How to Be a Great Boss by Gino Wickman

How to Be a Great Boss by Gino Wickman
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This book was tough for me for several reasons. First, I listened to it, and this is definitely a book you should read in physical form so you can get the full effect of the checklists and the ability to flip back and forth between sections. Second, the first part of the book sets the expectation that there is only one formula for great bosses. That is ridiculous. Many different types of people succeed at management and are great bosses, so the idea there is only one way to do something, or only one profile for success doesn't make sense.

So that was the bad. On the good side, the tools and best practices they recommend seemed like mostly good ideas. There is a lot of value in their suggestions for most managers, as long as they are taken as suggestions and applied in a way that works with your management style. Trying to apply everything in this book as a prescription to be a perfect manager will probably fall flat. Your people will see everything you are doing as fake or disingenuous.

So I'm between 2 and 3 stars on this one, but if you are looking for ideas on how you can improve as a manager, this is a fairly short book that should give you a few good ideas.