Truth About Managing People, The

Stephen P. Robbins, Ph.D., professor emeritus of management at San Diego State University, is the world’s best-selling author of textbooks in management and organizational behavior. His books have sold more than six million copies and been translated into 20 languages. A member of USA Masters’ Track & Field Hall of Fame, he holds the current world record at 100 meters for men 65 and over.

• Preface     vii  PART I THE TRUTH ABOUT HIRING  Truth 1 The Importance of “People Skills”      1Truth 2 First Impressions DO Count!      5Truth 3 Forget Traits; It’s Behavior That Counts!      9Truth 4 Brains Matter; or Why You Should Hire Smart People     13Truth 5 When in Doubt, Hire Conscientious People!     17Truth 6 Want Friendly Employees? It’s in the Genes!     21Truth 7 Don’t Ignore Emotional Intelligence     25Truth 8 Throw Out Your Age Stereotypes     29Truth 9 Match Personalities and Jobs     33Truth 10 Hire People Who Fit Your Culture: My “Good Employee” Was Your Stinker!     37Truth 11 Good Citizenship Counts!     41Truth 12 Realistic Job Previews: What You See Is What You Get     45Truth 13 Manage the Socialization of New Employees     49  PART II THE TRUTH ABOUT MOTIVATION  Truth 14 Why Many Workers Aren’t Motivated at Work Today     53Truth 15 Telling Employees to “Do Your Best” Isn’t Likely to Achieve Their Best     57Truth 16 Professional Workers Go for the Flow     61Truth 17 Not Everyone Wants a Challenging Job     65Truth 18 When Giving Feedback: Criticize Behaviors, Not People     69Truth 19 You Get What You Reward     73Truth 20 It’s All Relative!     77Truth 21 Recognition Motivates (and It Costs Very Little!)     81Truth 22 There’s More to High Employee Performance Than Just Motivation     85Truth 23 So Long Loyalty, Hello Employee Engagement     89  PART III THE TRUTH ABOUT LEADERSHIP  Truth 24 Five Leadership Myths Debunked     93Truth 25 The Essence of Leadership Is Trust     97Truth 26 Experience Counts! Not Necessarily!     101Truth 27 Effective Leaders Know How to Frame Issues     105Truth 28 You Get What You Expect     109Truth 29 Charisma Can Be Learned     113Truth 30 Charisma Is Not Always an Asset     117Truth 31 Make Others Dependent on You     121Truth 32 Successful Leaders Are Politically Adept     125Truth 33 Ethical Leadership     129Truth 34 Virtual Leadership: Leading from Afar     133Truth 35 Leading Across the Generational Gap     137Truth 36 Becoming a Mentor     141Truth 37 Adjust Your Leadership Style for Cultural Differences, or When in Rome…     145  PART IV THE TRUTH ABOUT COMMUNICATION  Truth 38 Hearing Isn’t Listening     149Truth 39 Listen to the Grapevine     153Truth 40 Men and Women Communicate Differently     157Truth 41 What You Do Overpowers What You Say     161Truth 42 The Value of Silence     165Truth 43 Watch Out for Digital Distractions     169  PART V THE TRUTH ABOUT BUILDING TEAMS  Truth 44 What We Know That Makes Teams Work     173Truth 45 2 + 2 Doesn’t Necessarily Equal 4     177Truth 46 The Value of Diversity on Teams     181Truth 47 We’re Not All Equal: Status Matters!     185Truth 48 When Teams Are Appropriate, and When They’re Not     189  PART VI THE TRUTH ABOUT MANAGING CONFLICTS  Truth 49 The Case for Conflict     193Truth 50 Beware of Groupthink     197Truth 51 How to Reduce Work-Life Conflicts     201Truth 52 Negotiating Isn’t About Winning and Losing     205  PART VII THE TRUTH ABOUT PERFORMANCE EVALUATION  Truth 53 Annual Reviews: The Best Surprise Is No Surprise!     209Truth 54 Don’t Blame Me! The Role of Self-Serving Bias     213Truth 55 Judging Others: Tips for Making Better Decisions     217Truth 56 Coping with Deviant Workplace Behavior     221  PART VIII THE TRUTH ABOUT COPING WITH CHANGE  Truth 57 Most People Resist Any Change That Doesn’t Jingle in Their Pockets!     225Truth 58 Use Participation to Reduce Resistance to Change     229Truth 59 Creating Creative Employees     233Truth 60 Employee Turnover Can Be a Good Thing     237Truth 61 In Cutbacks: Don’t Neglect the Survivors     241Truth 62 Beware of the Quick Fix     245  References     249