Lead Well and Prosper

Sub-titled “15 successful strategies for becoming a good manager”, Nick McCormick’s book Lead Well and Prosper is a straightforward, common sense leadership guide for new managers. It’s specifically written for people who are moving from working as part of a team to leading a team.

I mentioned the book in passing back in March. A few weeks later a review copy of the book arrived. As I was working on a major project, it promptly went below all the urgent reading only to surface in the last few days.

The book originally caught my eye because McCormick encapsulated the 15 key points it contains in a simple list. At the time I said it squares with more or less everything I’ve written on the art of management here on this site.

That holds just as true for the book as for the potted version.

McCormick’s writing is sort, sharp and to the point. There are 93 pages split into 15 chapters. Each starts with a realistic anecdote, a few pages explaining the point being considered and a useful summary.

It’ll only take a couple of hours to read. If you commute or are a frequent flyer it would be a sound investment of otherwise wasted time.

I like the brevity and the lighthearted nature of the book. It’s easy to read. Simple to understand and designed in a way that makes it helpful as a reference when you need a quick refresher on the points.

it’s not patronising nor does it preach. You’ll simply find common sense advice on the things good managers do better than average or poor managers.

None of the individual ideas McCormick expresses are radical or eye-popping. Some may seem obvious, yet clearly they aren’t, as millions of managers fail to get these things right every day.

They are simply 15 rules to help you become a good leader. That’s right. A good leader, not a great leader. This goes with the common sense practicality on display throughout the pages. As McCormick says, many people find being a good manager is difficult to achieve.

My only personal criticism of the book is the cartoons don’t add much value – but your mileage may vary on that issue.

The book cost $US14.95 and is available from booksellers and online. For details of where to get it contact Be Good Ventures LLC.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Are You a Manager or Leader? (drivenleaders.com)