Coaching for Improved Work Performance, Revised Edition

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Summary: A "Must Have" for new and seasoned managers alike!
Review: There are so many challenges in being a manager in today's world and so little time to figure out how to deal with them all. This great little book provides a very pragmatic approach for improving work performance. Too many books provide general guidance that tends to fall apart during implementation. The methods in this book work and don't require months before you see the results. If you have performance problems with even one worker, you need this book!

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Summary: Direct, practical and doable guide to management.
Review: This book provides the most direct and down-to-earth approach management that I can imagine. It develops a logical approach to managemnt which, if followed will improve your company's performance. More important, it give a logical step-by-step approach which can actually be implemented.

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Summary: Rarely in life can you find a management book you can use!!!
Review: This is one book that delivers exactly what it promises: a method for bringing non-performers off of the fence and in to the game. The coaching process as spelled out in this book takes all of the awkwardness out of the usual face-to-face discussions that we use in an attempt to improve performance levels. There are many themes that run throughout the book that many managers need to come to grips with: managers are not as effective at managing people as they are processes; employees fail because their managers have failed to give them more constructive alternatives in place of their self destructive behaviors; effective interpersonal communication is vital to improving work performance; and theories of motivation cannot help you increase the level of buy-in your employees have in your plan. This book is a must read for every manager who has finally realized that you win through people and sincerely wants to know how to do it.

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Summary: Ferd shows us how it is done on the line, every day
Review: To me, this one is a classic. I have introduced the "Book of Ferd" to many of the younger managers in my department, with encouraging results. "Coaching" puts the problem of people management where it belongs, in the lap of the manager, but remarkably (and atypically) provides specific direction as to "what to do differently" in order to overcome the unproductive behaviors of either (or both) the manager or the subordinate. The author provides templates and practical examples on how to handle the actual interview situation (a.k.a. the "confrontation")-- one of the most useful aspects of the book. Some of these examples deal with especially surly and insubordinate employees, and the author shows in dialog form how they can be dealt with in real time-- something they don't cover in engineering school. The only criticism I would make is that some of the strategies described in the book are most directly applicable to managers who are dealing with production or sales people; situations where output can be readily measured. In the case of employees such as engineers or R&D personnel, where evaluating performance is not so simple, the author punts by saying that if you have a hard time finding an objective measure of job performance, it means that "you haven't found a way to measure it yet". Not too helpful. Having said this, however, from experience, many of the performance problems we encounter in technical management are not so different from those found on the production line. By applying the techniques described in the "Book of Ferd" any manager can feel much more confident and deal more effectively with problem--and high-performing--employees.

Rating:
Summary: Ferd shows us how it is done on the line, every day
Review: To me, this one is a classic. I have introduced the "Book of Ferd" to many of the younger managers in my department, with encouraging results. "Coaching" puts the problem of people management where it belongs, in the lap of the manager, but remarkably (and atypically) provides specific direction as to "what to do differently" in order to overcome the unproductive behaviors of either (or both) the manager or the subordinate. The author provides templates and practical examples on how to handle the actual interview situation (a.k.a. the "confrontation")-- one of the most useful aspects of the book. Some of these examples deal with especially surly and insubordinate employees, and the author shows in dialog form how they can be dealt with in real time-- something they don't cover in engineering school. The only criticism I would make is that some of the strategies described in the book are most directly applicable to managers who are dealing with production or sales people; situations where output can be readily measured. In the case of employees such as engineers or R&D personnel, where evaluating performance is not so simple, the author punts by saying that if you have a hard time finding an objective measure of job performance, it means that "you haven't found a way to measure it yet". Not too helpful. Having said this, however, from experience, many of the performance problems we encounter in technical management are not so different from those found on the production line. By applying the techniques described in the "Book of Ferd" any manager can feel much more confident and deal more effectively with problem--and high-performing--employees.