty, practical guide to 200 difficult professional conversations—featuring all-new advice! There’s a reason Alison Green has been called “the Dear Abby of the work world.” Ten years as a workplace-advice columnist have taught her that people avoid awkward conversations in the office because they simply don’t know what to say. Thankfully, Green does—and in this incredibly helpful book, she tackles the tough discussions you may need to have during your career. You’ll learn what to say when • coworkers push their work on you—then take credit for it • you accidentally trash-talk someone in an email then hit “reply all” • you’re being micromanaged—or not being managed at all • you catch a colleague in a lie • your boss seems unhappy with your work • your cubemate’s loud speakerphone is making you homicidal • you got drunk at the holiday party Praise for Ask a Manager “A must-read for anyone who works . . . [Alison Green’s] advice boils down to the idea that you should be professional (even when others are not) and that communicating in a straightforward manner with candor and kindness will get you far, no matter where you work.”—Booklist (starred review) “The author’s friendly, warm, no-nonsense writing is a pleasure to read, and her advice can be widely applied to relationships in all areas of readers’ lives. Ideal for anyone new to the job market or new to management, or anyone hoping to improve their work experience.”—Library Journal (starred review) “I am a huge fan of Alison Green’s Ask a Manager column. This book is even better. It teaches us how to deal with many of the most vexing big and little problems in our workplaces—and to do so with grace, confidence, and a sense of humor.”—Robert Sutton, Stanford professor and author of The No Asshole Rule and The Asshole Survival Guide “Ask a Manager is the ultimate playbook for navigating the traditional workforce in a diplomatic but firm way.”—Erin Lowry, author of Broke Millennial: Stop Scraping By and Get Your Financial Life Together

Download or read book The One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey written by Kenneth H. Blanchard and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 1989 with total page 148 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When a person goes to the boss with a problem and the boss agrees to do something about it, the monkey is off his back and onto the boss's. How can managers avoid these leaping monkeys? Here is priceless advice from three famous experts: how managers can meet their own priorities, give back other people's monkeys, and let them solve their own problems.

Download or read book Organizational Traps written by Chris Argyris and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2010-04-29 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Anyone who has spent time in an organization knows that dysfunctional behavior abounds. Conflict is frequently avoided or pushed underground rather than dealt with openly. At the same time, the same arguments often burst out again and again, almost verbatim. Turf battles continue for extended periods without resolution. People nod their heads in agreement in meetings, and then rush out of the room to voice complaints to sympathetic ears in private. Worst of all, when people are asked if things will ever change, they throw up their hands in despair. They feel like victims trapped in an asylum. And people often are trapped. But they are not trapped by some oppressive regime or organizational structure that has been imposed on them. They are not victims. In fact, people themselves are responsible for making the status quo so resistant to change. We are trapped by our own behavior. Researchers and practitioners have often reflected on these things, but there is a puzzle. On the one hand, there is substantial agreement that these traps are counterproductive to effective performance. On the other hand, there is almost no focus on how organizational traps can be prevented or reduced. This book argues that whatever theory is used to describe and understand such organizational traps should be used to design and implement interventions that reduce and prevent them. Argyris is one of the world's leading management scholars whose work has consistently shed light on orgainzational problems. This book is essential reading for MBAs, managers, and consultants.

Download or read book Eliminate Your Competition written by Sean O'Shaughnessey and published by . This book was released on 2018-05-14 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Most salespeople lose the deal before they ever get started! It isn't uncommon for the customer to have already made a decision before most salespeople even learn of the opportunity. Most salespeople have to beat the preferred competitor by a significant margin just to be considered equivalent. Don't you wish that you could be the preferred vendor in all of your opportunities? Selling is a difficult career in which to make a living; it is not uncommon to have the commission check denied before the salesperson even gets a chance to win. Analysis of thousands of sales situations has made it phenomenally obvious that most salespeople begin their sales campaign so late in the decision-making process that they are virtually guaranteed to lose the order. To make matters worse, when they do start the campaign early enough, most salespeople do not know how to control the prospect adequately so that they can guarantee their victory. Typical turnover for a sales department is 10-20%. Many companies see turnover that approaches 40-60%! This turnover costs them 50% of their revenue-generating capability. In any organization that exceeds 25% turnover, the loss of trust with the customer can be astounding as the new salesperson tries to rebuild the entire relationship. In any given quarter dozens or hundreds of companies do not make their forecasted numbers and are dramatically punished by Wall Street. This book will provide the management of a company with a framework to teach their salespeople how to attain their quotas with higher profits. It will also allow salespeople to rise to the top of their organization and be the super-achievers who win awards, trips, bonuses, and respect. In this book, I will show you how to eliminate your competition and maximize your commission.