The Truth About Managing People

In the Third Edition of the bestselling book, The Truth About Managing People, bestselling author Stephen Robbins shares even more proven principles for handling virtually every management challenge. Robbins delivers 61 real solutions for the make-or-break problems faced by every manager. Readers will learn how to overcome the true obstacles to teamwork; why too much communication can be as dangerous as too litt≤ how to improve your hiring and employee evaluations; how to heal "layoff survivor sickness"; how to manage a diverse culture; and ways to lead effectively in a digital world. New truths include: how to nurture friendly employees, forget about age stereotypes, first impressions count, be a good citizen, techniques for managing a diverse age group, and ethical leadership among others.

Stephen P. Robbins, Ph.D., professor emeritus of management at  San Diego State University, is the world’s best-selling author of  textbooks in management and organizational behavior. His books  are used at more than 1,500 U.S. colleges and universities and have been translated into 19 languages. Robbins has served in management roles for Shell Oil and Reynolds Metals. A member of the USA Masters’ Track and Field Hall of Fame, he has won 11 individual world sprint titles and set numerous American and world age-group records.

Preface      vii
PART I THE TRUTH ABOUT HIRING
Truth 1  First Impressions DO Count!     1
Truth 2  Forget Traits; It’s Behavior That Counts     5
Truth 3  Brains Matter; or Why You Should Hire Smart People     9
Truth 4  When in Doubt, Hire Conscientious People!     13
Truth 5  Want Friendly Employees? It’s in the Genes!     7
Truth 6  Realistic Job Previews: What You See Is What You Get     21
Truth 7  Throw Out Your Age Stereotypes     25
Truth 8  Match Personalities and Jobs     29
Truth 9  Hire People Who Fit Your Culture: My “Good Employee” Is Your Stinker!     33
Truth 10  Good Citizenship Counts!     37
Truth 11  Manage the Socialization of New Employees     39
PART II THE TRUTH ABOUT MOTIVATION
Truth 12  Why Many Workers Aren’t Motivated at Work Today     43
Truth 13  Telling Employees to “Do Your Best” I sn’t Likely to Achieve Their Best     47
Truth 14  Not Everyone Wants to Participate in Setting Goals     51
Truth 15  Professional Workers Go for the Flow     55
Truth 16  When Giving Feedback: Criticize Behaviors, Not People     59
Truth 17  Managing Across the Generation Gap     63
Truth 18  You Get What You Reward     67
Truth 19  It’s All Relative!     71
Truth 20  Recognition Motivates (and It Costs Very Little!)     75
Truth 21  There’s More to High Employee Performance Than Just Motivation     79
PART III THE TRUTH ABOUT LEADERSHIP
Truth 22  Five Leadership Myths Debunked     83
Truth 23  The Essence of Leadership Is Trust     87
Truth 24  Experience Counts! Wrong!     91
Truth 25  Effective Leaders Know How to Frame Issues     95
Truth 26  You Get What You Expect     99
Truth 27  Charisma Can Be Learned     103
Truth 28  Charisma Is Not Always an Asset     107
Truth 29  Make Others Dependent on You     111
Truth 30  Successful Leaders Are Politically Adept     115
Truth 31  Ethical Leadership     119
Truth 32  Virtual Leadership: Leading from Afar     123
Truth 33  Adjust Your Leadership Style for Cultural Differences, or When in Rome     127
PART IV THE TRUTH ABOUT COMMUNICATION
Truth 34  Hearing Isn’t Listening     131
Truth 35  Listen to the Grapevine     135
Truth 36  Men and Women Communicate Differently     139
Truth 37  What You Do Overpowers What You Say     143
Truth 38  The Value of Silence     147
Truth 39  Watch Out for Digital Distractions     151
PART V THE TRUTH ABOUT BUILDING TEAMS
Truth 40  What We Know That Makes Teams Work     155
Truth 41  2 + 2 Doesn’t Necessarily Equal 4     159
Truth 42  The Value of Diversity on Teams     163
Truth 43  We’re Not All Equal: Status Matters!     167
Truth 44  Not Everyone Is Team Material     171
PART VI THE TRUTH ABOUT MANAGING CONFLICTS
Truth 45  The Case FOR Conflict      175
Truth 46  Beware of Groupthink     179
Truth 47  How to Reduce Work–Life Conflicts     183
Truth 48  Negotiating Isn’t About Winning and Losing     187
PART VII THE TRUTH ABOUT DESIGNING JOBS
Truth 49  Not Everyone Wants a Challenging Job     191
Truth 50  Four Job-Design Actions That Will Make Employees More Productive     195
PART VIII THE TRUTH ABOUT PERFORMANCE EVALUATION
Truth 51  Annual Reviews: The Best Surprise Is No Surprise!     199
Truth 52  Don’t Blame Me! The Role of Self-Serving Bias     203
Truth 53  Judging Others: Tips for Making Better Decisions     207
Truth 54  The Case for 360-Degree Feedback Appraisals: More IS Better!     211
PART IX THE TRUTH ABOUT COPING WITH CHANGE
Truth 55  Most People Resist Any Change That Doesn’t Jingle in Their Pockets!     215
Truth 56  Use Participation to Reduce Resistance to Change     219
Truth 57  Employee Turnover Can Be a Good Thing     223
Truth 58  In Cutbacks: Don’t Neglect the Survivors      227
Truth 59  Beware of the Quick Fix     231
References     235