Leading the Unleadable: How to Manage Mavericks, Cynics, Divas, and Other Difficult People

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SOUNDVIEW BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEAR

Every manager has to deal with difficult employees. However, what separates the great managers is their ability to turn them into productive team players.

Control freaks. Narcissists. Slackers. Cynics. Their outbursts, irrational demands, gripes, and countless other disruptions need to be dealt with, and you are the unlucky one with that job description.

This book turns this seemingly difficult chore into a straight-forward process that gently, yet effectively, improves behaviors. It all begins with understanding a core truth: most people actually want to contribute results, not cause headaches. When the manager resets to that fundamental principle, the potential for change can reveal itself in even the most hopeless situations.

Written by tech industry expert Alan Willett, Leading the Unleadable explains how to:

• Master the necessary mindset
• Explain the problem calmly in a short feedback session
• Get a commitment to change, then follow up
• Coach others to replicate the process
• Develop the situational awareness required to spot future trouble before it hits

Are you a great manager Of course you believe you are. So dont just put up with your difficult employees. Anyone can do that.

Turn them into the tremendous team players everyone wants them to be!

Reviews

..".wonderful resource for all leaders, because it discusses strategies for improving leadership at all levels with a thorough discussion of leadership challenges and strategies for improvement."-- Technical Communications
"Presents a framework, approach, and recommendations for transforming the troublesome to the tremendous." - PM World Journal
..".how to become an exceptional leader who can manage anyone in any situation...an easy-to-read book on a complex subject." --BizEd
..".makes a compelling argument to set the bar higher and accept the call to exceptional leadership....provides useful practical guidance and is an important addition to the reference collection of project managers seeking to achieve their full leadership potential." --PM World Journal
"[Willett] urges you to appreciate the diversity of every leaf...mavericks, cynics and divas aren't out to sink you; they just see another path to improving the organization." -Globe and Mail
"His system will give leaders at all levels the skills and confidence to give a group the freedom they need to be creative and productive without letting them wreak havoc with the team's agenda." --Retailing Insight
"It's a logical organizational design and learning approach, supported by a few realistic case studies and some very practical advice...Positive, and enough for new and seasoned managers to use as a guide to the divas around us." --Booklist

Author Bio

ALAN WILLETT is president of Oxseeker, a leadership development and organizational culture change consultancy whose clients include Oracle, Microsoft, NASA, Intuit, and others.