Full Description

Find out what separates great managers from the rest!

A great manager approaches the job with a set of skills and attitudes that can guarantee success, no matter the industry or organization, but most of today's managers face myriad tough challenges, which can jeopardize their careers and wreak havoc on the bottom line.

Bestselling author and sales expert Tim Connor offers a unique look at 81 challenges that thousands of managers face every day, including learning how to delegate, setting and reaching goals, hiring the right employees and keeping it all in balance. He gives managers at all levels the insight to figure out what mistakes are holding them back, and the tools to fix them once and for all.

81 Challenges Smart Managers Face gets to the heart of the key issues in any workplace and shows managers how to bring out the best in themselves, their employees and their companies.

Table of Contents

Preface -

Introduction -

Management Quiz -

List of Challenges -

Chapter One: Attitude Challenges -
- Controlling Your Ego
- Being Responsible to Employees Rather Than For Them
- Treating Employees the Same, Yet Differently
- Letting Go of Prejudices and Judgments
- Making Yourself Truly Indispensable
- Knowing You Need to Keep Improving
- Working with a Coach or Mentor

Chapter Two: Self-Management Challenges -
- Relying on Technology While Keeping the Human Touch
- Focusing on What You Want
- Knowing When to Involve Others
- Setting the Right Example
- Having a Consistent Management Style
- Managing Your Stressors
- Letting Go of Old Emotional Baggage
- Getting Out from Behind Your Desk
- Maintaining Balance

Chapter Three: Planning Challenges -
- Gauging Information and Analysis
- Setting Accurate Goals and Forecasts
- Assuming Unforeseen Consequences
- Estimating the Resources and Time Necessary for a Successful Plan
- Reducing Crisis Management through Strategic Planning and Strategic Doing
- Promoting Strategic Direction

Chapter Four: Hiring Challenges -
- Finding Good Employees
- Refusing to Hire Under Pressure
- Hiring Attitudes and Not Skills
- Conducting an Effective Interview Process
- Establishing Clear Employee Expectations

Chapter Five: Delegating Challenges -
- Trusting Your Employees
- Delegating Results Rather Than Processes and Methods
- Setting Clear Parameters and Expectations
- Giving Authority with Responsibility
- Refusing to take it Back After You Have Delegated it

Chapter Six: Feedback Challenges -
- Handling Employee Mistakes and Failures
- Giving Both Positive and Negative Feedback
- Giving Enough Positive Recognition and Appreciation
- Inspecting What You Expect
- Conducting Regular Reviews
- Having a Systematic Review Process
- Implementing Training with Effective Coaching

Chapter Seven: Motivation Challenges -
- Motivating Employees
- Setting a Clear Direction and Focus
- Empowering Employees
- Fostering a Fun and Rewarding Culture and Environment
- Holding People Accountable
- Rewarding the Right Behavior
- Maintaining a What Instead of a Who Culture
- Being an Encourager
- Creating a Motivating Climate and Culture
- Rewarding Performance rather than Tenure or Position
- Maintaining a Safe Corporate Culture
- Getting Ownership to Projects and Goals

Chapter Eight: Coaching Challenges -
- Playing Fair at Checkers
- Having and Maintaining Consistent Standards

Chapter Nine: Training Challenges -
- Investing in Employee Development
 - Seeing Training as an Investment Rather Than a Cost
- Using Outside Resources for Training
- Developing Curriculum-Based Training
- Inspecting the Training for Positive Outcomes

Chapter Ten: Leadership Challenges -
- Defining and Personalizing Your Leadership Style
- Making Consistently Good Decisions
- Sharing the Wealth
- Following Your Own Rules Even Thought You’re the Boss
- Maintaining Integrity at all Times
- Staying in Touch With Reality
- Believing that Leadership is Earned
- Making Change Your Partner
- Eliminating Sacred Cows
- Creating a Top-Down and Bottom-Up Organization
- Being Able to Admit You Didn’t Do It, Say It, or Get it Right

Chapter Eleven: Teambuilding Challenges -
- Maintaining Effective People Skills
- Mastering the Teambuilding Basics

Chapter Twelve: Meeting Challenges -
- Achieving Closure in Meetings
- Setting and Following Clear Meeting Objectives
- Conducting Effective Meetings

Chapter Thirteen: Communication Challenges -
- Sending Consistent Top-Down Messages
- Seeing Disagreement as Valuable
- Validating Employees
- Encouraging and Listening to Bottom-Up Feedback
- Listening Even When You Disagree
- Understanding the Importance of Perception
- Managing Your Expectations

Let’s Summarize -

It’s Your Turn -

Management Quiz Answers -

Recommended Reading -

Excerpt

Introduction
Management is a science, an art, and a calling. It requires the patience of Job, the dedication of an Olympic athlete, the persistence of a child, the people skills of a loving grandparent, the study-focus of Einstein, and the humorous outlook of George Burns.
In my book 91 Mistakes Smart Salespeople Make, I share a simple concept that is appropriate for this book as well. That concept states that there are only three ways to improve your management outcomes and results: Do more right. Do less wrong. Or do both. In this book I will share numerous ideas, techniques, and concepts that, when understood, embraced, and followed, will have a positive impact on your management style and outcomes.
One of the critical factors for success in management is a healthy and positive self-image. Essentially a person’s self-image will determine:
• How they feel about themselves and others
• How they view the world around them
• How they respond to life’s circumstances
• How they determine what goals to set for themselves
• How they react to failure and adversity
• How they behave when no one is looking
• How they handle difficult situations
• How they envision their own destiny

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