stefan Stern - Myths of Management

PRAISE FOR MYTHS OF MANAGEMENT

This book is so true, so sensible and so snappily written, I wish I had written it myself. If every business person read it, all managerial stupidity would wither away. Lucy Kellaway, Associate Editor and Work and Career Columnist, Financial Times

I consider myself to be reasonably sophisticated, rather subtle in my thinking processes. Hence, I am almost horrified that I can find absolutely nothing in Myths of Management with which I disagree. Sure, I might have said this or that a bit differently, with an emphasis on X instead of Y. But in the end, I buy the act. You may well not go 44 for 44 in assessing the authors arguments, but I do offer a guarantee. You will be challenged 44 times, and its almost impossible to imagine that you will get anything other than a sky-high return on investment from reading, and seriously reflecting on, virtually every page in the book. Bonus: Its fun to read. I suspect that you will, as I did, chuckle many a time at the degree to which youve fallen into one of the traps Stefan Stern and Cary Cooper expose. Tom Peters, leading management guru and co-author of In Search of Excellence

Stefan Stern and Cary Cooper have summarized all the daft things I have seen written about management into one place and then dispatched them as myths by providing great common-sense insights in plain English which we can understand. For anyone wanting to manage that is, creating the conditions for others to succeed this is a must-read book. Sir Ian Cheshire, Chairman of Debenhams and former CEO of Kingfisher plc

The business of management is crucial, but prone to myth. In this fascinating book, Stefan Stern and Cary Cooper bring wit and courage to show what it takes to go beyond the hype and to become an insightful, and perhaps even brilliant, manager. Lynda Gratton, Professor of Management Practice, London Business School

Reports of the death of management are hugely exaggerated. We still do it poorly and we still need better insight how to do it well. Stefan Stern and Cary Cooper have exhumed and exorcized some of the deadlier myths still haunting corporate boardrooms and do a terrific job identifying vital ways to do the true hard work of managing. Margaret Heffernan, writer, business leader and consultant

If we want to improve the productivity of the economy, what happens within organizations is key. Leadership and management are both important. Yet for decades we have worshipped leadership (leading to excessive pay for many CEOs) and undervalued management. In this brilliant book, Stefan Stern and Cary Cooper debunk the myths that have encouraged bad practices. As the authors argue, open, humble, inclusive, listening leadership and management are essential and they can be learned. Read this cracker of a book! Vicky Pryce, former Joint Head of UK Government Economic Service

Management matters but is misunderstood. In this book, two very experienced observers skilfully take apart common misconceptions about the theory and practice of management. Their clear thinking helps us to discover how good management can positively make organizations more productive and satisfying work places. This is a timely and provocative book. It deserves to be widely read. Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones, authors of Why Should Anyone Be Led by You?

Stefan Stern and Cary Cooper have written a wonderful book to remind us of the basic, beyond-the-hype, essence of management. Purely and simply, its about the people. Herminia Ibarra, Professor of Organizational Behaviour, London Business School

Myths of Management

What people get wrong about being the boss

Stefan Stern and Cary Cooper

Publishers note

Every possible effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this book is accurate at the time of going to press, and the publishers and authors cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions, however caused. No responsibility for loss or damage occasioned to any person acting, or refraining from action, as a result of the material in this publication can be accepted by the editor, the publisher or the author.

First published in Great Britain and the United States in 2018 by Kogan Page Limited

Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms and licences issued by the CLA. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside these terms should be sent to the publishers at the undermentioned addresses:

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Stefan Stern and Cary Cooper, 2018

The right of Stefan Stern and Cary Cooper to be identified as the authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

ISBN 978 0 7494 8023 3

E-ISBN 978 0 7494 8024 0

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In memory of Diana J Stern (19352014), a mother, a manager and a Mensch

SFDS

I would like to dedicate this book to two of my management mentors, who are no longer with us, Professor Sir Roland Smith and Professor Fred Massarik (UCLA)

CLC

I am grateful to all the bosses I have worked for, the good ones, the brilliant ones, and the not necessarily completely flawless ones, for the examples they have given me to draw on for this book. I spent a year at the BBC in the mid-1990s, which was a crash course in office politics. I remember fondly my time at the Industrial Society shortly after, where I first got to grips with the idea and practice of management, and also met my great hero and mentor, the late Geoffrey Goodman. Rufus Olins made me features editor of Management Today magazine. I owe him for that important break. I lived through Web 1.0 with Pradeep Jethi and Simon Caulkin. And then the Financial Times took a chance on me, first as a freelance contributor, later as a columnist. I am grateful to the editor Lionel Barber and the dozens of superb colleagues I got to work with there. The FT is a class act, still. Robert Phillips and Richard Edelman were generous and imaginative employers. And the trustees of the High Pay Centre have been kind and patient and tolerant of my less than perfect management.

My co-author, Cary Cooper, has been a wonderful source of encouragement and support. Sadly I had a vacancy for a new Jewish mother, but Cary came through for me. This book would never have been written without his energy, enthusiasm and inspiration. I also thank my 95-year-old father for his great wisdom, temperament, maturity and insights. Kogan Page have been excellent to work with. They really know what theyre doing.