Customer Reviews

The Hands-Off Manager: How to Mentor People and Allow Them to Be Successful

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book like all of Steve's Chandler's books is one that you can read and immediatly apply to your life and work. If you are a manager of any kind, in any setting (including being a parent), I highly recommend this be moved to the top of your reading list. It's clear, concise, real and practical. In addition, Steve has added some new elements including excersises you can do at the end of each chapter, which are great additions.

As always, Steve's books invite you to look inside yourself - and if you want to be effective at working with others in any capacity, this book makes this process easy and inviting. This is a MUST READ!

I have experienced this type of success when leading volunteer groups but haven't been able to define the formula until reading this book. When people volunteer, you can't fire them. If you lose them you have to do all the work yourself! You have to figure out a way to use what they have to offer. The principles in this book work!

The Hands-Off Manager's chapter headings include uncomplicated titles such as "Using the Power of Neutral" (Chapter 3) and "Letting Go of Judgment" (Chapter 11), but this book is far from simplistic. I began reading with the thought that I would skim the book in an hour or two. I soon found that there are truths here that deserve a slow, careful read.

The book's writers, consultant and author Steve Chandler and construction executive Duane Black, have outlined a plan for transforming a company's culture from one of judgment and criticism to one of leading employees to contribute more than any goal or KPI will motivate them to achieve. The book makes a logical, persuasive case for managing people in a way that gets them thinking about how they can contribute to the success of the company, and in doing so, make work fun and rewarding. It teaches managers how to create constructive relationships with their employees, and in doing so, significantly reduce their own stress levels.

In my work as a corporate trainer, I began incorporating principles from the book into several training courses a few months ago. The effect the book has on each group of managers is the same. They recognize the truths contained in the book, see how applying them will reduce stress and make them more effective leaders, and ask for more training based on the principles in the book.

Read this book with thought and care, and you'll change the way you think about management and leadership.

Great Book! I give this 5 stars. There are few people in life and business that look within and do their own internal work. There are a lot of teachers in the world that have helpful information. Then there are those few teachers that consistently look inside themselves and these are the true leaders of our world.

Duane Black is one of those leaders that is consistently walking his talk. As a successful small business owner for more than 20 years, I have recently found myself holding the position of manager of a small group of entrepreneurs. Duane Black and Steve Chandler's ability to take all different types of information and philosophies and bring them back to personal responsibility has been done with grace.

We are all observers of the people around us. A great manager is one that is observing himself and is by doing so, much more effective in assisting others in empowering themselves.

Great reading!

Grant Helgeson
Scottsdale, Arizona

After reading The Hands-off Manager, you may discover that the most important change you can make in your staff is the change you can make in yourself. It's an eye-opening volume that's filled with examples of ways to approach recruiting, hiring and enabling your workers to exceed both your and their expectations on the job. The tips and insights that the authors articulate in this book can apply to any workplace. Upon completing the book, you may just find yourself willing to let go of some of the outdated and ineffective ideas you're had about your role and purpose as a leader in your company. And you may also find out how valuable you can be as a catalyst for creating new leaders in your business.

Whether you're managing a large department or a staff of one or two, The Hands-off Manager is a practical and empowering guide for leaders committed to creating a more productive workplace.

The book provides simple and logical advice to anyone who is seeking to create efficiency in the work environment. When you consider that a company's greatest asset is its people, the insights that Steve Chandler and Duane Black put forth will be great tools in any manager's ability to increase productivity, reduce stress and allow success. It's an easy read that delivers a combination of progressive thinking and common sense that no manager or individual can afford to ignore.

I have spent much of the past 20 years creating and leading health care teams and I have never read any thing that comes close to showing the why's and how's of true leadership like "Hands-off Manager". Duane Black's definition of success and the way he lives success each day shows how deeply he believes in his own worth as well as the value he has for others he interacts with. I only wish it were called " Awaken to Success" or something so more people would read it. It truely is as much a relationship book as a business tool.

If you do any kind of research regarding the top reason why people quit their jobs, survey after survey confirms that employees tend to flee from their bosses rather than leave an organization. Simply stated, managers are doing a poor job of retaining their best-and-brightest. This organizational epidemic builds unnecessary hiring and training costs into the business as well as cripples productivity due to the ongoing personnel vacuum it creates. Unfortunately, most micro-managers don't realize that they're driving their best resources out the door. In The Hands-Off Manager, authors Steve Chandler and Duane Black propose that one of the best solutions to stem rampant employee exodus is to foster a sense of collaboration and partnership amongst the members of your immediate work group. Soundview recommends this read because it strives to meet both the needs of the manager and employee while elevating and developing the worker's unique attributes. This skill will need to become a core competency for any organization that wants to be a success as the babyboomers begin to exist the workforce and skilled, qualified employees become increasingly scarce.

Steve Chandler and Duane Black present an approach to management that promises to lower your stress level, increase your happiness and allow everyone in your organization to be more creative and productive. The idea is that old-style, hands-on micromanagement does not engage today's workers. The book tries to persuade readers through emotional appeals, which can be illuminating but sometimes appear strained. The book includes interesting quotes from all kinds of people, including Peter Drucker, Deepak Chopra, Napoleon Hill (whom the authors criticize), Voltaire and others. We say the authors' core ideas are persuasive, but the style might lean a little too much on intangible insights for some readers. However, this is a great book if you are a stressed-out manager who wants to find a new approach. Read this, calm down and stop micromanaging.

The contents of this book extend beyond the workplace and instructions on how to be a great boss. It can be translated into a global view of how to allow success into your life as a whole. An easy read on a complex subject, it offers an abundance of insight into simple ways of incorporating this wisdom into your life on a daily basis.