It's Okay to Be the Boss

BRUCE TULGAN is the founder of Rainmaker Thinking Inc., a research and management training company based in New Haven, Connecticut. He is internationally recognized as a leading expert on leadership and performance management. He is an advisor to business leaders all over the world, the author or coauthor of seventeen different books including the classic Managing Generation X and the recent best-seller It’s Okay to Be the Boss. He is a sought-after keynote speaker and seminar leader.

• WHAT IS HARD ABOUT MANAGING? 1 YOUR OBJECTIVES 3WORKSHOP OBJECTIVES 4THE BASICS OF MANAGING PEOPLE 5The Consequences of Under-Management 6Fight the Under-Management Epidemic: Be a Great Boss! 7Real-World Obstacles 8The Top Seven Management Myths 9BACK-TO-BASICS TECHNIQUE 1GET IN THE HABIT OF MANAGING EVERY DAY 11One-on-One Conversations with the People You Manage 12Getting Started 13How to Make Time Available 14Worksheet: Making Time for Managing Every Day 15BACK-TO-BASICS TECHNIQUE 2LEARN TO TALK LIKE A PERFORMANCE COACH 17How a Coach Talks 18Discussion Questions for Coaching Conversations 19Coaching Script 21Questions to Ask During a Coaching Conversation 22For Useful Coaching Conversations 23Worksheet: Coaching Script 24BACK-TO-BASICS TECHNIQUE 3TAKE IT ONE PERSON AT A TIME 25Six Questions for Tuning In to Each Person You Manage 26Tuning-In Tool 28Worksheet: Manager’s Landscape 29BACK-TO-BASICS TECHNIQUE 4MAKE ACCOUNTABILITY A PROCESS, NOT A SLOGAN 31Top Seven Complications to Accountability 32Key Actions for Holding People Accountable 33Worksheet: Strategies for Holding People Accountable 34BACK-TO-BASICS TECHNIQUE 5MAKE EXPECTATIONS CLEAR EVERY STEP OF THE WAY 35Make Expectations Clear Every Step of the Way 36Turn Best Practices into Checklists  37To Delegate Successfully 38Circles of Empowerment 39BACK-TO-BASICS TECHNIQUE 6TRACK PERFORMANCE IN WRITING 41To Evaluate Performance 42Reasons for Writing Things Down 43Systems for Tracking Performance in Writing 44Describe, Describe, Describe 45Worksheet: Tracking Performance in Writing 46BACK-TO-BASICS TECHNIQUE 7SOLVE SMALL PROBLEMS EARLY BEFORE THEY TURN INTO BIG ONES 47Diagnosing Performance Problems 48Worksheet: Diagnosing a Persistent Performance Problem 49BACK-TO-BASICS TECHNIQUE 8DO MORE FOR SOME PEOPLE, LESS FOR OTHERS 51Three Trends in Rewards 52Using Rewards as Incentives and Quid Pro Quos 53Worksheet: "What Can You Do to Earn That?" 54MANAGER'S CHECKLIST 59ACTIONS FOR BECOMING A BETTER BOSS 60WORKSHEET: ACTION PLANNING 61APPENDIX 63Coaching Script 65Tuning-In Tool 66Manager's Landscape 67"What Can You Do to Earn That?" 68ABOUT THE AUTHOR 71