2022 Paul Falcone
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Topic 11: From Why Senior Managers Should Hold Skip-Level Meetings. SHRM HR Daily Newsletter, May 31, 2018. Copyright 2018 by the Society for Human Resource Management. Topic 19: From How to Bridge Cultural Divides. SHRM HR Daily Newsletter, August 27, 2020. Copyright 2020 by the Society for Human Resource Management. Topic 23: From Dealing with Employees in Crisis: Options and Resources for Todays Turbulent Times. SHRM HR Daily Newsletter, November 23, 2020. Copyright 2020 by the Society for Human Resource Management. Topic 24: From What All Senior Executives Wish Their Front-Line Managers Knew About Effective Leadership. SHRM HR Daily Newsletter, June 3, 2016. Copyright 2016 by the Society for Human Resource Management. Topic 25: From Viewpoint: How to Practice Inspirational Leadership. SHRM HR Daily Newsletter, January 16, 2019. Copyright 2019 by the Society for Human Resource Management. All of the above used by permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.
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ISBN 978-1-4002-3015-0 (eBook)
ISBN 978-1-4002-3006-8 (TP)
Epub Edition December 2021 9781400230150
Library of Congress Control Number: 2021951254
Printed in the United States of America
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Ebook Instructions
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CONTENTS
Guide
Welcome to book 5 of the Paul Falcone Workplace Leadership Series. This is the fifth and final book in the series and is special because its uniquely tailored to the needs of new managers and frontline supervisors. Newly minted managers often experience a unique set of problems that, once mastered, wont likely challenge them again to the same degree. But thats because theyll garner the necessary experiences to master the supervision of others by then. Still, the first time can be tricky and somewhat uncomfortable as new managers get used to their new level of leadership and authority, especially if they naturally feel a bit overwhelmed by the thought of it all.
Why the Big Three? Ask most CEOs what they expect from their management teams, and youll hear about effective leadership, excellent communication skills, talent development, ethical and moral behavior, adaptability to change, high accountability for self and others, and so much more. But if you take the full list of attributes and talents and boil them down to the top three competencies on CEOs short lists, then leadership, communication, and teambuilding win every time.
Yes, quite a lot is asked of newly promoted managers, not the least of which is that often they must remain solid individual contributors, willing to roll up their sleeves and produce (and sometimes out-produce) their team members in terms of both volume and quality. Its rare to have a pure leadership position these days, even when you head your own department! But mastering leadership takes time and focus. Sure, there are born leaders out there, but even if you considered yourself a leader since your very first day in kindergarten, there are still so many rules, practices, and yesland minesthat await the unsuspecting manager that you really need to hone your craft and choose your allies well.
Education is always your first go-to resource. This book, for example, touches on topics as varied as internal coaching and employee engagement to motivation and career development as well as diversity awareness and managing multiple generations at work. It also contains healthy doses of information on self-assessment, dealing with employees in crisis, and becoming an inspirational leader.
Of course, all five books in the series are dedicated to strengthening leadership muscle, whether in the form of ethical decision-making (book 1), effective interviewing and hiring (book 2), leadership offense (book 3), and leadership defense (book 4). But book 5, which youre holding in your hands right now, is meant to pull everything together in one place, inspiring you to become a trusted leader, a strategic thinker, and a deliverer of high impact results.
No book or book series can capture all the variances of effective leadership. But the content that follows will help you build confidence and trust in your abilities, master the art of the internal coach (rather than the unilateral disciplinarian), confront problematic issues head-on in a caring and constructive manner, and develop your own unique management and leadership style. More important, it will help you avoid some of the pitfalls and snares that can otherwise entangle a well-intentioned leader who just didnt see something coming. Rest assured that this author has your back, understands the unique pressures and challenges you face, and has every confidence that your commitment to self-education and self-awareness will reward you with incredible dividends over time.
Leadership is the greatest gift that the workplace has to offer: nothing else gives you the opportunity to touch others lives, to pay it forward, to become their favorite boss, and ultimately to be thanked years later for contributing to a team members success. Enjoy your new role and the exciting opportunities it creates. Listen with your heart, laugh a lot, recognize and appreciate others, and always come from a spirit of thankfulness and gratitude. After all, appreciation of the many opportunities you haveand the people you serve as a leaderopens your whole world to greater and higher levels of success and self-fulfillment.
Congratulations for mastering the course to this point in your career: youve achieved your management stripes. As well soon see, however, management and leadership are two separate things, and leadership should always be what you strive for: the ability to positively influence others, to motivate and engage them, to bring out their best, and to help them grow and develop in their own careers. Once you get the groove of this, youll see that its easier to master than you might have originally thought. Choose your mentors well, partner closely with your boss at all times, keep HR in the loop as your loyal sidekick and internal guidance resource, and know with confidence that your organization and your team can benefit tremendously from your leadership contributions.