8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
An unsatisfying McBook, January 28, 2008
This review is from: My Secret Life on the McJob: Lessons from Behind the Counter Guaranteed to Supersize Any Management Style (Hardcover)
Alas, in his attempt to describe the McJob from a behind-the-counter perspective, Newman and his inept editors have managed to create a mere McBook. As an intellectual meal, it promises more than it delivers and it ultimately leaves the reader feeling unsatisfied.
This short book is blessedly free of business jargon but it also is essentially devoid of content. What little content there is is highly repetitive. Newman has collected a handful of anecdotes, and he returns to them over and over again, even within chapters. On page 100, for example, we are told that his interview with Kris lasted an hour, and on page 103 we are told so again. We are told several times that Daniel likes to play with a Hacky Sack, that training DVDs aren't very good, that Newman once had a job on an auto assembly line that required him to make 11 welds. If he tells you something once, you can be sure he'll tell it to you at least twice. This may be effective lecturing style, but it makes for bad, bad reading.
You keep turning the pages because you're thinking that the mess will cohere at the end, that some deep insights and words of wisdom will emerge. After all, the author (as we are reminded repeatedly) is a professor and the publisher is McGraw-Hill. But there are few lasting lessons to be gleaned. Based on Newman's account, the key to success in these jobs is to show up, shut up, and make an effort. The jobs can be mentally and physically exhausting. Training sessions are grossly inadequate to prepare workers for the high-stress realities of the lunchtime rush. The combination of high stress, low prestige, and low pay results in high turnover, but some managers can attenuate the turnover rate by, well, being nice to their employees. That means acknowledging employees' good work, explaining things well, building a team, and fostering a friendly and respectful working environment. In Newman's experience, some managers are far more skilled than others in these respects. But does any of this come as news to you? I hope not, whether you work in fast food or some other endeavor. Further, Newman presents no evidence that the manager with strong social skills runs a better business than the socially inept manager.
In summary, this book does not represent good value for the money, even at a discounted price. It's a quick read. If someone gives you a copy, take it to the beach, along with a few cans of beer. You can breeze through the book in a few hours, and the beer at least will provide some nourishment.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Insight and Wisdom with a Side of Fries..., January 19, 2007
This review is from: My Secret Life on the McJob: Lessons from Behind the Counter Guaranteed to Supersize Any Management Style (Hardcover)
This book offers an inside look at management practices in the fast food industry in a way we can all relate to. Dr. Newman draws us into his world by sharing from his own personal perspective as he learns to cope with working for minimum wage in a variety of fast food establishments under a wide range of conditions. His honesty concerning his own limitations and challenges is refreshing and makes it easy to relate to his experience. The writing style employed, rather than being a chronological narrative, explores key management principles drawing upon various personal experiences and observations to illustrate the author's opinion of whether or not a particular approach is effective. Although Dr. Newman avoids the "expose" approach, he does give us plenty of stories concerning particular individuals and situations that are both entertaining and enlightening, and they help us to identify with both workers and managers as they interact with one another. The value of this book lies in the author's objectivity and fairness in assessing each manager's strengths and weaknesses, and his ability to compare and contrast different management styles. Anyone involved in leading or managing people, especially those working in the capacity of management in the fast food industry, should consider this book required reading. It will help anyone to better understand how to motivate and inspire people at any level in any industry.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mini McJob review, May 14, 2007
This review is from: My Secret Life on the McJob: Lessons from Behind the Counter Guaranteed to Supersize Any Management Style (Hardcover)
I read a review of this book in a newspaper and decided immediately that I had to have it. The author writes in an easy, conversational tone - in point of fact, I finished it in one weekend. Through his various part-time job descriptions at fast food restaurants you become acquainted with far-ranging management philosophies (especially the "toxic" managers), training programs (or lack thereof), and a greater appreciation for life behind the counter. Both my wife and I are much more tolerant of the mistakes made by people who hold these McJobs. And, yes, I would love to take a business management course from Dr. Newman!
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