Patrick J. McKenna Bücher

Competently managing a group of peers is unquestionably among the most difficult of workplace tasks, but key steps that produce success are laid out so clearly by consultants Patrick J. McKenna and David H. Maister in First Among Equals that even those who completely lack experience should find the process feasible and effective. McKenna and Maister focus on leading teams of professionals--often composed of people who don't feel like they are part of a team or in need of leadership--by transforming the way managers assume responsibility and direct members. "Success in helping your group succeed is mostly about you. Not them," they write. Their book starts by explaining how to prepare for the job ahead, for example, by meeting informally with participants and displaying sincere interest in things that matter to them. It then explores coaching the individuals involved (offering methods for gaining acceptance, building rapport, assisting underperformers and dealing with prima donnas) and guiding the collective group (by developing rules, building trust, invigorating meetings, and resolving conflicts). Finally, it proposes measures for continued success, such as integrating new hires and gauging performance. Dozens of self-assessment questionnaires and diagnostic tests help make this an exceptionally practical guidebook on a critical but oft-neglected topic. --Howard Rothman

This book is essentially a collection of practical checklists interspersed with quotations and anecdotes. It certainly meets its objective of collecting everything you need to know about managing a professional service firm's practice group. Patrick McKenna and David H. Maister present the nuts and bolts in a straightforward format. If you feel like you could use some help to do a better job of leading your group of highly trained individuals, if you've just been promoted to the ranks of management and want some guidance or, worse, if you feel like you are herding cats - in Maister's phrase - instead of leading a committed team of professional people, getAbstract.com is pleased to recommend this complete toolbox to you

Nejobvyklejší reakcí, kterou slýcháme od profesionálů o řízení skupin, je: "Ale tohle nás nikdo nikdy neučil! Kniha vám pomůže formulovat ústřední pravidla, podle nichž váš tým bude efektivně kooperovat, kapitoly pokrývají široké spektrum schopností a aktivit, od "mechanických" (jak pořádat schůzku) k hluboce emocionálním (záležitosti důvěry, smyslu a inspirace).