The Accidental Manager: Get the Skills You Need to Excel in Your New Career [Paperback]

Gary S. Topchik (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 29, 2003

Topchik shows readers who never expected to supervise others how to take on their first managerial responsibilities. The book gives even unenthusiastic new managers the advice they need to make the most of their new roles. From developing a productive team, to delegating work, to giving and receiving feedback, the book shows how to leave the ranks of the "accidental" and become a good manager with a promising career.

Editorial Reviews

Review

" [the book]gives managers the skills they need to shine in their new - and unexpected -positions." -- Clinical Leadership & Management Review

"Topchik's book is great for dealing with accidental promotions or learning to manage an office Dogbert." -- BookPage

Book Description

"Every day, people are promoted into the ranks of management . . . even if they never intended to become managers. They agree to their new responsibilities either to stay employed or to make more money. It is a universal phenomenon. But for these ""accidental managers,"" it makes more sense to manage well than to manage badly, and this book tells them how.

Using examples and real-life case studies, The Accidental Manager gives readers the tools they need to make the most of their situation, showing them how to:

* Develop their people by having them work on their own and with others

* Actively listen in order to build trust and increase communication

* Give positive and constructive feedback to keep employees on track

* Motivate by providing the best possible environment for each team member

The book reveals the ten worst types of managers (and how to avoid being one of them), and features a special Management Assessment tool. The Accidental Manager gives managers the skills they need to shine in their new -- accidental -- positions."

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 17 and up
  
• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: AMACOM; 1 edition (August 29, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814471803
• ISBN-13: 978-0814471807
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,079,116 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars very infomative--leaned a lot!, September 30, 2003

By 

Robert Deutsch (New York City, N.Y. USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Accidental Manager: Get the Skills You Need to Excel in Your New Career (Paperback)

A must book for anyone who is new to managing. This is a situation I have found myself in and this book has really helped me manage my new job!
Recommend to anyone in management!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting. Useful. Don't miss it., January 19, 2007

By 

Manish Malik (India) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Accidental Manager: Get the Skills You Need to Excel in Your New Career (Paperback)

I am no accidental manager. Well, not a manager anyways.

I found this book in the hands of a colleague who is on his way to becoming a manager. Flipped a few pages, and said "hmm... interesting". Later I grabbed a chance to read this book myself.

Have you read the joke about a kid reading "Good Parenting" book? When his parents told him it was not the right time for him to read such a book, he replied with "But I'm checking if you're bringing me up the right way."

I wanted to check the same thing. (I'm kidding).

Anyways, on to the book. I found this a good read. I mean two things:

1) I didn't get bored. I actually managed to read all of it.

2) It taught me something useful.

There is a lot of management common-sense scattered around in books. This book brings some of that common-sense together in an interesting, easily digestible way. It tells you about the common fallacies of new 'accidental' managers, and lists recommendations on how to behave to avoid getting into those traps. It was fun to relate many characteristics to people you typically find in the industry (I am not referring to a specific industry here - it just applies to a lot of them). Another note - it's not just for 'accidental managers', but for every person who has been in a people management/leadership role and thinks he/she could improve.

I know many people who would certainly benefit from this book, and I am going to recommend it to them. I am surprised why this book isn't as popular yet as it should have been. Thanks to those who recommended it to my office's library though.

I'm giving this book a 5-star because it delivered what it promised - nothing more, but nothing less too.

5.0 out of 5 stars very good summary for a manager, young or old, November 12, 2010

By 

GeoFru "George" (El Cerrito, CA United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Accidental Manager: Get the Skills You Need to Excel in Your New Career (Paperback)

It's been a few years since I've read this, but I still fondly recall the great advice.
I've bought multiple copies to give to managers at client companies to sharpen their focus.
I've even given it to 'experienced' managers who want to know more about the manager part of their role.