What To Do When You Become The Boss

Book reviews > What To Do When You Become The Boss

Selden, R. (2008). What To Do When You Become The Boss, Denver, CO: Outskirts Press

Becoming the boss is something that all managers have experienced, sometimes a number of times as they climb the corporate ladder. Getting the job often results in a mixture of elation and terror as the new manager realizes that they are in a different world with different and unfamiliar rules.

Bob Selden sets out to equip the new manager with a practical toolkit of knowledge and techniques to help them succeed. Given the scope of what managers have to cover, this is a big job.

The first thing that the book does is to take its own medicine and segment its audience into activists, reflectors, theorists and pragmatists, and then offering advice on how to approach learning the job and using the book.

The manager's role is first divided into leading, managing and operating and activities in these roles are described. The book is then packed with tools, techniques, models and more in sections on leadership and management, managing teams, managing upwards, managing sideways, managing meetings and, most critically managing yourself.

Chapters have activities at the end to prompt managers into reflection and action, which is typical of the highly practical and pragmatic nature of the subject and the book.

In summary, this is an excellent and dense book that does what it says on the tin: helping new managers become successful managers.