Book Review - Behind Closed Doors : Secrets of Great Management by Johanna Rothman and Esther Derby
Category Book Reviews
Pragmatic seems to come out with some really good titles that hit right at the heart of information technology and application development issues. Behind Closed Doors - Secrets of Great Management by Johanna Rothman and Esther Derby is another one of those books that you either need, or you wish your boss would read...
Contents: Week 1 - Learning about the People and the Work; Week 2 - Bringing Order to the Chaos; Week 3 - Building the Team; Week 4 - Managing Day by Day; Week 5 - Discovering Lurking Problems; Week 6 - Building Capability; Week 7 - Dealing with Corporate Realities; Techniques for Practicing Great Management; Bibliography; Index
Rothman and Derby have taken a slightly different tack when it comes to teaching about management. Rather that just throw out a bunch of "you should do this" material, they take you through the first couple of months of a new manager working with a technical group. Another departure from the norm is that this guy knows what to do, so you learn how to do it right. Most books would show a floundering manager and then explain what they should have done. Might as well work from a positive example instead of from a less-than-perfect one that we all have experienced. Granted, the story is one of those "and they all lived happily ever after", when in reality you'll get a wide range of people who might not necessarily all be on board no matter what you do. But still, after each vignette you get a discussion of the underlying concepts and principles at play. Regardless of whether your particular situation plays out as well as the book did, it's still the right way to go about it all. They cover all the typical stuff, like project planning, group dynamics, meeting planning, scheduling demands, coaching, feedback, one-on-ones, and a lot of other good material. Even if you're not the manager in your situation, you'll learn how things should be working in an ideal situation. Perhaps you can even coach *your* boss!
All new technical managers should read this book and understand what they're about to undergo. Even experienced managers ought to read this and see if they can improve. In either case, there's a *very* good chance that your staff will appreciate the effort...
Pragmatic seems to come out with some really good titles that hit right at the heart of information technology and application development issues. Behind Closed Doors - Secrets of Great Management by Johanna Rothman and Esther Derby is another one of those books that you either need, or you wish your boss would read...
Contents: Week 1 - Learning about the People and the Work; Week 2 - Bringing Order to the Chaos; Week 3 - Building the Team; Week 4 - Managing Day by Day; Week 5 - Discovering Lurking Problems; Week 6 - Building Capability; Week 7 - Dealing with Corporate Realities; Techniques for Practicing Great Management; Bibliography; Index
Rothman and Derby have taken a slightly different tack when it comes to teaching about management. Rather that just throw out a bunch of "you should do this" material, they take you through the first couple of months of a new manager working with a technical group. Another departure from the norm is that this guy knows what to do, so you learn how to do it right. Most books would show a floundering manager and then explain what they should have done. Might as well work from a positive example instead of from a less-than-perfect one that we all have experienced. Granted, the story is one of those "and they all lived happily ever after", when in reality you'll get a wide range of people who might not necessarily all be on board no matter what you do. But still, after each vignette you get a discussion of the underlying concepts and principles at play. Regardless of whether your particular situation plays out as well as the book did, it's still the right way to go about it all. They cover all the typical stuff, like project planning, group dynamics, meeting planning, scheduling demands, coaching, feedback, one-on-ones, and a lot of other good material. Even if you're not the manager in your situation, you'll learn how things should be working in an ideal situation. Perhaps you can even coach *your* boss!
All new technical managers should read this book and understand what they're about to undergo. Even experienced managers ought to read this and see if they can improve. In either case, there's a *very* good chance that your staff will appreciate the effort...
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