Manager

Unfortunately, Block lives in a "what if" fantasy. Politics is a "real world" subject.

Fourteen years have passed since the original publication of this book, and we are now in what is called the post-empowerment era. Nevertheless Block's text remains its fundamental status, and its relevance and value have in no way diminished.

"The Empowered Manager" would be on any short list of the most important management books ever written if only on account of its classical exposition of one of perhaps the most significant idea in late twentieth century management practice. In addition, every page contains sage practical advice of benefit to anyone who wants to be more than a slave or a drone at work.

Check out Bergmann et al's "Everyone a Leader" and Hirschhorn's "Reworking Authority" for some more recent developments in this area. But do not fail to read this book: its wisdom is inspirational, and Block's fine style makes it a treat to read.

Block gets to the bottom of what leadership is all about -- Love and Trust. Love for one another, the love to serve, the love to help others rise. The courage to do what would cause traditional, stoic managers to turn their noses up and jeer. His words, however taboo by traditional management standards, are priceless. I always felt this way, but was so glad to see Block put it in print. I realized I was not crazy after all! My ideas were not so weird or unconventional :-) There is so much more. READ THIS BOOK!

This is not a bad book. It covers a lot of ground. But at times it gets a bit too theoretical, rather than being down to earth. I saw the reviews that liked it, but several of them were by financial managers. For those of us who are not financial managers, there is quite of a bit of mathematics and theory. For example, for capital budgeting there is a whole chapter of mathematical formulas with a small paragraph saying no one really uses the formulas - they use calculators or computers. But there was no discussion about what calculator or computer program to buy or how to do the calculations with a calculator or computer. The book is also pretty much out of date, espeically in areas like the tax chapter.

This book does a great job of helping managers understand the financial world. It takes the basics of finance and accounting and describes them in a very non-technical and easy to understand manner. I am a degreed accountant with a strong finance and economics background and find it difficult to explain things to business owners and managers in a way that makes sense to them. This book resolves that problem. By the time they read through it once we can at least talk together and I don't feel like I am using a foreign language.
A very valuable book that should be required reading for anyone who goes into business for theirself or moves up the corporate ladder to a position where understanding these things is beneficial for their career. While it is not a treatise on the details of accounting and finance it will give you a broad enough scope to understand what you should be doing and why things work the way that they do. A recommended read.

This is a very readable book about business finance and accounting. I have used it, along with a study guide I prepared for it, to help train people who were becoming instructors for business training classes. It certainly helps to be able to discuss the material in the book with someone who knows more about what's in it than you do. Even so, Droms does a good job with his material and you can use the book for later reference -- I do. You'll get even more out of this book if you order another book to go with it. That book is "Business Basics Bestseller #1." [...]

This is by far the simplest guide I have encountered on this often complex subject. I have just started a management course and the simple way the IT Manager's Handbook is laid out means I don't have to wade through pages of the author's anecdotes but can get straight down to business. A must buy for anyone starting out in management.

I think this book is fantastic. Its usefulness lies in it simplicity and comprehensiveness, which means you can apply it to most managerial tasks you might encounter. I am not an IT manager, but I have used many of the general sections of the book such as the Staff Management and the Project Planning chapters. What it is able to do is give a comprehensive list of questions to ask in each of the specific topics, which enables you to be confident in knowing that nothing has been forgotten. It is the kind of book that all managers should have to hand during their whole career, to dip in and out of as new challenges (and old ones) arise. It definitely helped me to implement good procedures in my work place. I also think it would be incredibly useful for any trainee manager in any industry and a tool to help them learn & understand the challenges they will face.

The beauty of this manual lies in its simplicity. On every subject the author seeks to simplify good practise to a set of checklists. In so doing he seeks to steer a business away from the obvious pitfalls. I fully reccommend this informative guide - it'll save you a lot of time and money in the long run.

While the book does a very good job of laying out options for building distributed environments, it falls far short in some critical areas. Neither directories, security, PKI, nor directory enabled networks (DEN) are adequately covered. As a matter of fact only security receives any coverage at all.

Security has 11 entries in the index, but none go beyond defining the role of security. There is no mention of how to implement security in a distributed environment.

Directories are not even listed in the index. Directories are crucial to the management and security of networks in a distributed environment. The directory enabled network (DEN) initiative is a standard interoperable approach that will be widely supported (if vendors are to be believed). DEN is absolutely necessary if distributed networks are to provide the reliability and security needed by enterprises.

Closely related to DEN is public key cryptography (PKI) which does not even show up in the index. Enterprises building extra-nets will need the security provided by the use of PKI.

These omissions cause me to give a low rating to an otherwise good book on distributed computing.

Chapter 7 of this book is excellent at covering the issues that are key to bridging the gap between IT and the Business Unit.

IT needs to measure "success" in terms of business-meaningful terms - this book (and chapter 7 in particular) helps redefine IT success and focus IT on the issues critical to business alignment in the coming years.

As someone who spent 24 years in "legacy" environments and who is now in the distributed world I found this book to be some of the most complete guides in print to making the transition.

What I really liked about this book is how the authors skillfully blended the descriptions of technologies in the distributed world with the methods and approach that characterize the "legacy" world. This is because distributed computing has a lot to offer from a technology point of view, but management of distributed systems lags behind the "legacy" world. My move was a lot like migrating from a predictable world of methods, processes and procedures to the wild west.

Some of the specific highlights were: very clear description of client/server systems and the underlying components. I personally gained a lot from the discussions on object technology, building distributed applications, and building extensible systems. The latter was especially useful to me because it exposed me to COM, Java and XML, and how these fit into the picture. Coming from a world where the standard buzzwords were CICS, JCL and the such I needed to fully understand the world in which I now work, and this book gave me an understanding of the technical underpinnings and their strengths and weaknesses.

Where this book blends the "legacy" and distributed worlds is in the chapters that deal with managing distributed systems. I gained two deep insights from this section: (1) managing distributed systems is a quantum leap in complexity from managing host-based systems, and (2) the processes and tools used to manage today's distributed systems have not reached the maturity of those that we used twenty years ago in the mainframe world. The authors did an excellent job of pointing out the challenges and realities of distributed systems management, and did a wonderful job of tying this to service level management using core business objectives as the bridge.

This book is truly a manager's guide that covers a lot of ground in technology and processes. It is too high-level for hand's-on technical folks who have worked in distributed environments, but is a wonderful source of information for people like myself who spent most of their career in mainframes and need to evolve into this wild environment called distributed computing. I enjoyed the book, gained a lot from it and recommend it to my former colleagues who are still in the "legacy" environment.

I recently started as a new hiring manager at a commercial printing company. This book was in the bookcase and I thought I'd read it over a weekend - now I wish I hadn't.
Utterly useless and pedantic.
There has to be something else out there.
Little more than a compendium of scripted questions and very light material, I would be hard-pressed to find much of value here.

So few people have solid interviewing skills, which are critical in ensuring that you consistently hire the best people. This book is incredibly useful in helping you move past the "gut" decision. Several chapters are spent on how to ask various questions so that you neither lead the candidate into giving you the answer you want, nor intimidate the candidate at the wrong time. Very helpful in redefining the typical standard questions (which any decent candidate is prepared for) so that you can really get to the substance.

The book's focus on explaining why certain methods and techniques work better is excellent. In particular it has been very useful in teaching and/or re-assuring the interviewers (both veterans and newbies) at my company that they are asking the right questions and making the correct judgement calls. That confidence is a key success differentiator from the usual randomness in interviewing that often leads to a substandard hire.

Martin Yate takes us through some of the most important areas of the hiring process and gives good advice. He obviously knows his business. I recommend the book.

Wayne D. Ford, Ph.D., author of "How to Spot a Liar in a Job Interview" and "How to Spot a Phony Resume" docwifford@msn.com

This book is written only for the very basic beginner in IT. If you have been around an IT department for any length of time, you will find it difficult to pick up any new management thoughts in this book. For example, the entire topic of ERP systems is covered in 2 pages.

Technology can change all it wants but the fundamentals of being a good IT Manager have changed very little. This book hits all the major areas of focus from staffing and budgeting to infrastructure and disaster recovery.

The section entitled "Certification: How Do I Know Its Worth" applied 10 years ago, and still applies today. Right on the money and a good brief for an IT Manager building a team. Also, small but extremently important policy issues like email and security are included.

I do think that the book included slightly heavy doses of technical information such as a full page table of different memory technologies as well as an entire section entitled "How Do I Configure a Server". These would service a Network Administrator or Engineer just fine but an IT Manager ? Not so much. Don't let this detract you from the overall picture though. Too much information is certainly better than not enough.

I have to be honest, I didn't read this cover to cover. But for someone who has spent time as an IT Manager in the past and one who is looking at doing it again, I was able to re-establish concepts and draw on new tools that, no doubt, provided benefits.

This book is full of practical examples. It is useful to people who have in-depth programming knowledge but no idea how to do a budget or interview job candidates. I found this book specially timely, given that my team is composed of several technical professionals who are now considering a move into management. The information in the book is well layed out and quite accessible.

Ideas are a bit thin on the ground for this brief book.

The focus of the book is how to quickly get up to speed as a newly-employed apartment manager. There are some good ideas such as the importance of smell, the pros and cons of working as an apartment manager and time management.

The book is short, 129 pages in a large font, with lots of white space. For example, the book ends on page 118, then pages 119 and 120 are blank, pp. 121-128 are blank with the designation "Notes", p. 129 is an order form for further copies of the book (wishful thinking!), then there are three more completely blank unnumbered pages.

The topic of the book is a good idea, surely someone could put together a more comprehensive work.

LONA KERZMAN WRITES WITH KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE OF THIS INDUSTRY. SHE IS FULL OF WONDERFUL IDEAS THAT REALLY WORK!!! TRUST ME I HAVE USED MANY OF HER TECHNIQUES. I HAVE ORDERED SEVERAL MORE BOOKS TO GIVE TO MY AGENTS. POWER PACKED INFORMATION!

this is a great book and I think Lona did a great job and kept everything very helpful for the lay person.

I read all the stellar reviews posted on here and ordered the book and was very disappointed.

This book is good for individual brokers and small firms, but there is nothing in here for someone who is a planner/advisor of a large broker/dealer. Everything in here should be at your brokerage house for those working for the top 15 or so firms in the country.

Even the Monte Carlo game, which is discussed a lot in this book, is something a lot of trainees go through with their broker/dealers.

Independents and small firms will like it, and it is probably a VERY GOOD reference for them because it is put together well...but its the same ole stuff for others.

Not many business books are worth shelling out 50 bucks, but this one isn't just a book, it's an investment. This powerful workbook includes an attached CD-ROM containing systems, forms, data sheets and guides that you can use to jumpstart your business activities. The section on media self-promotion is worth the entire price of admission. Clearly written and to the point, with many helpful guides and examples, the volume can save you countless hours of trying to reinvent your own personal version of the wheel. We [...] recommend this intensely focused compilation to all financial advisers, planners, attorneys, bankers and wealth managers who want to build and strengthen their practices.

If you're in insurance sales, financial planning, accounting, securities, banking or in anyway involved in providing financial advice or services to the public, you owe it to your bottom line to get a copy of this book.

Chock full of immediately implemental ideas (supported by forms & tables provided on a disk), the return on your investment will be near infinate.

Best of all, Ms. Katz is a great story teller and her book's fun to read!

This book was probably a good first attempt at an eCommerce text book but now reads a little thin on deep explanations. My students (undergrad) universally hate this book. from what i gather, part of it is just the look and feel of the book - monochromatic and dull. it does not invite steady reading. the page of the book is slow and often cumbersome. i'm not meaning to knock the obvious hard work that has gone into this book but i just want possible instructors to be aware of its shortcomings in terms of students. Excellent as an insomnia cure.

This book brings together a unique set of materials about a subject that is growing rapidly. But a lot of it was very hard to find and understand because of the jumbled layout and clashing colors - red headings, pink graphics, purple sidebars! If this were a webpage I would have clicked elsewhere.

I've used this book as a textbook in an undergraduate e-Business course intended to be taken by business students. In my opinion, it is the finest one on the market for this purpose. It covers a wide variety of topics in sufficient depth to give good foundational understanding. My only two complaints are:

The appendix material on HTML is not needed in the book. Anyone interested in that topic is probably going to buy another more complete book on the topic (perhaps even another Deitel book).

The biggest problem, though, is that this book is becoming very dated. It was made available in 2000. Much has changed since then. Most textbooks of this sort are updated every 2 years. This one needs to be updated to a second edition.

Communication is the key to success! Universal truth yet this book gives lessons to better communicating using methods for sure results. Various methods combined together works. The five groups mentioned in this book are:
1. written word
2. spoken word
3. Symbolic gestures
4. Visual Images
5. Multimedia
Interesting is a comment here that Americans like communicating via rallies and slogans with strong use of visuals. (Pg.8) Learning to listen techniques are vital and using Listening skills is well explained in the book with Empathizing, analyzing and synthesizing. Reading, Taking Notes,using phone, writing letters & proposals, using technology, chairing meetings, reaching audience, communicating to sell, etc. are the major parts covered up which makes the book, a thorough handy guide for Key to Success. Sometimes, it is getting ready to Negotiate to win, mastering the techniques and be prepared for 'Talks' - This is exactly we do 'Talk' but when it comes to negotiating and passing the word/message through, we fail most of the time due to lack of many supported things. This book ultimately helps to overcome our weaker traits while communication spells disaster if right techniques aren't mastered properly. A good Pick.

My first reaction when I read Robert Heller's Communicate Clearly was that the mini-text (only 72 pages) was extremely well laid out and designed: the 101 pointers are underscored in yellow boxes, pictures of people are used to demonstrate the learned skills, and diagrams abound.

However, when I began reading the content of Communicate Clearly, I felt that the content was extremely basic. For example, the first and second pointers highlighted in the book are "Encourage your company to improve all types of communication" and "Note that good communicators make better managers".

The reader may get turned off by such obvious platitudes, and feel that there is not much to be gained by Communicate Clearly. This would be a mistake for all but the veteran communicator. There are some true gems in the book. For example, the following are some of Heller's suggestions that I found useful:

(1) "Tilting your head slightly shows you are listening"

(2) Body language: "Hands on hips indicate determination and ablity to take control"

(3) "The first five seconds are more important than the next five minutes"

(4) "Take a slow deep breath to relax"

(5) Use Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) techniques to mirror an individual's verbal and physical expressions

(6) After studying, one should wait for a few minutes, review what was studied, then wait a much longer time period before another review

(7) Eliminate regressions because after re-reading text, one's comprehension is not significantly increased while reading time is almost doubled

(8) Read your notes when the context of the conversation is still remembered

(9) "The most effective meetings are small with only the vital people attending"

(10) In a negotiation the first person to name a price is at a disadvantage

(11) Work social events may be good opportunities to gather informal feedback

There are other useful communication tips, but the usefulness of these other techniques will depend on your workplace experience. If you are new to the workplace or are truly deficient in the art of communication, this book will be incredibly useful.

Oddly enough, I found that the most useful techniques in the book were those on note taking and speed reading, rather than those on communication skills.

Paul Erdos

Lack of effective communications differentiates the most least successful organizations and managers from successful ones more than anything else. It doesn't matter how good your ideas and effort are if no one else is able to coordinate with you!

Handling this important a subject in these few, small pages is a very daunting task! I'm glad that I was not asked to author this volume. I admire Mr. Heller's courage very much in taking this on.

Mr. Heller has packed far more into this book than I would have thought possible. As a result, the book becomes a great check list for thinking through a communications task before you start. Whether you are about to meet with a prospect, hold a staff meeting, write a proposal, or handle a reporter's question, this book has valuable material for you. Because it covers so much territory, it will be especially valuable to CEOs of small companies. Brand-new managers will find this volume can help them avoid terrible mistakes.

The advice touches on all of the better sources of information about communication that I am aware of, whether it be framing your body language, how to generate and benefit from public relations, use neuro-linguistic programming, or write a concise one-page letter.

I would particularly like to praise the effective use of photographs and examples in the book. These pictures are worth more than the proverbial thousand words each to make the advice practical, specific, and memorable.

If I were grading this book solely on its breadth and for being up-to-date on the subject, it would clearly be about a 6 star book or so.

But I did discern some weaknesses that caused me to grade the book down somewhat.

First, the most important lesson I have found about communication is to ask the person or people you are communicating with to you tell you or write to you what they have read or heard just as soon as you have made the initial communication. Then, you can keep repeating this checking until the information has gotten through. Elements of this approach show up here and there in the book, but not nearly strongly enough. If you only did this, you might not be an elegant communicator . . . but you would communicate clearly.

Second, the next most important lesson I have learned is that messages don't begin to be absorbed and internalized until after the 30th repetition. And the more frequently and consistently repeated, the better absorbed and understood is the message. The book doesn't say enough about repetition, and how to pursue it.

Third, the other important point is to have very few things to communicate about. Set up information flows so that people can ask and answer their own questions to achieve their own objectives (see E-Business Intelligence). Keep everything else to 3 ideas or less.

Beyond those points, in most of these subjects a manager will need more depth. The book would have been enormously more valuable if the best book in each of 10 or so major areas had been referenced for those who want more. That would have taken less than half a page in total, and more than doubled the value of the book. Clearly, a lot of these ideas came from reading other peoples' work, and citations were noticeably missing. That's poor communication in my view, by failing to give credit due to others.

After you have begun to benefit from this fine summary handbook, I suggest that you try to identify patterns of when your communications are working well and when they are not. Then, be sure you vary what you are doing until your effectiveness improves in both types of situations. Remember, the burden is on you to get the message across . . . as well as to be sure you receive the messages aimed for you.

Treat communications as precious and worthy gifts to give . . . and receive!