The Truth About Managing People...And Nothing But the Truth

by Robbins, Stephen P.

• ISBN13: 9780130669278
• ISBN10: 013066927X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-01-01
• Publisher: Financial Times Prentice Hall

Summary

One of the world's leading management experts distills today's most important management research into 64 principles. Robbins rips away the hype, fads, and cliches that keep managers from seeing reality, delivering no-holds barred advice for hiring, motivation, leadership, communication, performance evaluation, and more.

Table of Contents

Preface	xiv
PART I The Truth About Hiring	1	(34)
Forget Traits; It's Behavior That Counts	3	(3)
Realistic Job Previews: What You see is What you Get	6	(3)
Tips for Improving Employee Interviews	9	(3)
Want Pleasant Employees? It's in the Genes!	12	(2)
Good Citizenship Counts!	14	(2)
Brains Matter; or When in Doubt, Hire Smart People	16	(3)
Don't Count Too Much on Reference Checks	19	(3)
When in Doubt, Hire Conscientious People!	22	(3)
Hire People Who Fit Your Culture: My ``Good Employee'' Is Your Stinker!	25	(3)
Match Personalities and Jobs	28	(3)
Manage the Socialization of New Employees	31	(4)
PART II The Truth About Motivation	35	(38)
Why Many Workers Aren't Motivated at Work Today	36	(3)
Happy Workers Aren't Necessarily Productive Workers!	39	(3)
Workforce Generations and Values	42	(3)
Telling Employees to ``Do Your Best'' Isn't Likely to Achieve Their Best	45	(3)
Not Everyone Wants to Participate in Setting Their Goals	48	(3)
Professional Workers Go for the Flow	51	(3)
Watch Out for Cyberloafing!	54	(3)
When Giving Feedback: Criticize Behaviors, Not People	57	(3)
You Get What You Reward	60	(3)
It's All Relative!	63	(3)
Recognition Motivates (and It Costs Very Little!)	66	(3)
Ways to Motivate Low-Skill, Low-Pay Employees	69	(2)
There's More to High Employee Performance Than Just Motivation	71	(2)
PART III The Truth About Leadership	73	(32)
The Essence of Leadership is Trust	74	(3)
Experience Counts! Wrong!	77	(3)
Most People THINK They Know What Good Leaders Look Like	80	(2)
Effective Leaders Know How to Frame Issues	82	(4)
You Get What You Expect	86	(2)
Great Followers Make Great Leaders	88	(2)
Charisma Can Be Learned	90	(3)
Make Others Dependent on You	93	(3)
There's No Ideal Leadership Style	96	(2)
Adjust Your Leadership Style For Cultural Differences or When in Rome...	98	(3)
When Leadership ISN'T Important	101	(4)
PART IV The Truth About Communication	105	(18)
Hearing Isn't Listening	106	(3)
Choose the Right Communication Channel	109	(3)
Listen to the Grapevine	112	(3)
Men and Women DO Communicate Differently	115	(3)
What You Do Overpowers What You Say	118	(2)
The Case for Open-Book Management	120	(3)
PART V The Truth About Building Teams	123	(14)
What We Know That Makes Teams Work	124	(4)
2+2 Doesn't Necessarily Equal 4	128	(2)
We're Not All Equal: Status Matters!	130	(3)
Not Everyone Is Team Material	133	(4)
PART VI The Truth About Managing Conflicts	137	(14)
The Case FOR Conflict	138	(3)
Poor Communication Isn't the Source of Most Conflicts	141	(3)
Beware of Groupthink	144	(3)
How to Reduce Work-Life Conflicts	147	(4)
PART VII The Truth About Designing Jobs	151	(10)
There's No Such Thing as a ``Good Job''	152	(3)
Not Everyone Wants a Challenging Job	155	(2)
Four Job-Design Actions That Will Make Employees More Productive	157	(4)
PART VIII The Truth About Performance Evaluation	161	(10)
Annual Reviews: The Best Surprise Is NO Surprise!	162	(3)
Don't Blame Me! The Role of Self-Serving Bias	165	(3)
The Case for 360-Degree Feedback Appraisals: More IS Better!	168	(3)
PART IX The Truth About Coping With Change	171	(14)
Most People Resist Any Change That Doesn't Jingle in Their Pockets!	172	(4)
You CAN Teach an Old Dog New Tricks	176	(3)
Use Participation to Reduce Resistance to Change	179	(2)
Layoffs Are as Tough on Survivors as Those Who Get Laid Off	181	(4)
PART X Some Final Thoughts About Managing Behavior	185	(1)
I'll See It When I Believe It	186	(3)
First Impressions DO Count!	189	(3)
People Aren't Completely Rational: Don't Ignore Emotions!	192	(3)
Beware of the Quick Fix	195	(3)
References	198