Showing posts with label human resources. Show all posts
Showing posts with label human resources. Show all posts

Successful Interviewing and Recruitment: Structure the interview; Identify exceptional candidates; Hire the best person for the job (Sunday Times Creating Success) Review

Successful Interviewing and Recruitment: Structure the interview; Identify exceptional candidates; Hire the best person for the job (Sunday Times Creating Success)
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How often have you been to an interview only to find that it is a training session for an interview? Probably more times than you wish to recall ... or actually realised! The `interviewing game' is highly important and Dr Rob Yeung comes to the rescue of the inexperienced with helpful suggestions on the many proven techniques which leading organisations now use to find the right candidates, and spot what is going on...on both sides.
INTERVIEWS: WHAT A LOAD OF RUBBISH!
Characteristics of the good interviewer/interviewee attract a great deal of rubbish comment in the press, and in books, so it is refreshing to find Yeung's treatment of what is a painful experience for most people.
Finding the right person and ensuring that the right buttons have been pressed is as difficult as anything one can do in working life. I had always thought `getting that job' was about luck. Wrong! Yeung's view is that it's about preparation, and his final words cover `The 10 commandments' at the conclusion of the book which candidates should note and memorise carefully.
There are 14 chapters covering the following issues:
*why learn to interview properly?
*structuring the interview
*developing your questioning skills
*avoiding poor questions
*honing your listening skills
*preparing to interview
*opening the interview
*competencies and example interview questions
*discussing money
*wrapping up the interview
*rating candidates and making a decision
*evaluating and improving the interview process
*creating useful interview documents
*final words
THE FUNNELLING AND STARS TECHNIQUES
Most people reading this review, which is designed primarily for my law trainees as a forensic technique, will recall their examinations and the techniques used to revise for law exams. "Funnelling" on page 26 is an excellent device and complimented by Yeung's STARS acronym for the employer covering: situation, task, actions, result, summarise.
The importance of STARS is two way. As an interviewee you want it to be a two-way interview otherwise how are you going to work with these people! As an interviewer, you must structure what you want to ask.
It's not quite like a cross-examination where I will develop points which arise from answers given, but I will have thoroughly prepared my questions in advance in the areas where there are issues between the parties but I have to be flexible if the evidence given does not `come up to proof' as we put it.
But you have to `come up to proof' in the interview thus avoiding poor questions (and poorly prepared questions) which are common errors.YOU CAN ALWAYS DO BETTER
I came away from Dr Yeung's work glad to have read something which confirmed my best and worst thoughts about technique. He is right to say that interviewing is a skill, but it is also one which can be meticulously learnt with proper preparation and care which Dr Yeung sets out in a most useful format here.
The step-by-step guide is a splendid collaboration with `the Sunday Times' but remember that whichever side of the desk you sit on, you can always do better and Rob Yeung gives you the best current and contemporary analysis of how to interview and recruit in the internet age of employment finding, and his advice should be followed.


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Plenty of managers know how to interview, butfew can interview well. Identifying the best candidates leads to shortertraining time, greater productivity, and quicker results. SuccessfulInterviewing and Recruitment teaches managers how to structure theinterview, spot exceptional candidates, and hire only those who will add valueto the business. With advice on which questions to ask and which not to ask,readers will learn how to challenge candidates while treating them fairly, sothat the best candidates will want the job.

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PHR / SPHR Professional in Human Resources Certification Study Guide Review

PHR / SPHR Professional in Human Resources Certification Study Guide
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Just took the PHR exam yesterday and passed, due in LARGE part to this book.
I have approx 15 years of progressive HR experience, but as everyone says - dont rely on what YOUR company does...it may not be the right thing.
This book was extremely helpful in preparing me for the questions on the PHR exam. I used solely this book, but also took as many free practice tests I could find. I agree that a few quiz questions had 2 correct answers (whoops!), I found the same thing. I also agree that some concepts are vaguely mentioned (or quizzed upon) that havent yet been explained or introduced - but that's not a deal breaker. What would have made this book better is to include a grid of important law cases by the significant HR outcome as a result - which case brought about the concept of Disparate Impact, for example. They are mentioned throughout the book and in date order at the end, but by HR concept would be more useful.
As a tip to PHR candidates...take lots of practice tests (free is good), they WILL help, particularly those on the strategichrinc website - which I found to be most useful. I also purhased the 2 pratice exams on the HRCI website - and have so-so reviews on those. While they were helpful in showing me how questions on the test would be structured, they do not tell you which questions you got wrong or why the answer is what it is - doesnt help you learn at all. Also, about 5 questions were duplicated between tests - another disappointment, and of course if you got them wrong on one test, you didnt know it and probably got them wrong on the second one.
Back to this book...and my studying techniques...
I read each chapter, using my highlighter as I went along, then took the chapter quiz and the strategichrinc test (tip: print out the questions/answers and take it on paper or enter info on spreadsheet) for that chapter until I got through the entire book - then did it all over again, reading just the highlighted things.
For any practice test I took, if there was a concept not listed in this book (and there were only a small amount), I would google that concept and print it out and stick it in the book where it corresponded with the Bogardus material. I also printed out questions/answers for individual questions I didnt know and stuck those in the book too. I tagged pages/concepts in the book that I felt I really needed to focus on and went back through those again and again until I felt I had a better handle on them.
In all, I couldnt even tell you how many hours I studied...but it was a LOT. Pretty much 2 months worth of studying for hours every day with the exception of 2 weeks during the holidays/vacation. By the time the test came around, I was DONE studying and ready for it to be over. There's no way I could have done the recommended 3 months worth - that said, I probably did 3 months worth in 2 months! :)
For SPHR candidates: While this book was really great for the PHR exam, I'm not sure I would want to rely on this book alone for the SPHR which is more strategic in nature.

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More than 80,000 HR professionals having earned the Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) or Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certification, and another 20,000 are expected to take the exam in 2009. This complete update of the bestselling guide to HR certification contains additional coverage of new HR policies and standards, as well as updated practice exam questions and real world scenarios. Key topics include strategic management, workforce planning and employment, compensation and benefits, employee and labor relations, and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations. The CD-ROM contains two bonus exams (one each for PHR and SPHR) as well as flashcards and an electronic book.
Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

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Booster Breaks: Improving Employee Health One Break at a Time Review

Booster Breaks: Improving Employee Health One Break at a Time
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The American workplace is notorious for being overly stressful and nonconducive to a healthy lifestyle--even in the health-care sector where I have worked for more than 30 years. Many of my coworkers still drink numerous cups of coffee, smoke cigarettes, and eat fatty and surgary snacks to propel them through the workday and to meet project deadlines. So I have to admit my excitement when I discovered this evidence-based book on booster breaks. Although the book targets organizational managers, the healthy ways recommended for using 15-minute work breaks should be welcomed by anyone seeking to reduce work-related stress and improve productivity.
Tied to a computer in my work as a medical editor, I long ago learned the value of physical movement during the workday. However, I never thought of using other break activities, such as meditation, relaxation techniques, and rhythmic breathing. With so many break activities to choose from, everyone should find the type of break activity that works best for them should they decide to take solo breaks or breaks with their coworkers. The Appendix also offers other resources for anyone who wants to design his or her own booster break activities.
Overall, the book is concise and well written. I would recommend it to anyone who is seeking a novel approach to health promotion and stress reduction.

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What a Difference 15 Minutes Can Make!Making healthful changes takes less time than you may think. Booster Breaks take advantage of regularly scheduled work breaks and give employees an easy and enjoyable way to replace unhealthful break activities, such as smoking or eating junk food, with healthier alternatives. These small changes, made in a supportive environment, give employees a simple way to develop healthy habits that they will carry with them, both on and off the job.Booster Breaks empower employees to make positive lifestyle changes, and help them to:* Reduce stress* Improve morale* Increase productivity* Enhance health and well-beingBooster Breaks are a new way of thinking about work breaks. They provide the support and encouragement employees need to take a break from bad habits and form healthful new habits.

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No B.S. Ruthless Management of People and Profits: The Ultimate, No Holds Barred, Kick Butt, Take No Prisoners Guide to Really Getting Rich Review

No B.S. Ruthless Management of People and Profits: The Ultimate, No Holds Barred, Kick Butt, Take No Prisoners Guide to Really Getting Rich
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I've been reading Dan Kennedy's stuff and attending his seminars for years but I have to say I was shocked at how blunt this book is. Kennedy won't make any friends among employees (and vendors) who don't understand that they are zebras (you'll have to read the book to see what that means) and that the sole reason that the person running the show (biz owner) has a business in the first place is to make a profit.
Kennedy has little time for whiners who complain that the minimum wage isn't high enough or that employers should learn how to "handle" persnickety employees so that the employee "feels good."
Rather, Dan's blunt point is that business owners take too much crap from employees and their crying and as a result, are being robbed blind by most of them.
When you start to read this book you'll probably say "well, this doesn't happen in my business" but as you go through the book, detailed example by detailed example, I can guarantee that you (biz owner) will see yourself and one or more of your employees/vendors somewhere.
The book is not all negative. In fact its filled with great ideas to get maximum productivity out of those who you choose to allow to work with you. It all starts, though, with remembering that the only reason that you should be running a business is to make a profit for yourself. Start there--otherwise go get a job and work for someone else.
With that as the premise, why in the world would you let your employees steal anything from you. He's not just talking about a case of Coke out of the bag room, or something obvious as money out of the drawer (though he does have examples in the book of that) but stealing your money by being unproductive (or worse--like actually trying to bury your business.
I recommend this book 100% for all business owners, but especially those small business owners. It comes with a CD which is a very good interview that Lee Milteer did of Dan Kennedy about Ruthless Management of People and Profits.
I do think that some folks will be fired after the boss reads this one.. but Dan has recommendations for them, too. Like: get more education,hang out with winners; understand that while there is no place like the United States for opportunity, the world owes you NOTHING.

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The First-Time Manager's Guide to Performance Appraisals Review

The First-Time Manager's Guide to Performance Appraisals
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Using Diane Arthur's methods, you'll be able to turn an experience that both managers and employees often dread into a positive and constructive exchange. Her writing style is clear, concise and focused; she gets her points across with bulleted lists, sample forms and a list of 70 tips scattered throughout the book and then summarized in an appendix. getAbstract proposes Arthur's healthy focus on coaching, counseling and future development to new human resource managers and supervisors who must conduct regular performance appraisals.

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Conducting performance appraisals can be a daunting prospect, especially for new managers. With the same brand of accessible and sage advice readers have come to rely on from "The First-Time Manager", this helpful guide provides straightforward, useful information that will enable anyone to take on this important task with confidence and skill.Filled with ready-to-use tools including sample dialogues, phrases, and documents, as well as plenty of useful tips, "The First-Time Manager's Guide to Performance Appraisals" shows readers how to: review an employee's past performance; prepare for the face-to-face meeting; assess how successful the employee has been at meeting goals; set new objectives; help develop career plans; evaluate performers at every level; understand the importance of coaching and counseling throughout the year; write up the appraisal and use ratings; and, follow up effectively. This book is an essential resource for managers who want to get the most from the performance appraisal process ...and from their people.

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Re-Engage: How America's Best Places to Work Inspire Extra Effort in Extraordinary Times Review

Re-Engage: How America's Best Places to Work Inspire Extra Effort in Extraordinary Times
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Have you ever wondered what employees think about their companies when they really want to work there vs. when they really do not want to work there? If you could unzip the minds of thousands of employees and understand how they see their companies, think what you could learn about your own organization.
"Re-Engage" gives you a front row seat to millions of interviews by employees of 10,000 companies as they completed the "Best Place to Work" survey. Leigh and Mark have analyzed the entire range of survey responses and have found key insights that differentiate the best places to work from all the rest. Put these insights to work in your organization.
Here are a few of key drivers of employee engagement highlighted in the book:
- Trust level in senior leadership
- Coaching and feedback provided by managers
- Being recognized and valued for one's contributions
- Having opportunities to learn and grow on the job
"Re-engage" presents a model of six universal drivers of employee engagement that come directly from the survey data. But more importantly, each driver is illustrated by many verbatim quotes and comments as well as the highest scoring company for each driver - who the company is, what they do and how they have optimized employee engagement.
There are many leading practices, approaches and methods described throughout that offer tremendous potential if they were to be leveraged in your company. If you want to reduce the number of habitual underperformers, chronic complainers or professional victims, and increase the percentage of high performers, you will want to take advantage of Leigh's and Mark's recommendations.
I think one of the most critical chapters is the one on building effective teams. Since so much of our work today is done by multi-function or multi-geographic teams, companies can no longer afford to have teams who do not execute well. Customer satisfaction, productivity and quality depend on what these teams deliver. This chapter describes how to set up the conditions for effective teamwork and can provide a road map for you to use in your own organization.
Companies all over the world are faced with unprecedented levels of change in today's business environment. The demand for leaders at all levels who can guide engaged teams to meet their marketplace challenges far outstrips the supply. "Re-Engage" provides new insights and real world guidelines that can help you meet your organization's challenges today.

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Building a Winning Business: 70 Takeaways for Creating a Strong Company during Good and Bad Economic Times Review

Building a Winning Business: 70 Takeaways for Creating a Strong Company during Good and Bad Economic Times
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No, this well-designed, focused book is not about Caarles Darwin's theory - or is it? Tom Salonek, a successful entrepreneur of the first order (he founded Intertech Foundation to respond to the multiple needs of families with critically ill children while he maintains his status as an award winning business man, etc etc etc) has addressed the fact that starting a new business or company in these critical economic times not only conceivable - it is possible to come to the end of the day a winner. Knowing that the bookshelves and sites for downloading Internet literature are bursting at the seams, he wisely (and thankfully for those of us who plan to use his concepts) keeps his book of how to build a winning business short, terse, pointed, and immensely usable.
This very wise young man has kept his book to the point by dividing it in to sections. In this thin but brain-heavy volume he lists '70 Takeaways' - 70 succinct clues one a few pages each that are the building blocks for his advice to those who want to make the necessary changes in this new world of Internet-ruled planning. These 'takeaways' are ideas suggested for the savvy new mind in the business world. Examples of some of these takeaways are: 'Hire Slowly' - and his method of explanation for this particular tidbit of advice is 'Avoid hasty hires. While it may seem like a simple solution in the short term, you'll end up paying more and spending more time on the process in the long run, since employees hired in a hurry rarely make a good fit' and not to give away too much of the riches of this book, some of the other takeaways (without comments) are 'Watch out for Bias', 'check in regularly', 'be patient': and on to Managing 'Keep Them Motivated' 'Fire Quickly', 'Know What Matters'; on Strategy 'Involve the Team When Defining Values', 'Ensure You Have Alignment'; on Talent Strategy 'Promotion', 'Compensation', 'Partner Relations'; on Leading 'Leaders Insist on Results, 'Leader Delegate', 'Leaders Listen'; on Problems, 'Slay Monsters Early', 'Own Your Mistakes'. That is the general drift, remembering that there are 70 of these little wise statements of advice an each follows with Salonek's commentaries.
To cap off this book as a functional and very usable resource (and there probably no competitors in this field now that Salonek has published his volume that took 15 years to write), the author offers Internet sites to download his own well-designed and easy to use forms to facilitate the skills learned in this book. The evolution bit in the heading? Well, when it comes to adapting to the new business world status post the Economic Crisis we are experiencing, there is evidence that change, and mutation, and adjustment to new technology and new ways of perceiving and being a leader and a happy employee must be addressed. It is all right here - easy wise, digestible, and entertaining at that. A terrific new book to heed. Grady Harp, July 11

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Great Business Teams: Cracking the Code for Standout Performance Review

Great Business Teams: Cracking the Code for Standout Performance
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Many books come across my desk as a department chair, and I send most to junior faculty to read. I held on to this one because I couldn't put it down. Very well written. Flawlessly edited. Full of content and references to business. In my last book about leadership In Extremis Leadership: Leading As If Your Life Depended On It (J-B Leader to Leader Institute/PF Drucker Foundation) I wrote about high performing teams in high risk contexts. But Guttman's book has much broader applicability and is laser focused on teams--it will soon be a classic among leaders and managers. It's the best book I read all summer. Great Business Teams will find its way into my classroom, but I'm even more excited about applying the ideas in this book to the teams that I help lead. This one's a gem. Tom Kolditz

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Understand and decode the inner workings of great business teams with the more than 30 in-depth examples in Great Business Teams: Cracking the Code for Standout Performance. Author Howard Guttman examines and dissects teams at top-management, business-unit, and functional levels and isolates five key factors that drive team performance to offer you insight into the ways these teams achieve success. Using this book, go directly to the marketplace to scrutinize teams in a variety of industries, evaluating the challenges they face and the methods they choose to manage these challenges.

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Onboarding: How to Get Your New Employees Up to Speed in Half the Time Review

Onboarding: How to Get Your New Employees Up to Speed in Half the Time
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How many times have we dropped the ball in onboarding new employees? Too many times to count.
This step-by-step guide will ensure that it never happens again. The book is a must read for every HR professional, no matter where you work.
I recommend it to all my colleagues.

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A guide to getting new employees recruited, oriented, and productive—FAST
"Onboarding," a growing trend in the business community, is a focused methodology that gets people in new roles up to speed quickly and efficiently. This book guides you through a process that enables you to recruit, orient, and enable your new employees to get the job done. Learn how to inspire and encourage your new employees to deliver better results faster.
George Bradt and Mary Vonnegut's Onboarding helps ensure that your new employees are productive and efficient from day one. You'll learn how to help them assimilate into your corporate culture and accelerate their learning.
Onboarding is one of the hottest trends in business
This is the first book about onboarding
George Bradt is a leading speaker and consultant, and the author of The New Leader's 100-Day Action Plan

For business leaders and managers who want well-trained, responsive, efficient, and effective employees, Onboarding helps you get the best from your new employees.

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Optimizing the Power of Action Learning: Solving Problems and Building Leaders in Real Time Review

Optimizing the Power of Action Learning: Solving Problems and Building Leaders in Real Time
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Michael J. Marquardt has developed a problem-solving tool. His process, which can be adapted by organizations of any size not only provides solutions but also builds leaders and teams.
Marquardt, a professor of HRD and Program Direction of Overseas Programs at The George Washington University, is an expert in action learning. His process has six components.
1. A problem - It must be significant and urgent.
2. A group - The ideal group has between 4 and 8 diverse members.
3. Questions - Initially, team members are restricted to questions. This reflective inquiry period develops a thorough understanding of the problem.
4. Action - The group is authorized to implement their solution.
5. Learning - A commitment to the process is as important as the solution.
6. A coach - Someone is needed to keep the group focused.
A key step is "action." Learning is meaningful only if some type of action is taken. Action generally involves four steps:
1. Understand and Redefine the Problem. This is often the most important step.
2. Articulate a Goal.
3. Develop and Test Strategies.
4. Take Action and Reflect on the Results.
Marquardt includes a 12 step plan to introduce action learning to your organization. Properly implemented, it will accomplish three goals for your organization:
1. It will provide solutions to problems.
2. Develop leaders.
3. Build a problem-solving culture.

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Winning with People: Discover the People Principles that Work for You Every Time Review

Winning with People: Discover the People Principles that Work for You Every Time
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Winning With People takes the reader on a 360-degree tour of our interactions with other people. The book is built around five questions designed to stimulate self-reflection. This helps us see ourselves as others see us and to see them as valuable even when we do not agree or understand them. I suspect almost anyone can find something, perhaps many things, in this book to help them grow in interpersonal skills. Maxwell insists that we be authentic and even sacrificial in our relationships to get along with others. He is absolutely right to instruct us that meeting someone half-way simply is not good enough. If we value the other person (and why shouldn't we?) half-way is just a half hearted approach and the other person will eventually perceive our lack of care towards them.
Maxwell helped me see most of our relational problems are in ourselves. I must take ownership of my shortcomings and strive to correct them. Along with my own housecleaning I must learn to build healthy relationships with others accepting that they too have housecleaning needs they may or may not ever address. Failure in either area on my part (housecleaning or skills building) can quickly destroy relationships I am currently blessed with. The first priority is learning how not to destroy relationships (get the beam out of my own eye), then learn to build good ones.
Maxwell's straightforward style reaches out to everyone using interpersonal examples from sports, pastoring, business, gangsters, marriage, Abraham Lincoln and other great leaders. Also, if you like to collect great quotes as I do, you will find dozens of good ones here (several from honest Abe).
I enjoyed reading the book but I have a few bones to pick that might bother some readers more or less so than they did me. At times I find Maxwell's approach superficial, too much cheerleading and not enough deep reflection. For example, some of the techniques for building up self esteem in others when you know practically nothing about them (p 92-95) strike me as insincere manipulation - calling it sincere doesn't make it so. I also detect some deep underpinnings of consumerism (more is always better) in how Maxwell gauges success. He often refers to who has the largest church attendance or how much the sales grew or other materialistic metrics to indicate success. For example a church with 15,000 members is referred to as being in the top 1% of churches in the country (p212) but no other success criteria are mentioned. In the top 1% by whose standards? Not mine, I don't think the Bible encourages that definition of success. I trust Maxwell is using this as just one convenient guidepost for success, but frankly his writing makes me wonder. I think it is a rather poor way to introduce the success of a church or pastor. These kind of quantitative - grow-baby-grow type examples are common throughout the book. Personally, I think hyper materialism/capitalism is fueling many of our relationship problems. I'm not comfortable having it sprinkled throughout a book on improving relationships.
Finally, there are a few areas where trying to actually adopt what is recommended would drain you in every area of life. P224 recommends: "care more than other think is wise, risk more than others think is safe, dream more than others think is practical, expect more than others think is possible, work more than others think is necessary". Maxwell's point is to live up to our highest ideals, but if I take this advice literally I am likely to damage relationships, not improve them because I'll be utterly exhausted in every area of my life - especially spiritually. If I am not to take it literally then it is just cheerleading to inspire me while I read the book. Perhaps I missed the point, but I don't find this helpful past the initial moment of inspiration.
As you can see I have mixed feelings about the book, but I do recommend it for those who want to be led into some useful self-reflection/emotional inventory for improving relationships.


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Rethinking Retention In Good Times and Bad: Breakthrough Ideas for Keeping Your Best Workers Review

Rethinking Retention In Good Times and Bad: Breakthrough Ideas for Keeping Your Best Workers
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You might think that a recession is exactly the time when good employees batten down their hatches and cling to their jobs, even if they do not like them. Think again. Really talented employees can find work during any economic period. Indeed, they change jobs all the time. Such turnover cuts productivity, making operations less efficient, and burdens companies with heavy employee replacement costs. Although the tariff can be staggering, most organizations do not have a formal - or even an informal - retention abatement process. Instead, they relegate retention to a sideline human resources department activity. To correct this operational oversight, retention consultant Richard P. Finnegan provides the "Rethinking Retention Model," a robust best-practices program you can use to cut down on expensive employee churn. In his heavily researched and sourced book, Finnegan thoroughly details the exact steps organizations should implement to increase retention. He offers numerous case studies that illustrate how companies hold on to their best employees. getAbstract highly recommends this comprehensive, logical, thoughtful guide as an ideal resource for CEOs, managers and HR executives who need to close the revolving door.

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How do organizations keep the workers they want? Until now, employee retention strategies have been based on instincts rather than research. With no firm body of knowledge to use as a guide, employee turnover has been a problem for all organizations. This book is the first to offer a top-to-bottom, organization-wide retention action plan. Many organizations lose employees and profits because they don't know which processes to put into place to cut employee turnover. They speak of building retention cultures but don't know who should do what and when. This hands-on tactical guide gives those answers, providing specific strategies and tactics backed by the author's own research and on-site experience. It is essential reading for all types of organizations-large or small, public or private, with high concentrations of low-skilled or high skilled workers, and across multiple industries. Also addressed is how to retain your high-performing workers in slow economic times. If you are losing workers you want to keep, this book will tell you how to put retention solutions in place across Read this book with a pen in your hand. Circle ideas you like, strike through those you don't, and make notes as to how you can apply these tactics in your company. Then pass it on to a colleague and ask her to do the same. Stir up your company's thinking on employee retention so progress happens, fast.-From the Introduction, Rethinking Retention

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Managing People in a Small Business (Sunday Times Business Enterprise Guide) Review

Managing People in a Small Business (Sunday Times Business Enterprise Guide)
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It's a kind of book that could be usefull to practioners or even HR students. With a simple language, this book shows practices and bring to us a powerfull discussion about HR, roles and constraints that should be mentioned and solved.

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BEST PRACTICES TIME MGMT PB (Collins Best Practices) Review

BEST PRACTICES TIME MGMT    PB (Collins Best Practices)
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I am a Professional Organizer and Time Management Coach. I am always reading books on organizing, time management, etc to remain current in the field. I loved this book for many reasons:
1. It was easy to read,
2. It was brief (I finished it in a day),
3. The tips were practical and useful,
4. It referenced loads of other well known books on time management,
5. It provided a great summary at the end.
Overall, this little book provided memorable quotes and great ideas for those who are just getting started and those who are well on their way to better managing their time.

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There are only twenty-four hours in a day, but you can make them count. Time Management, a comprehensive and essential resource for any manager on the run, shows you how.Learn to:/ Set and prioritize goals, objectives and tasks / Create an effective schedule / Avoid distractions and interruptions / Respect other people's time/ Build a time-conscious organization The Collins Best Practices guides offer new and seasoned managers the essential information they need to achieve more, both personally and professionally. Designed to provide tried-and-true advice from the world's most influential business minds, they feature practical strategies and tips to help you get ahead.

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Getting a Project Done on Time: Managing People, Time, and Results Review

Getting a Project Done on Time: Managing People, Time, and Results
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I have read several business related books which have been a waste of my time. However, this book is clear, concise, and very easy to apply to daily work. It helps you by giving a defined process and also addresses the "what ifs" associated with many aspects of managing a project. I found the book easy to read and hard to put down. I found myself say "so thats why I have a hard time of accomplishing a certain phase of the project". Almost all of my questions were addressed....and answered in this book. It's a definite "must read" for new project managers.

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This guide to successful project management provides an easy-to-follow roadmap to planning a course of action, staying on track and finishing a project. The book supplies step-by-step instructions on project management, including how to: begin a project with realistic goals; apply planning techniques to co-ordinate multiple tasks and activities; and communicate with supervisors and influence colleagues. It provides guidelines that are applicable to a wide variety of readers, from a newly appointed project manager to a tech professional with a complex assignment but no team. It is also filled with self-assessment tools, checklists, tips and other aids for getting a big job done on time and with desired results.

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Get Rid of the Performance Review: How Companies Can Stop Intimidating, Start Managing--and Focus on What Really Matters (Business Plus) Review

Get Rid of the Performance Review: How Companies Can Stop Intimidating, Start Managing--and Focus on What Really Matters (Business Plus)
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Ah, the business/career advice book, that calm appeal to mature rumination in favor of some innovative approach! That is NOT this book. This is a would-be inflammatory polemic looking to send mobs of its readers, pitchforks and torches in hand, to overturn the oppressive and inefficient old regime and bring in a new and happier age.
Okay, I exaggerate a bit. The book is full of rational arguments establishing the dysfunctionality of the performance review ("PR""). The tone, however, is wholly unlike that of most such books. Culbert writes with the zeal of a righteous preacher, who knows sin when he sees it and strives to extirpate it root and branch. And he wants the reader to join him. He hammers away (sometimes repetitiously, as in all good sermons) at the evil and promotes a remedy at once more effective and virtuous, what Culbert calls a performance preview ("PP").
Other reviewers outlined Culbert's strictures against the PR, so I will not repeat them at length. My own experience has been that Culbert is spot on. The PR is irremediably one-sided, subjective, boss-serving, dishonest, counter-productive and backward looking. It leaves employees demoralized and concerned more about personal "faults" than business objectives.
The PP, as Culbert describes it, at least has a chance to create true teams, with everyone (including the boss) jointly accountable for achieving team goals that reflect business objectives. To work, the PP requires trust and honesty between and among subordinates and boss. Culbert recognizes that this can be difficult both to establish and to sustain and must be worked at. Without trust and honesty the PP approach will fail.
Culbert's views are anchored in his deep belief that a desire for useful work is a central part of our humanity. The work experience, he thinks, should thus be satisfying as well as efficient; and fulfilling as well as profitable. He believes that the PR makes attaining these goals impossible. He may well be right.
This is an interesting and passionately argued book, well worth the reading.


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Common-Sense Workplace Mentoring: A do-it-yourself system for strengthening your business . . . one person at a time Review

Common-Sense Workplace Mentoring: A do-it-yourself system for strengthening your business . . . one person at a time
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Susan deGrandpré has produced a slim volume that is thick in savvy content about how organizations are strengthened by the one-to-one learning process known as mentoring. Other books on this topic make it look like mentoring is a fairly strange activity that needs layers of persuasion and logical leaps before anyone would seriously consider it. Ms. deGrandpré makes clear that mentoring is among our species most natural involvements. She made me think of ancient social groups where it is the norm for an "old pro" guiding the neophyte through the various rituals and learnings necessary achieve the fullness of mature adulthood.
Building on this familiar and deeply human way of relating, she begins by defining the roles of mentor and mentee. Next, she describes the mentoring system including the contract for learning. She then takes on the individual mentee and the "infinite combinations of characteristics and circumstances that create each person's uniqueness. (p. 43)" Using up to date research on individual differences, she enables the aspiring mentor to tailor a mentoring program to the learning and communicating styles of the mentee. She finally addresses the ever present issue of maintaining mentoring motivation, and then she applies the concepts to individuals in teams. A brief final chapter encourages the spread of the mentoring spirit into the organization.
Throughout the book, Ms. deGrandpré utilizes clear and well established models to enhance the themes she takes on and help the reader make practical applications. The "Six Building Blocks of Workplace Mentoring" create the framework for successful mentoring. Then there's the "SMART" method of goal-setting; the "Mentoring Style Preferences" rooted in the Jungian theory of types;the "core learning methods"; and the GOLD process for giving direct feedback. The models are presented succinctly, practically, and they are accompanied by specific practice exercises to reinforce learning.
The book is fast-paced. The writing style is so vivid and intimate that you look up expecting to see Ms. deGrandpré in the chair next to you. Then you realize you have to settle for the book, which really is the next best thing!
In fact, the only criticism I have about the volume is that it had to end.

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