This book is an excellent solution of all management concepts. Irrespective of the industry you represent, this book is for you if you are into management. Obviously, one book cannot cover the entire spectrum of management concepts; and this book too, doesn't do that. However, for entry-level managers, this is an excellent start and for experienced managers, a reference manual.

The book does not only cover the most common management concepts of team management, conducting interviews, communications, stakeholder management, etc; but also touches upon the not-so-common functions such as managing change, negotiating and stress management. According to me, these are the areas that make this book so special, because it does not only focus on the 'popular' topics like many other management books do.

This book should serve as a starting point; and for any topic that one needs to drill into, one can refer to a book specifically designed and written for that topic. This has been written very well, in a very simple, easy-o-understand language; and the loads of graphics and pictures make it easy to remember the key concepts.

The only thing I do not like about the book is its organization, as it only appears as a collection of discrete, unrelated concepts. Maybe a lifecycle approach i.e. what are the essentials that a manager should possess should come first, and slightly higher codes a little later, could have made it even more impressive.

This guide is almost exactly as its title says, except that it should read "basic" rather than "Essential". If that was the case, the book would have been worthy of five stars. So I subtract one star for the misleading title.
And that is mostly the only bad thing about this publication. If you are an aspiring manager, or in a situation where you are entering middle management, you will definitely find this book to be a handy reference - and that's what it is - you don't sit down with this book and read it from cover to cover. It's the type of book one would keep in his office, and refer to from time to time. Although the book is almost 900 pages in length, it could easily be reduced to about 400.

It is filled with (politically correct and clinical) photographs which make the book very colourful and fun to leaf through, but which detracts from the "seriousness" of its topic. It really doesn't add anything to the text. Marketing, I suppose.

Apart from all the illustrations, the layout is very good. Thanks to the index and contents pages, one is easily directed to the area containing the information you need. The articles (or chapters) are well laid out and very informative. Most chapters can be read in a few minutes, so don't expect any in-depth information. But what they give is normally very useful and enough to point one in the right direction.

If you have studied management, or have more than two or three years' experience as a manager in a medium-sized or larger company, or read any of the more academical books on management, you won't gain much by owning this volume, unless you need a quick reference guide for your office and don't mind it looking like a story book.

If you are entering the management arena, and feeling a little intimidated, this is an excellent place to start.

This book tries to cover too many topics. It isn't detailed enough to even be a good reference. The only use I could see is for someone who wants a quick overview of one of the topics. If you have the slightest clue about what you're doing, spend your money more wisely on a book devoted to the topic.

This book is really a must have for first time Supervisors or Managers. Is is very simple, strait forward, and helpful with great illustrations. It is great for brush ups on some subjects that may not rise often. I always arm my management team with this book as well as Who Moved my Cheese.

This book is really a must have for first time Supervisors or Managers. Is is very simple, strait forward, and helpful with great illustrations. It is great for brush ups on some subjects that may not rise often. I always arm my management team with this book as well as Who Moved my Cheese.

The book is really amazing. I'm a business administration undergraduate student who bought this book...

Reallly... It IS an very VERY valuable source for both students and managers themselves... I highly recommend it...

The manual is trying to cover all the essential areas of management. It is an ideal reference book for those who wants to have a peep into the management field. For those who are in the advanced stage of management this book may serve to refresh the basics.

It is a good book for the entry level personnel in the management field.

The manual is trying to cover all the essential areas of management. It is an ideal reference book for those who wants to have a peep into the management field. For those who are in the advanced stage of management this book may serve to refresh the basics.

It is a good book for the entry level personnel in the management field.

Robert Heller is a leading authority on management consulting. he was the founding editor of Management Today. He is the author of many acclaimed and worldwide best-selling books including: The Naked Manager, Culture Shock, The Way to Win and The Complete Guide to Modern Management.

If you want to eventually move into a management position or want to reevaluate yourself and see how you can improve on your management skills, then you might want to have a manual of manager's secrets close at hand.

In today's fast-moving business world, organizations are constantly evolving. In an aggressively competitive marketplace, you will be expected to deliver better and better results. The most successful business managers will recognize the need to adapt and change and continually examine the way they work. By developing a wide range of skills and keeping those skills up to date, they will excel in their job.

This guide covers the most important aspects of business life. It covers interpersonal and professional skills. The sections on communication, time management and dealing with stress, contain advice that is applicable to a conventional and unconventional office environment.

In today's office, there is also a range of new technology which has revolutionized the working lives of millions of people around the world. You will find practical advice on all the key areas of business management. The book is fully illustrated and has annotated photographs, charts and flow diagrams. 1,200 quick-reference power tips (like: "Remember that honesty is not the best policy; it is the only policy") cover every management situation. There are checklists, points to remember and do's and don'ts. Case studies help to focus on real-life management problems.

The section on matching an applicant to a job will be helpful to managers who do their own hiring. How do you handle hostility in the office? The sections on body language were right on. You will see pictures of various poses which will "betray" you. I love body language because it shows what people are really thinking.

One thing I always remember was when a new manager comes into an existing team. If they act too controlling without first gaining respect, the team will rebel a bit. It is better to be relaxed, yet confident. This is the type of information you will find and it is very practical. While some managers may already know this information from personal experience, I simply can't imagine anyone would know everything in this comprehensive manual. I think everyone could take away many points which would make them more successful.

As they say: "Avoid people and situations that tempt you to behave in ways you are not happy with. Hey, this book could be great for anyone! I also loved how they said: "You have the right to make genuine mistakes without feeling guilty. You have the right to refuse other people's excessive demands on your life."

I don't know, maybe this isn't only for managers. I sounds like a survival guide to life in the workplace.

I purchased a couple books once I was promoted to manager. I felt as if my world was going to change dramatically and I needed some sources of information to help me through the transition. What I came to realize is there were two types of knowledge that I sought, one was details around project management and the other was overall leadership.

The basics of what it takes to be a manager and how you conduct yourself is what this book is all about. If you are new to having people work for you or new to leading, than this book may be an option for you. For me, it covered very rudimentary topics and didn't offer much guidance in the two areas I was seeking more depth. Another thing to note, there are strategies to project management and there are theories to leadership. This book covers basic aspects to conducting yourself as a "generic manager".

To sum it all up, this book is VERY BASIC and if you have any management/leadership experience at all, it will waste your time.

I purchased a couple books once I was promoted to manager. I felt as if my world was going to change dramatically and I needed some sources of information to help me through the transition. What I came to realize is there were two types of knowledge that I sought, one was details around project management and the other was overall leadership.

The basics of what it takes to be a manager and how you conduct yourself is what this book is all about. If you are new to having people work for you or new to leading, than this book may be an option for you. For me, it covered very rudimentary topics and didn't offer much guidance in the two areas I was seeking more depth. Another thing to note, there are strategies to project management and there are theories to leadership. This book covers basic aspects to conducting yourself as a "generic manager".

To sum it all up, this book is VERY BASIC and if you have any management/leadership experience at all, it will waste your time.

Not at all what I thought it was going to be. Way too intoductory and simplistic for a manager who is actually managing anything or anybody. Not something I would want anyone to see on my office bookshelf.

Great Book. The graphics and examples make it very interesting. The book is organized into 12 different topics. You can also get a small paperback for each of these topics individually. It becomes much easier to carry them around, but it turns out to be much more expensive...

I found this book to be amazingly clear and packed with useful information. It is categorized in such easy-to-use sections to enable flipping quickly to the pertinent sections or reading over at more length. It includes many major categories of interest to a manager or an employee. The financial investment is well worth it.

This book covers most aspects of management and supervision. Even experienced leaders have weak areas and this book does a good job of helping you improve your overall management skills. For less experienced personnel, it provides a comprehensive look at eleven different management skill areas that are essential to good management.

There may be better treatises on the individual subjects, but I've not found a better manual that covers this broad spectrum of management skills.

The book layout is perfect for either quick scanning or in depth reading.

This book tries to explain each aspect of management in one or two pages. Quite a challenge and not surprisingly this book does not succeed.

The information given will be so obvious for most that reading this book is a waste of time. As a reference this book will not be of much use either, since no subject is covered in any depth.

The tone and language leave much to be desired. True, the lack of jargon must be applauded, but this book has nothing of substance to replace it with. Some of the advice is simply laughable, such as: - "Don't keep sweets in the house" - "Do not be belligerent, it is counterproductive" - "Do not make major decisions too quickly".

This book tries to achieve too much in too little space.

This book is an excellent choice for both the novice and experienced manager or supervisor. This large volume (864 pages) covers a broad range of topics that will help the seasoned manager refresh his or her memory and provide the beginner with a well-rounded set of skills. It is a well-written book which contains numerous color illustrations and graphics. It is, also an easy and enjoyable read and one of the best books that I have read on this subject. One of the most useful features of the book its organization. It is written in short sections so it that the chapters can be read as used as needed. The chapters are concise and could be used for a short training classes on a variety of topics.

Excellent addition to any managers ref. library. Pros: A wealth of information, well written, the layout flows, and plenty of graphics to keep the reader interested. Cons: Target reader seems to be the those with limited experience, touches only lightly on some very important skills that could use more in-depth discussion. Overall: Well worth the price....

If you are a manager and you want a desk reference that you can turn to, whenever you have a problem or a tricky situation or if you want to polish and fine tune your managerial skills to become a more effective and efficient person then this book is for you. This book deals with most of the managerial functions and activities from communication, time management, decision making, delegation, motivation, team management, meeting management, presentations, negotiation, interviewing, change management and stress management. The book contains a lot of practical tips and self-assessment test that is quite useful. One gets a feeling of achievement while reading the book and doing the exercises. The figures, boxes, layout of the various items make reading a real luxury.

Written is the an easy to read style and presented in the wonderful way only Dorling Kindersley can do, this book is a treat to the eyes and the mind. It is rich in content and is presented in an exquisite manner. It is a book that every book lover will love to have. It is a book that every manager will love to read. It is a book that should be on every manager's bookshelf.

Copyright © 1999, Pegasus Book Club