"It's Okay To Be The Boss" ~ Book review by Tricia Duncan, CPA
It’s Okay to be the Boss – The Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming the Manager your Employees Need.
Author: Bruce Tulgan
There are many books written to help people improve their management skills, but most offer little practical advice on how to implement the theory into daily life. Bruce Tulgan’s book, It’s Okay to be the Boss, does just that.
Tulgan asserts there is an undermanagement epidemic and that most managers fail to adequately manage their employees. He sets the stage by addressing how managers have come to this point and how managing people has gotten harder due to globalization, economic fluctuation and an environment of constant change. But, undermanaging actually makes the job of manager more difficult.
Tulgan asks readers to self reflect as he presents the top seven management myths which are essentially excuses as to why we aren’t better managers. Getting the excuses out on the table helps the reader prepare to receive the practical approach Tulgan has to being a great boss.
The rest of the book covers the 8 Steps to becoming a great boss. The simple, clear and action oriented steps provide a roadmap for managers to improve their skills. Tulgan doesn’t ignore the daily distractions that will make it difficult to be a great boss. He directly addresses the barriers and excuses that keep managers from being great.
The final chapter helps the reader take the first small steps in becoming a better boss. Tulgan discusses the push back the manager will inevitably receive when making these changes and prepares the reader for how to handle it. He provides specific ideas and examples of how to prepare you for these changes and to start implementing the ideas today.
My take-aways from the book are that being a great boss takes time, needs to be focused on individual team member needs, needs to provide clear expectations and performance accountability and is something that needs to happen each and every day, not just during a crisis.
Although it can be overwhelming at first if this is not your management style, after practicing these steps, I’ve found the concepts do work. Managing takes less time when I follow these steps. My team members are happier and more productive because they know what to expect and how I’m going to hold them accountable. I’m happier and more productive because I’m focusing on what I need to instead of solving every crisis that walks into my door.
His conversational writing style keeps the reader entertained and interested in learning more. For readers who want more reinforcement or deeper investigation into these steps, Tulgan offers regular enewsletters with text or video discussions on a specific component of the process.
Tulgan’s 8 Steps for Highly Engaged Management:
1. Manage Every Day
2. Learn to talk like a Performance Coach
3. Take it one person at a Time
4. Make accountability a process
5. Tell people what to do and how to do it
6. Track performance every step of the way
7. Solve small problems before they turn into big problems
8. Do more for some people and less for others
I would recommend this book to anyone looking to improve their supervisory skills or to new managers just starting to take on a management role.
Tricia Duncan, CPA is a Business Advisor and Career Coach at Jones & Roth. She has facilitated management book clubs and management workshops using the It’s Okay to be the Boss model.