Managing a team or organisation is no easy task. Melissa Yen reviews resources to help you become the leader you want to be
Robert Re has been a HR manager for two major manufacturing organisations, and currently provides training and consultancy services in areas such as leadership and management development, team building and conflict resolution. In his book, Leadership at Work: Letting the Apes Go Free, Re enlightens readers with 30-odd years worth of experience in workplace change and work/life improvements. Based on the writer’s leadership at work and management development program, the book demonstrates how the culture and structure of organisations can create an unproductive work environment, and how common sense tools can be used to help organisations of any size operate effectively. The book’s layout is clear and simple, using point form with relevant diagrams and comedic illustrations. This makes the book totally unlike the more academic texts that cover the topic. Broken up into 12 chapters which cover issues and techniques such as setting corporate direction, creating a positive culture, managing individual performance and more, this is the ideal book for obtaining the “how to” of managing and developing an effective work life.
The Boss: A Novel. By Andrew O’Keeffe. Great Bosses Pty Limited, 2006 $24.95
Dealing with a bad boss is something that everyone must endure at some stage in his or her career. The fact that people are often loyal to organisations and not to bosses rings true in The Boss, a book dedicated to the very experience of working for someone who may be arrogant, sexist, incompetent or simply a jerk. Based on true stories about bosses at work (both good and bad) the reader cannot help but relate to the fictitious characters and the frustrating and negative scenarios that unfold. Written by Andrew O’Keefe, a senior executive who has been working in HR for 25 years, it effectively demonstrates the impact that good and bad management has on the lives of employees. The book follows the trials and tribulations of marketing professional Lauren Johnson who, after leaving an unbearable boss, joins a new company only to come up against yet another difficult executive team which tests her spirit. A must read for anyone who wishes to become a better boss, wants to learn how to cope with a bad boss, or feels they are not alone in such experiences.
www.management-training-consultants.com
This is the site for NSW-based consultant group, Peter Wildblood Consultants, which offers management, personal development and leadership training, change analysis and implementation, team building and structural as well as organisational reviews. The site is effective in that it goes beyond simply plugging the array of services on offer and provides a wide range of resources, articles and case studies. These cover issues such as leadership roles in strategic change, building a champion team and controlling a major project. The resources are quite useful and easy to access. The site also provides a number of articles on leadership and strategic change, effective time management, creating effective performance appraisals and what it takes to be an ideal leader. For those keen on more research, the site also provides an extensive list of resources and publications. Navigation of management-training-consultants.com is simple, as is the design of the site. A good information resource.
