Tony Fadell assumes that the reader knew of his career by virtue of picking up this book. That was not the case with me. I develop software and implement technology solutions for a living and found the title intriguing. Fadell led iPod and iPhone hardware teams at Apple and pioneered the Nest “connected home” technology company (now Google Nest). So as an author, he brings some “street cred” to the topic of building technology companies.…
Most people fear having a miserable job, and some are stuck in this predicament. Even jobs with nice enticements like fame and money can leave employees feeling unfulfilled by meaninglessness. One person has a disproportionately large impact on this situation: the manager. She/he can help employees find meaning in their work. In this book, Lencioni describes how managers can gift this to their employees… and achieve better results along the way. Lencioni has written another…
Leading and developing a dynamic team is tough in any business field. Many people move from job to job and never gain critical depth. The organizational ladder used to reflect the “true path” towards career growth, but organizations are much flatter than they used to be. This means that career development needs to be rethought for new situations. In this book, Kaye and Winkle Giulioni try to help managers think about how to have these…
Software engineers stereotypically have the personality type to stay behind their desks and not socialize too much. Their coding skills, so the story goes, facilitate their contribution to the company, not their finessing of humans. However, if they are ever promoted to a manager, they quickly have to pivot to understanding how to get their needs from subordinates who don’t always seek after managerial social approval. Not everyone is successful with this transition, but once…
“Managing up” is a relatively new concept in the business world. It refers to taking care of your boss’ and senior management’s needs as a part of your duties. Managing down, presumably, refers to managing subordinates, but managing up, not just managing down, has a significant impact on one’s career trajectory. Brownlee seeks to explore this concept by describing what this looks like pragmatically as a newer employee. Most employees have encountered difficult bosses at…
Workers commonly judge their professional selves by their job title, salary, or position on the organization’s hierarchy. Unfortunately, only so many people can receive promotions. Thus, managers cannot reward everyone on the team with success. How should they manage and develop careers then when not everyone is immediately moving towards high placement? Winkle Giulioni suggests a paradigm shift in management thinking towards alternative dimensions of career development, something she calls the “seven C’s.” Contribution, competence,…
The Self-Learning Management Series aims to educate those new to the responsibilities of management, likely coming from other fields. This book does a yeoman’s job at providing exposure to foundational concepts about decision making in business. It’s like a textbook, except a bit briefer and a bit more accessible (in other words, less academic). Koscinski, a professor of business, summarizes current thought about decision-making. Helpfully, Koscinski keeps current with the state of thought by mixing…
For decades, followers of technology have touted the value of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in computing. Some present a utopian future; others present a dystopian future. In this work, Upadhyay presents a realistic assessment of what’s inevitably coming. He overviews the essential parts of the technology – like convoluted neural networks or K-nearest-neighbor mapping – and then speculates on their business value. At 178 pages, this work does not waste unnecessary words. It instead provides a…
Bipolar disorder (previously termed manic-depression) is a serious mental illness and requires medication and often counseling to treat. This mood disorder increases the likelihood of suicidal outcomes. Though relatively common, many patients find coping with the illness difficult. First, the patient must come to terms with his/her own frailty. Then, the patient must find appropriate help for the ailment. Finally, she/he must educate a support structure to handle future difficulties with the illness. Fortunately, this…
The author of this book is someone who has spent most of his life in the hotel industry. He is passionate about the value of employee satisfaction and seemingly has made it to be the cornerstone of his professional philosophy. He shares that passion with readers in the context of this book. By supplying copious personal examples, he attempts to get the reader interested in his perspective on business and specifically management. However, his writing…