Tony Soprano on Management: Leadership Lessons Inspired By America's Favorite Mobst [Paperback]

Anthony Schneider (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 3, 2004

Changing economies. Employee loyalty. Power struggles. Deal making. Tony Soprano has to deal with management problems just like any CEO-and except for resorting to the occasional whacking (a definite no-no in corporate environments), he usually succeeds. Now readers can learn what makes him such a strong leader in this offbeat guide. Includes advice on:

€ Sit-downs, stand-ups, and other meetings
€ Behind the Bada Bing: managing people
€ Hey, break it up: conflict resolution
€ Deal Time: effective negotiation
€ Cigar Time: performance evaluation

...and more

With case studies, worksheets, tips on "managing up" from Carmela and Silvio-and a special chapter on what Tony does wrong-this is a business book like none you've ever read. Readers can use it to gain new insight-and find street-smart ways to manage their own workplace family.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Funny, wise and well-written... readers will learn to lead smarter, manage faster, delegate better, and turn vision into value. -- Lewis S. Ranieri, Chairman, Hyperion Partners, Former Vice Chairman, Salomon Brothers

Smart, funny and relevant... will help you be a better manager, run a more effective company, and make more money. -- Julie Stav, Author of GET YOUR SHARE and FUND YOUR FUTURE

TONY SOPRANO ON MANAGEMENT is really a great business education. -- Tim Zagat

About the Author

Anthony Schneider is founder and CEO of Web Zeit (www.webzeit.com), a New York-based Internet strategy firm whose global client roster includes Chase Manhattan, Pfizer, Ferrari, and Dell. He speaks frequently at conferences and contributes to various business magazines. His interests include waste management, Newark real estate, and cooking pasta.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Trade; 1 edition (February 3, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425194949
• ISBN-13: 978-0425194942
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #719,889 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Okay, so I like good books, good movies and good music. Is that a crime?

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nuggets of Management Wisdom, June 18, 2005

By 

Carl Linden (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tony Soprano on Management: Leadership Lessons Inspired By America's Favorite Mobst (Paperback)

Schneider has mined nuggets of management wisdom from the first four seasons of Sopranos episodes, and he cleverly uses quotes, anecdotes, and vignettes from the show to illustrate his lessons about management skills such as delegating, negotiating, and giving praise.

Tony Soprano on Management has additional attractions, if you're not a Sopranos fan. The book includes an excellent chapter offering advice on how to manage up (that is, how to influence people in management positions above you). There are also plenty of case studies and traditional advice on good management practices, along with worksheets to help readers identify their hot buttons or concerns and plan future corrective actions.

Kathy Graden
Society for Technical Communication
November, 2004

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tony Soprano on Management, November 30, 2007

By 

Alexandra Pursglove (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tony Soprano on Management: Leadership Lessons Inspired By America's Favorite Mobst (Paperback)

I found "Tony Soprano on Management" by Anthony Schneider to be a well written, coherent discussion of leadership rules in which every manager should follow. He covers every aspect of leadership from knowing yourself to dealing with poor performance. Several of the essential theories of leadership discussed in this text include seeing your vision, making decisions, resolving conflict, delegating, fueling energy, negotiating, and building the right team. In every chapter, Schneider uses the Tony Soprano approach as a guideline for the rules of management. For instance, knowing yourself is the first rule of leadership presented by Schneider. He introduces this rule by explaining that the beginning of The Sopranos pilot, Tony Soprano is in the waiting room of his therapist, Dr. Melfi. Schneider states, "what is more symbolic of a man on a quest of self-knowledge than standing in the waiting room before his first meeting with a therapist?" Several lines later, Schneider is able to relate Tony Soprano's therapist visits to rules of leadership. "Knowing yourself and understanding your tendencies as a person and leader are keys to becoming a better person and a more effective leader." Throughout this entire book, Schneider backs up every argument on leadership style with an example from The Sopranos.

In addition to the valuable contents of the book, the set up of each chapter is useful for leaders working to improve their skills. Each chapter breaks down the aspects of leadership into segments. For instance, the chapter on praise and feedback examines how to determine when praise is due, rapidly responding to praiseworthy performance, praising in public and reprimanding in private, and the effects of annual performance evaluations. Each segment includes bullet-pointed summaries and worksheets, and the chapter concludes with a wrap-up summary. The style of the book allows it to become a workbook for the aspiring leader.

Schneider's technique of using mob boss, Tony Soprano, as an example keeps the reader intrigued and entertained. For example, he compares Tony's decisions to "whack people" with a manager's decisions on firing employees. He even includes comical quotes from Tony, such as, "[Screwed-up] thing is I don't even like Ralph. If he was drowning, I'd throw him a cinderblock. But not protect one of my captains?" This quote indicates that a good leader always stands by his or her team. Schneider's entire discussion of leadership style is presented in a knowledgeable, organized manner. The added element of Tony Soprano, one of America's favorite mobsters, leads me to classify this book as a must-read for any type of manager or leader.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Remarkable General Business Book, May 3, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Tony Soprano on Management: Leadership Lessons Inspired By America's Favorite Mobst (Paperback)

This is a remarkable book. It's smart, fun to read, very up to date in terms of case studies, methods and examples from the corporate and not-for-profit worlds, both in the US and abroad.

I'm an old manager, stuffy, jaded. Someone recommended this book, and I didn't think I'd like it. I don't like many biz books. But this one is a winner. It's not just for managers -- entrepreneurs, freelancers, board members, this book is for you.

My favorite chapter is on vision. Another favorite deals with time-saving, decision making and delegating. I try and try to get better at those things, and usually books don't help. But so far, this one is.