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Suddenly in Charge - Managing Up, Managing Down, Succeeding All Around

SUDDENLY IN CHARGE is the quintessential guidebook for helping leaders succeed in the ever-changing, exhilarating world of management.

Volatility in the workplace is not a passing fad. It’s the new norm. The sooner you prepare for these seismic shifts, the better chance you’ll have of coming out unscathed.

In an ideal world, new managers would be groomed for their new role. However, this is rarely the case. People go to bed one evening as a member of the team and wake up the next morning to find themselves managing the team. One of the most challenging and critical tasks new managers face is striking a balance between managing down—dealing with employees—and managing up—reporting to bosses. To add to concerns, there are scores of replacements waiting should you fail.

Newly minted managers aren’t the only ones who can benefit from SUDDENLY IN CHARGE. Though experienced leaders may think they know what a new manager is going through, the truth is that they likely don’t. SUDDENLY IN CHARGE will help bring veteran managers up-to-date on what it’s like to be newly in charge in the tumultuous world of business today.

In SUDDENLY IN CHARGE, I challenge leaders to think about spending less time mastering the tactical aspects of their jobs and instead focus on building strong relationships that will help them ultimately succeed. The book contains candid conversations with those who have found themselves suddenly tossed into management, as well as a rare glimpse of what C-level executives really expect from their people. Included are interviews with executives of Fortune 500 companies from Best Buy, Inc., Yankee Candle and Bausch and Lomb.

This book is uniquely designed to provide managers with one playbook they can reference throughout their careers. Comprised of sections devoted to managing up and down, SUDDENLY IN CHARGE is two books in one, written so readers can familiarize themselves with the strategies necessary to excel at one role and then flip the book over to learn how to master the other role.

Managing Up

Managing Up emphasizes the importance of managing relationships efficiently — understanding the boss’s style of management; dealing with dictatorial, indecisive, or otherwise difficult bosses; promotions; asking for raises; and knowing when it’s time to leave.

Table of Contents for Managing Up

Chapter 1 - Excuse Me, Where Do I Find the Decoder Ring? Understanding Your Boss’s Style of Management
Chapter 2 - Office Politics: You’re in the Game, So Deal With It!
Chapter 3 - Help! My Boss Is Young Enough to Be My Child: Strategies for Managing a Younger Boss
Chapter 4 - Dealing With a Bad Boss: There’s One in Every Crowd
Chapter 5 - Tooting Your Own Horn, So You Can Be Heard in a Sea of Cubicles
Chapter 6 - Please Sir, Can I Have Some More? How to Ask for a Raise and Actually Get it
Chapter 7 - Mirror, Mirror, On the Wall: Staying True to Yourself
Chapter 8 - Seven Signs Your Time Is Up: Knowing When It’s Time to Go

Managing Down

Managing Down helps the new manager become a credible and effective leader, with a wealth of tips on building productive relationships with employees, hiring and firing, staying sane during difficult conflicts, and evaluating employee performance.

Table of Contents for Managing Down

Chapter 1 - Welcome to Management: Now What the Heck Do I Do?
Chapter 2 - From Me to We: It’s Really Not About You!
Chapter 3 - Acquiring Talent
Chapter 4 - You Want Me to Do What? The Art of Influencing Your Employees to Get What You Need
Chapter 5 - Generation Integration: Leveraging Workplace Differences into Opportunities
Chapter 6 - Dealing with Difficult Employees: Strategies to Keep You Sane During Insane Times
Chapter 7 - Should You Care Whether Your Employees Love You? Creating a Respectful Workplace
Chapter 8 - Performance Management: Do I Really Have to Do This?
Chapter 9 - You’re Fired! Timeless Tips for Tactful Terminations

Suddenly in Charge - Managing Up, Managing Down, Succeeding All Around

Managing Up

Table of Contents for Managing Up

Managing Down

Table of Contents for Managing Down

Management Roundtables

Workshops for Newly Minted Managers

Selecting For Success: The Complete System for Hiring Top Talent