Workforce Learning

On the anniversary of Abraham Maslow’s death (June 8, 1970), I revisited his classic book, Maslow on Management.

I return to it periodically because this transcription of the journals he kept while touring a factory in southern California in 1960, provides us with a unique view of management that applies today.

Best known for his theory of human motivation, centered on self-actualization and the phrase “hierarchy of needs,” Maslow maintained that the basic human drive is for self-actualization, and the need to fulfill one’s full potential. He was a master of the science of psychology, who broke from the early traditions of Freud and the behaviorists to devote his life to research into positive psychology.

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In my opinion, Dr. Atul Gawande is one of the most articulate and thoughtful authors currently writing about health care issues and the human condition. How he has time to write such well-researched and engaging books never ceases to amaze or impress me.

A little background: Dr. Gawande (pictured below) is a general and endocrine surgeon at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, a staff writer for The New Yorker, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health, and also leads the World Health Organization’s Safe Surgery Saves Lives program.

The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right is his third book, and by far his most applicable beyond the world of health care and medicine.

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Review by Alice Waagen

Book by Clay Carr

This is one of the only books I’ve read that is specifically geared toward the new or aspiring managers.

The first few chapters of the book cover the fundamentals of managing: selecting, guiding, correcting, motivating, and delegating. Carr then devotes two chapters to communications and the three to developing successful teams. He wraps with an overview of “phase two management” or what needs to be the focus after the fundamentals are masters. Each topic is illustrated with case studies and most include mini self-assessment to guide the learning.

This practical, pragmatic guide to the basics will short-circuit many a new manger blunder and ease the learning curve of mastering the art of directing others.

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Review by Alice Waagen

Book by Joan Magretta

I have read a lot of books on management theory but Magretta’s book is the one I most frequently recommend to new and experienced managers. As the former top editor for the Harvard Business Review, she has a wealth of insight to bring to the table.

In this book, Magretta presents a coherent look at general management which she describes as the genius in turning complexity and specialization into performance.

The book is divided into two parts: The first part deals with creating value, using it to drive strategy and developing sound organizations. Part two covers execution, why numbers matter, performance measures, innovation, delivering results and the intricacies of managing others.

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Review by Alice Waagen

Book by Alan Weiss

Million Dollar Consulting was the first book I read when I started my own consulting practice years ago. And it is the one I still recommend to aspiring entrepreneurs today. Weiss continues to churn out great advice for consultants, with numerous books, newsletters and seminars.

Start by reading this book – it covers the basics of setting up and running a management consulting practice. Weiss outlines success tactics and strategies that cover landing new clients, setting fees, ongoing client communications, dealing with the financials and nurturing long-term client relationships.

My own copy of this book is tattered and worn from repeat readings.

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Review by Alice Waagen

Book by Peter Block

Block’s book is the primer for consultants. Written more than 30 years ago, it still serves as a practical and useful guidebook on the nuts and bolts of setting up a consulting business.

He covers the essentials of contracting, dealing with resistance, diagnosing problems and providing feedback to the client. The appendix is full of useful checklists.

This book is a definite required reading for the new consultant as well as a refresher for those of us who’ve been in business for a few years.

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Review by Alice Waagen

by Geoffrey M. Bellman

This is a great book for anyone who is an independent consultant. Bellman shares his lifetime of consulting best practices.

His slant: consulting is a calling, a vocation, something you are drawn to as the best way to integrate your personal and professional lives.

Even though I’ve been in business for myself for more than a dozen years, I found a lot to learn (and laugh with) in this book.

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Review by Alice Waagen

Book by Michael E. Gerber

“The “E” in The E-Myth refers to entrepreneur. This book is a classic, must-read for anyone starting up or running their own business. Gerber’s base premise is that there are three characters needed to create a successful business: the entrepreneur, the manager and the technician. We all excel in one of these roles but all three are needed to create a sustainable business enterprise.

In my twelve years of running Workforce Learning, I have seen many instances of this model at work: the entrepreneur who continuous reinvents his/her business, the manager who is so in the weeds of spreadsheets and products they ignore sales and customers and the technician who feels that the strength of the product or service will just sell itself.

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Review by Alice Waagen

Book by Wayne Muller

I can think of no better book to remedy life stress than Wayne Muller’s “Sabbath.” This is a quiet book, and Muller’s message is unhurried and subtle, as anyone who celebrates the Sabbath would expect.

Do read it thoughtfully, though, and challenge yourself with some of the practices that Muller outlines. When you do, I am confident you will slowly learn how to create rest in your life.

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Review by Alice Waagen

Book by Stewart D. Friedman
Boston, MA: Harvard Business Press, 2008

Not another leadership book, right? I too have grown weary of “leadership” books, which these days seem to grow on trees. Friedman’s’ book Total Leadership, however, puts the all-powerful concept of work on equal footing with the other domains that are important in a person’s life: home, community and one’s private world.

Plus, he explains that one can truly achieve a form of personal leadership that transcends the limited definition so often found in business books today.

I found Total Leadership illuminating for it gave me a new way to look at what is important in my life. I especially enjoyed the reflective exercises on taking inventory of the expectations of the other stakeholders that are impacting me.

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Review by Alice Waagen

Book by Donna Fenn

I find myself pretty skeptical these days that yet another business book can present new ideas that have not already been churned out by the prolific business press. It is a tribute to the quality of Donna Fenn’s book UPSTARTS on GenY entrepreneurs that I read it cover to cover, taking notes and sharing her ideas with others in my network.

Fenn’s book stands out from the pack in a number of unique ways. First, her writing style is clean, clear and absent from the usual jargon and clutter. It makes sense, because she is a career journalist specializing in small business trends, so not only does she know her subject area well, she communicates it in an engaging manner.

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Review by Alice Waagen

Book by Anne Baber and Lynne Waymon

I read Make Your Contacts Count years ago when it first hit the bookstores. I would not be exaggerating to say it dramatically changed the way I approached networking. That’s because before I read Anne Baber and Lynne Waymon’s incredible book, I thought networking meant attending business functions for the sole purpose of distributing and collecting as many business cards as possible. I never knew what to do with the cards once I got back to the office, but I was exceedingly proud of the huge pile I had amassed.

Make Your Contacts Count, however, provided me with a new, highly logical, systematic approach to making my way through the packed crowds of business luncheons and trade functions. Following the authors’ step-by-step process, I started to assess my networking skills and I shifted my mind-set about what it meant to meet all those new contacts — some of whom I hoped would be potential clients. Indeed, their detailed self-assessment (in Chapter 1) gave me an overview of the specific behaviors, attitudes and strategies I had going in.

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Review by Alice Waagen

Book by Gordon MacKenzie

Books on corporate creativity mostly leave me cold. Spouting tired clichés about “out of box” thinking don’t do much more than repackage truisms. I was thusly wary when my book club picked Orbiting the Giant Hairball this month.

But thanks to Viking Press, Orbiting is bursting with quirky hand-drawn illustrations, many of them printed in brilliant colors. Text fonts vary for emphasis, and the book itself is a work of art — one that I found immensely enjoyable to read. The author, Gordon MacKenzie, is a former Hallmark Card executive and his message is an important one: Corporate hairballs are the entangled patterns of behavior and bureaucratic policies and procedures that create Corporate Normalcy and stifle creativity and imagination.

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Review by Alice Waagen

Book by Tamara Erickson

Publisher: Harvard Business Press, 2008

I love a book with a simple, relevant message. Such is the case with Tamara Erickson’s new book, Retire Retirement.

Erickson explains that baby boomers will live two or even three decades beyond the traditional retirement age of 65, and as a result will be able to find work more easily during the so-called third phase of their lives.

Why? Because they will be able to negotiate the terms of their employment by providing employers with increased flexibility, experience and wisdom. In a nutshell she tells boomers: “Seize the day!”

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Review by Alice Waagen

Book by Sharon Armstrong and Barbara Mitchell

Publisher: Career Press, 2008

One of the toughest jobs in the business world is that of the middle manager. Whether the job title is supervisor, team lead or director, these positions are sandwiched between the front lines, the people doing the work day after day, and the organization’s leadership, those looking ahead and giving direction. Too often, these two constituents do not see eye to eye and the middle management ranks need to buffer and cajole both upward and downward.

What makes the middle manager’s job even more challenging, is that many managers are promoted in to the position with little or not training or guidance on how to direct the work of others.

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Review by Alice Waagen

Book by Scott Eblin

Publisher: Davis Black Publishing, 2006

To me, the hallmark of a good book is its ability to bring simplicity to deep and complex topics. Scott Eblin’s The Next Level does just that. His premise is simply this: As one advances to the executive level, he / she must add certain characteristics and behaviors and delete those that provide little value.

This makes perfect sense, of course. As any leader advances up the organizational ladder, their responsibilities and ability to make policy – and effect change – most definitely grow and mature. So along with any promotion, leaders must focus on how they manage their time and resources.

Determining how and what to do differently can be daunting. Fortunately, Scott’s book provides a useful framework to help leaders make the transition.

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Review by Alice Waagen

Book by Leslie R. Crutchfield and Heather McLeod Grant

Publisher: San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2008

One of my first consulting clients was a small, struggling nonprofit. Being recently sprung from a career in the for-profit corporate world, I was certain that I could “fix” this organization’s internal issues. After all, I had a long career solving workplace issues for large businesses and believed the nonprofit world would certainly benefit from al this wisdom and experience.

I couldn’t have been more wrong. Although there may be parallel functions and processes in both for-and nonprofit enterprises, in truth, the two sectors are distinctly and profoundly different.

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Review by Alice Waagen

Book by Dan Pink

Publisher: Riverhead Books, 2005

In the spirit of full disclosure, I must admit that I am a fan of Dan Pink’s work. I started reading his articles years ago when he was a regular contributor to Fast Company magazine. Then, in 2001, he published Free Agent Nation shortly after I had been a free agent myself. Reading that book made me feel part of something big and current ‚Äî not just a loner who was crazy enough to leave the ranks of corporate America and venture out on my own.

So it was with eager anticipation that I picked up a copy of his new book, A Whole New Mind. Let me start with my overall impression: this is a great book. Dan’s writing style is easy to read, more journalistic than academic. He makes his points up front, and then supports them when needed with examples, stories and anecdotes.

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Review by Alice Waagen

Book by Malcolm Gladwell

Publisher: Back Bay Books

I recently read a curious book called “Blink” by Malcolm Gladwell. Gladwell is the author of the wildly popular book “The Tipping Point.” Subtitled: “The Power of Thinking without Thinking,” this new bok uses research on neuroscience and psychology to explain how our brains can “thin slice” and come up with remarkably accurate decisions almost instantaneously.

Gladwell’s assertions have particular importance for those of us in people-support
professions. For years we’ve been told to avoid “gut” feelings and reactions and to
analyze events purely on the basis of hard data. And yet, many of us have had
experiences where, in hindsight, our gut reaction was much more useful than all the data we had collected.

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Review by Alice Waagen

Book by Douglas McGregor

Publisher: McGraw-Hill, 1960

When I was struggling as a manager many years ago, participatory management was considered a new and revolutionary way to manage people. A participatory manager served more as a partner and an enabler than a director of work and tasks. We were to “empower” team members and encourage all to be involved in what were formerly considered exclusively management’s decisions. High-performing work teams were the Holy Grail we all sought to create.

Then I read an old copy of Douglas McGregor’s The Human Side of Enterprise (McGraw-Hill, 1960.) This book made me realize that participatory management practices were not a new concept created in the 80’s and 90’s but were spelled out clearly by McGregor back in 1960. Indeed McGregor is considered the originator of employee involvement with his seminal Theory Y which in turn is based on the concept of a hierarchy of needs that was created by Abraham Maslow a decade earlier. McGregor takes Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and applies it to the business enterprise.

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Review by Alice Waagen

Book by Frederick Winslow Taylor

Every now and then, I enjoy mixing my two interests in history and business by rereading a book from the past. One great classic that is still an enlightening read today is The Principles of Scientific Management by Frederick Winslow Taylor – known as the inventor of time and motion studies.

In 1911, Taylor proposed a new and radically different approach to management, called scientific management. His work was an attempt to counter the adversarial struggle between labor and management which was prevalent in his day. As he saw it, workers used various methods to “under-work,” or deliberately work slowly, in order to protect their jobs and those of their co-workers. Management, driven by the need to increase productivity, relied on a series of positive and negative incentives to boost output. Taylor saw this system as flawed, and worked out his revolutionary theories as a positive alternative.

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Review by Alice Waagen

Book by Sloan Wilson

Publisher: Thunder’s Mouth Press, 1955

I recently had the pleasure of reading, “The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, “ a classic that became a metaphor for the soul-less business man, the insignificant cog in a corporate machine working endless hours on minutia. Together with William Whyte’s 1957 study “The Organization Man,” these books came to represent how big business robs the individual of self and identity and leaves him only with conformity and uniformity.

Much to my surprise, the legend around the book did not match its actual content. The focus of this book is the struggle of the protagonist (Tom Rath) to create balance between what he does for a living and his personal values. Tom questions and challenges himself, his boss, and his wife about his purpose and calling in life. If one can ignore some of the dated descriptions (most notably the price of housing and the amazing amount of alcohol consumed) this book is as relevant in 2007 as it was in 1955.

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Review by Alice Waagen

Book by Patrick Lencioni

Publisher: Jossey-Bass

When I first looked at “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team,” I felt that it had two major obstacles from being on my “books to recommend” list. First, it is a book about teams and second, it is a book about leadership. That’s a double-whammy right out of the gate. Given that there is such a plethora of written material on leadership and teams that I find it a rare occurrence when an author can present new information on these topics.

Although I cannot honestly say that Lencioni gives us new and original information, his presentation of the material is innovative. Plus, he unveils a simple model for team effectiveness by telling a story about a small business that is saved from disaster by a new CEO who transforms the senior team from isolated individual contributors to a high-functioning leadership team.

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