You Can't Fire Everyone
And Other Lessons from an Accidental Manager
By: Hank Gilman
Published: March 17,2011
Format: Hardcover, 224 pages
ISBN-10: 1591843782
ISBN-13: 978-1591843788
Publisher: Portfolio/Penguin
"But the biggest problem is that no one ever trained us how to be a good boss - or any sort of boss, for that matter", writes deputy managing editor of Fortune, Hank Gilman, in his very entertaining and perceptive book You Can't Fire Everyone: And Other Lessons from an Accidental Manager. The author describes, through acute observation and often bitter experience, how creative people are seldom taught how to be good managers; and the often questionable results speak for themselves.
Hank Gilman recognizes that the same skills that made him a very successful journalist, failed to equip him to manage other journalists and support staff. The author provides in often hilarious detail how he received on the job training as a manager. In effect, Hank Gilman became a manager by accident and circumstance. The job was never his by design or desire. Hank Gilman points out that very qualities that make for a great journalist, are exactly the opposite of the skills essential to managing successfully. For the author, a good journalist is very often a loner. A manager must have strong interpersonal skills. This disconnect of skills and personality, with the requirements of the managerial role, are the source of many problems for the accidental manager.
Hank Gilman (photo left) understands the critical importance of providing training for new managers. For people in creative, artistic, or individualistic professions, the training is even more essential. All too often, people are simply promoted to managerial roles, without having sought them, or even having expressed an interest in the position. The results, as Hank Gilman's humorous anecdotes illustrate, are not only ineffective managers, but tragically bad managers. Through his learning management skills by the seat of his pants, and through trial and error, Hank Gilman distills some valuable advice for any new manager, regardless of industry or profession:
* Moving from peer to boss is not an easy transition
* Firing a ill suited employee is often the best thing for the person
* How to manage the best employees successfully to keep them motivated
* Why it's better to focus on employee strengths, and minimize their weaknesses
* Helping others succeed, helps the newly minted manager to succeed too
For me, the power of the book is how Hank Gilman pulls no delivers his hard earned wisdom in an engaging and memorable format. The information is packaged neatly into short chapters, with each story providing an important managerial lesson. The author admits that he was not an effective manager when he got the job, and his honesty is refreshing for a book on management. The fact that Hank Gilman never aspired to a managerial role gives him a unique perspective on a highly variable role. As the author points out so candidly, not all trained managers are effective with their staff either. By putting his employees first, and ensuring their success, Hank Gilman discovered one of the most timeless and important managerial lesson. People who are treated with respect and dignity will perform their jobs well and with engagement.
I highly recommend the delightful and wisdom filled book You Can't Fire Everyone: And Other Lessons from an Accidental Manager by Hank Gilman, to any any first time or seasoned managers. The author's straight talk on management skills can be read with profit by any business person. The author's experiences strike a universal chord with all managers, and the ideas he shares are helpful to any supervisor, manager, or executive.
Read the engaging and hands on book You Can't Fire Everyone: And Other Lessons from an Accidental Manager by Hank Gilman, and discover how to better work with employees, in any size organization. The advice offered is helpful to all managers at any stage of their careers. This is the ideal book for an accidental manager, who is given the sink or swim managerial training course. It can even be a real career saver for the inexperienced manager as well.
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