JAMES MANKTELOW is founder and CEO of MindTools.com. He has written, edited, and contributed to more than 1,000 articles, more than sixty workbooks, and seven books and e-books on management and leadership, including Manage Your Time and Manage Stress. JULIAN BIRKINSHAW is professor of strategy and entrepreneurship, deputy dean for programs, and academic director of the Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the London Business School. He is the author of fourteen books, including Fast/Forward, Becoming a Better Boss, and Reinventing Management.

• Acknowledgments xvAuthor Biographies xviiIntroduction xixPART I. KNOW AND MANAGE YOURSELF 1Chapter 1 Know Yourself 31. Understand Your Own Personality and Manage Accordingly (The Big Five Personality Model) 42. Understand and Make Better Use of Your Personal Strengths (Personal SWOT Analysis) 63. Set Clear Personal Goals, and Show a Strong Sense of Direction (Personal Goal Setting) 74. Build Your Self-Confidence 85. Be Aware of How Your Actions Impact Others ( Journaling for Self-Development) 106. Think Positively and Manage Negative Thoughts (Cognitive Restructuring) 117. Adopt a Self-Development Mindset (Dweck’s Fixed and Growth Mindsets) 13Other Techniques for Knowing Yourself 15Chapter 2 Plan and Manage Your Time 168. Find More Time in Your Day by Eliminating Low-Yield Activities (Activity Logs) 179. Prioritize Tasks Effectively for Yourself and Your Team (Action Priority Matrix) 1910. Use a Structured Approach for Tracking and Prioritizing Many Tasks (Action Programs) 2111. Schedule Your Time Effectively 22 12. Keep Yourself Focused: ManagingDistractions, Improving Flow 2413. Beat Procrastination 25Other Techniques for Planning and Managing Your Time 27Chapter 3 Cope with Change and Stress 2814. Develop Personal Resiliency, and Grow from Setbacks 2915. Analyze and Manage Sources of Stress (Stress Diaries) 3116. Manage Negative Emotions at Work (The STOP Method for Anger Management) 3217. Manage the Impact of Pressure on Performance (The Inverted-U Model) 3318. Overcome Fears of Failure or Success 3519. Learn from Your Experience in a Systematic Way (Gibbs’s Reflective Cycle) 37Other Techniques for Coping with Change and Stress 39Chapter 4 Manage Your Career over Time 4020. Find a Career That Suits Who You Are (Ibarra’s Identify Transition Process) 4121. Find a Role That Provides Meaning and Pleasure and Fully Uses Your Strengths (The MPS Process) 4422. Shape Your Role to Suit Your Strengths and Aspirations ( Job Crafting) 4423. Thrive at Work (The GREAT DREAM Model) 4624. Find the Work–Life Balance That’s Best for You (The Wheel of Life®) 4825. Understand the Types of Behavior That Can Derail Your Career (Hogan Management Derailment) 49Other Techniques for Managing Your Career 51PART II. MANAGE TASKS, AND GET THINGS DONE 53Chapter 5 Get Work Done in an Efficient and Focused Way 5526. Translate the Organization’s Mission into Goals That People Understand (OGSM) 5627. Align People’s Objectives with Corporate Goals (OKRs) 5728. Systematically Analyze and Optimize the Work Team Members Do (DILO) 5829. Use a Structured Approach to Continuous Improvement (PDSA) 6030. Systematically Identify What Needs to Be Done – Gap Analysis 6231. Conduct Post-Completion Project Reviews (Retrospectives) 6432. Manage Projects Using Agile Methodologies (Agile Project Management) 65Chapter 6 Solve Problems Effectively 6833. Get Systematically to the Root of a Problem (Root Cause Analysis) 6934. Identify the Many Possible Causes of a Problem (Cause and Effect Analysis) 7135. Map Business Processes Clearly (Swim Lane Diagrams) 7336. Solve Problems by Capitalizing on What’s Going Well (The 5-D Approach to Appreciative Inquiry) 7737. Bring People Together to Solve Problems (Manage Group Dynamics) 78Other Useful Problem-Solving Techniques 80Chapter 7 Make Smart Decisions 8138. Decide Whether a Decision Makes Financial Sense (Net Present Value Analysis) 8239. Choose Between Options and Considering Multiple Factors (Decision Matrix Analysis) 8440. Consider Many Factors, Such as Opportunities, Risks, Reactions, and Ethics in Decision Making (ORAPAPA) 8641. Analyze Systematically What Could Go Wrong (Risk Analysis and Risk Management) 8842. Prioritize Risks by Impact and Probability of Occurrence (The Risk Impact/Probability Chart) 9043. Avoid Psychological Bias in Decision Making 91Other Useful Decision-Making Techniques 94Chapter 8 Foster Creativity and Innovation 9544. Develop New Ideas by Understanding User Needs (Design Thinking) 9645. Innovate by Studying People’s Day-to-Day Use of Products and Services in Depth (Ethnographic Research) 9846. Innovate by Making Sense of How the Business World Is Changing (Scenario Planning) 10047. Innovate in All Areas of Your Business, Not Just with Products and Services (Doblin’s 10 Types of Innovation) 10248. Generate Many Ideas Using Free Association (Brainstorming) 104Other Techniques for Fostering Creativity and Innovation 106PART III.WORK WITH AND MANAGE OTHER PEOPLE 107Chapter 9 Understand and Motivate Other People 10949. Lead by Example (Being a Good Role Model) 11050. Listen Carefully and Intensely to Other People (Mindful Listening) 11251. Understand How to Motivate People (Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene Theory) 11352. Work Effectively with People from Different Generations (Understand Different Generational Characteristics) 11553. Develop Emotional Intelligence 11754. Motivate People to Go above and beyond (Transformational Leadership) 119Other Techniques for Understanding and Motivating Other People 121Chapter 10 Get the Best from Members of Your Team 12255. Delegate Effectively 12356. Be Clear About Who Is Accountable for What (The RACI Matrix) 12557. Give Effective Praise and Recognition 12658. Build Team Members’ Self-Confidence 12859. Support Your People Effectively (Heron’s Six Categories of Intervention) 129Other Ways to Get the Best from Members of Your Team 131Chapter 11 Communicate Effectively 13260. Understand the Key Principles of Good Communication (The Seven Cs of Communication) 13361. Speak Well in Public 13462. Write Effective E-Mails 13663. Build Good Working Relationships with People at All Levels (Create “High-Quality Connections”) 13764. Communicate Effectively Across Cultures (Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions) 138Other Techniques for Communicating Effectively 141Chapter 12 Hire and Develop Good People 14265. Design Jobs Effectively (Motivation- Centered Job Descriptions) 14366. Recruit Effectively (Competency-Based Interviewing) 14667. Assess Individual Development Needs (Skills Matrices) 14868. Give Effective Feedback (The SBI Feedback Model) 14969. Coach People Effectively (The GROW Model) 151Chapter 13 Build a Great Team 15470. Formally Define the Team’s Mission, Authority, Resources, and Boundaries (Team Charters) 15571. Brief Your Team Clearly 15772. Build Trust in Your Team 15973. Build Openness and Self-Knowledge within a Team (The Johari Window) 16074. Find the Specific Motivators That Work Best with Your Team (Understand Team-Specific Motivation) 16275. Manage Negative Behaviors and Resolve Conflict (Lencioni’s Five Dysfunctions of a Team) 164Chapter 14 Deal with Difficult Management Situations Effectively 16676. Resolve Conflict Effectively (Fisher and Ury’s Principled Negotiation) 16777. Deal with Bad Behavior at Work 16878. Deal with Office Politics, and Protect Your Team from Them 17079. Handle Poor Performance 17380. Be Tactful 175PART IV. GENERAL COMMERCIAL AWARENESS 177Chapter 15 Develop Situational Awareness 17981. Understand Your Organization’s Mission and Values (Mission Statements) 18082. Scan for External Changes That May Impact Your Organization (PESTLIED Analysis) 18283. Understand How Companies Compete in Your Market (Value Curves) 18484. Understand Your Organization’s Core Competencies 18685. Organizational Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT Analysis) 188Chapter 16 Get Ahead in the Wider Organization 19186. Understand and Shape How Others in Your Organization See You (The PVI Model) 19287. Ask for Feedback (The SKS Technique) 19488. Build Honest Rapport with Others 19589. Develop Effective Networking Skills 19790. Influence Your Peers to Get Things Done (Yukl and Tracey’s Influencers) 199Chapter 17 Make Change Happen in Your Organization 20191. Understand Stakeholder Needs, and Bring Stakeholders Along with You (Stakeholder Management and Power/ Interest Grids) 20292. Understand the Key Steps Needed to Succeed with a Change Process (Kotter’s Eight-Step Change Model) 20593. Anticipate and Manage People’s Emotional Reactions to Change(The Change Curve) 20694. Persuade and Influence People (Effectively (The Influence Model) 20895. Lead Change Without Formal Authority (“Stealth Innovation”) 210Chapter 18 Work Effectively with Customers and External Stakeholders 21296. Understand Your Customer’s Worldview (Develop Customer Personas) 21397. Understand and Develop Your Relationship with Your Customer (Customer Experience Mapping) 21598. Understand How Decisions Are Made in Another Organization (Influence Mapping) 21799. Decide the Best Approach to a Negotiation (Lewicki and Hiam’s Negotiation Matrix) 219100. Collaborate to Create Mutually Beneficial Outcomes (Win-Win Negotiation) 222Appendix: Survey Methodology 225References 227Index 235

"... well written, presented, and makes for a good, readable summary of a range of good skills to ensure that you stay on top of your people skills and help everyone to get the most out of their working environment." (Irish Tech News, July 2018)