Twenty-One Ideas for Managers

Celebrated the world over for his gentle wit and keen insight into human behavior, Charles Handy is widely regarded as one of today's best social and business philosophers. This latest collection of Handy's work groups twenty-one of the revered BBC commentator's best essays on why organizations and the people in them behave the way they do. Beginning with "A World of Differences," which voices Handy's fresh take on diversity in the workplace, each essay is a bite-sized bit of humor and wisdom that sheds new light on what motivates people on the job. As useful as they are incisive, these twenty-one ideas should be heard by anyone seeking fresh perspectives on how better to manage themselves and others.

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A World of Difference.

The "E" Factor.

The Secret Contract.

The Territorial Itch.

The Inside-Out Donut.

The Johari Window.

The Actor's Roles.

Marathons or Horse Races.

The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy.

The Stroking Formula.

Parents, Adults, and Children.

Power Politics.

Teams and Captains.

Outward and Visible Signs.

Tribes and Their Ways.

Find Your God.

Counting and Costing.

The Customer is Always There.

Curiosity Made the Cat.

Shamrocks Galore.

Portfolios and Flexi-Lives.

"Handy's jargon-free observations pack more power because of their clarity and prescriptive nature ... his writings don't just affect companies; they often hit individuals in a powerful way, like the advice of a trusted friAnd or relative." (Fortune)

"Handy excels at stirring controversy?and thought." (Business Week)

"Anyone exposed to long-term, pick-of-the-month guru ramblings or mind-boggling business babble will think they have wandered into a clear spot in the forest when they encounter Handy for the first time.... His writing is crisp and lucid, and his grasp on the human dilemma is remarkably encompassing." (Chicago Tribune)

"He has a gift for presenting old problems in new ways that is at the heart of all good teaching." (Times Editorial Supplement)

"Charles Handy is arguably Britain's most respected management writer." (Financial Times)

CHARLES HANDY was born in Kildare, Ireland, in 1932, and was for many years a professor at the London Business School. From 1977 to 1981, Handy served as warden of St. George's House in Windsor Castle, a private conference and study center concerned with ethics and values in society. He is now an independent writer and broadcaster who describes himself, these days, as a social philosopher. Other books by Handy include Waiting for the Mountain to Move, Beyond Certainty, and The Hungry Spirit. Through the years, Charles Handy's wise and witty observations on the vagrancies of organizational life have earned him legions of fans around the world and placed him in the pantheon of truly great social commentators. But he's never been one to rest on his laurels. In this work, Handy furthers his reputation as he casts a critical eye on the fine art of management...and the profession cannot help but benefit from his scrutiny.As the title suggests, this book contains twenty-one of Handy's best essays on the challenges of working with--and sometimes through and around--other people to get things done."The ideas which I found so valuable," Handy writes, "are like small shafts of light which make so much clear, producing the Ah-ha effect." Reading Handy's work, managers are certain to utter a few Ah-has of their own as they uncover one gem of insight after another-insights they can use to hone their own expertise.Each three-to-four-page essay is illustrated with pithy stories from Handy's varied career as an oil company executive, economist, educator, and BBC commentator. Each is accompanied by an aptly humorous cartoon. And each offers bite-sized inspiration for readers of all stripes--from the CEO to the coach of the local Little League--from one of the most influential business authors and philosophers of our times. Celebrated the world over for his gentle wit and keen insight into human behavior, Charles Handy is widely regarded as one of today's best social and business philosophers. This latest collection of Handy's work groups twenty-one of the revered BBC commentator's best essays on why organizations and the people in them behave the way they do. Beginning with "A World of Differences," which voices Handy's fresh take on diversity in the workplace, each essay is a bite-sized bit of humor and wisdom that sheds new light on what motivates people on the job. As useful as they are incisive, these twenty-one ideas should be heard by anyone seeking fresh perspectives on how better to manage themselves and others.