Author: Jo Owen
Price: £14.99
Publisher: Prentice Hall Business
Pages: 320
ISBN: 0273709755
No flashy cover and no clever title, but I now think of it as ‘The Guerrilla Guide to Management’. This could easily be the best book on management so far.
Owen has the credentials to write a book that turns business school management training into ‘this is how it really is’. He has worked in various industries, travelled the globe and ‘been there, done that’.
The author uses his knowledge and observations to provide an entertaining and instructive guide on how to be a successful manager in the modern business world. If you browse before buying, then read the pages on ‘Budgets’ to see what I am getting at: “the best way to anchor a budget is not by submitting a detailed strategic analysis the best way is to talk informally and very early on with the most senior people possible”.
Most importantly, there is plenty on political skills – a subject not generally taught, but one essential to career progression and rewards. Topics covered are building power, using power, taking control and managing change.
If you know of an aspiring manager, give them this as a present immediately. If that aspiring manager is you, head straight to the book shop or log on and obtain this essential survival manual. This is not a gimmicky book. It is hard, valuable advice that you will not regret reading and putting into practice.
Useful? Five out of five stars
Well-written? Four out of five stars
Practical? Five out of five stars
Inspirational? Four out of five stars
Value for money? Five out of five stars
Overall? Five out of five stars
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Reviewed by Keith Lawson, lecturer to business and management students in the UK and Romania, and a consultant in the advice and guidance sector
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