At its heart, management is about people; leading, motivating, coaching. These are skills you can learn from formal training and mentoring and "on the job training" (also known as trial and error). But, since I am a reader, I have turned to books over the years to get views and ideas about being a manager. There are a lot of great books out there - best sellers on the non-fiction lists - but here are my favorites, a few books off the beaten path which I have enjoyed and learned from over the years.
Global Software Teams: Collaborating Across Borders and Time Zones (High Performance Cluster Computing)
by Erran Carmel
Although this book is targeted at software teams, the information in it is applicable to working with any distributed team. Although it reads sometimes like an academic paper, the author has broken down quite plainly the things that bring distributed teams together and those that keep it apart. It covers broad topics which managers need to consider including; Telecommunications infrastructure, Collaborative technologies, Development methodologies, Software frameworks and architectures, and Team building techniques.
One of my favorite sections was the cultural quick start - which helps managers understand how to engage team members of different cultural and backgrounds.
Because it covers a broad range of topics, it goes into none too deep. But deep enough to help a manager think about challenges they need to consider when launching or acquiring a multi-site team.
The Bad Attitude Survival Guide: Essential Tools for Managers
by Harry E. Chambers
Have you ever wondered how to deal with a problem employee? Reach for this book. Harry E. Chambers gives readers some tools for dissecting behavior to understand root cause and some suggestions on how to react to correct.
This should be mandatory reading for new managers.
Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun
by Wess Roberts
This book caught my eye in a trip through an airport bookstore, at 110 pages it is not a heavy read and can be enjoyed in a short session. The title is catchy and the idea gives a fun way to impart some ideas about leading people. Don’t get hung up on the historical accuracy of the content - sit back, laugh and enjoy the ideas put forth by Wess Roberts. Thought provoking books don’t need to be deep.
So there are some of my favorites. Anybody out there have their own list? Please share.