The software, and knowledge industry in general, has been on a blazing growth path in the last few decades and especially so in India. As the size of organizations grew rapidly, so did the need for managers to manage a growing business and growing teams. As a result, most managers in the software industry today started out as techies, including me. I was lucky to have learned from some of the best managers, but also some not so great ones. Regardless, there is a lot of catching up that new managers need to do.
This book attempts to capture some of those elements, which can help a new manager or soon-to-be manager build a framework of understanding around what managing is in the knowledge industry, how to deal with the transition from an individual contributor to a manager, and how to understand the behaviors that make a successful and respected manager.
Managing people in the knowledge industry has its own unique challenges since it's highly people-dependant. This book discusses various aspects of managing that a manager deals with on a daily basis, such as team building, hiring, motivating your team, planning, and many more. It also attempts to build some thoughts around aspects, such as work-life balance, diversity, Gen Y, and how one can grow as a manager.
The book is primarily based on learning, insights, and experiences and in a few sections, it also brings in some theoretical frameworks applied to the knowledge industry.
Finally, this book is by no means a 'right way' of doing things and neither does it attempt to be complete in anyway. At best, it's a beginning.
Chapter 1, Whose Side Are You On? - Learn about the various roles and responsibilities of being a manager. Acknowledge the dilemmas and build a perspective on what it means to be a manager. These perspectives help a manager make better decisions and manage through the daily pushes and pulls of being a manager.
Chapter 2, Transition: From Individual Contributor to a Manager - One of the most testing times is the transition from being an individual contributor to a manager. Learn about common problems during the transition and possible ways to deal with them. Also, understand the sources of frustration for a new manager as he figures way around in the new role.
Chapter 3, Basic Skills, Traits, and Competencies of a Manager - In this chapter, we try to answer the question: what are the key ingredients that make a good manager? Understand the meaning of skills versus talents versus competencies. Walk through the top skills and competencies that are expected of a manager in the knowledge industry. Also, look at some of the myths around managerial work.
Chapter 4, Teamwork and Team Building - Team building is the holy grail of the management function. Understand the purpose and nature of a team. Look at the various aspects of 'how to build a team', such as defining team composition and alignment of goals. Also, peek into the difficulties of doing the same. Finally, understand some of the reasons why teams fail.
Chapter 5, Communicating - Communication is a top skill for a manager in the knowledge industry. In this chapter, we look at the elements of good communication. Then we go on to build an understanding of the communication process in an organization. Then we walk through common communication scenarios, such as how to deliver tough news to your team or how to respond when someone just walks in with a problem. We also look at communication in a remote team and finally closing with pointers on when to keep quiet.
Chapter 6, Motivation - Keeping the team motivated is an ongoing responsibility of a manager and key to delivering results for the organization. In this chapter, we build an understanding of what is motivation? We will have a brief look at some of the famous theories, such as Maslow and Mcclelland's theories of motivation. We look at what is motivating in today's workplace and also what is de-motivating. Finally, we peek into signs of low motivation that managers can potentially spot and how to adopt measures proactively.
Chapter 7, Hiring - Hiring is a key function for a manager. In this chapter, we understand the various aspects of hiring, such as defining your hiring needs, sourcing potential employees, pre-screening candidates, and arriving at a short list. We take a detailed look at the pre-interview and conducting a good interview process. We analyze the compensation process and strategies that can be applied when deciding the compensation. Finally, we peek into the campus hiring process in India since campus hiring is a significant contributor to the workforce.
Chapter 8, Performance Evaluation - This chapter focuses on the performance evaluation process, which is a key part of a manager's responsibility. We look at the purpose and usage of performance ratings and typical review methods. Understand the usage of the Bell curve in performance ratings and build understanding of the common issues in the annual review cycle, such as the proximity effect, disconnectedness, and halo effect.
Chapter 9, Attrition - Attrition is a fact of life in a professional work environment and every manager needs to deal with it. In this chapter, we build a framework of understanding on why people leave a job. Enumerate the direct and indirect costs of attrition and wonder if attrition can be 'beneficial'. Importantly, we will look at common signs of impending attrition and how perhaps a manager can proactively avoid some of it from happening. Finally, we will go over how to manage attrition so business can be conducted, almost as usual.
Chapter 10, Managing - Remoteness, Work-Life, Gen Y, and Diversity - In this chapter, we build some understanding of some common but critical management scenarios. Look at challenges of working in a remote team and how it impacts the working model, followed by how to make it easier by creating lines of communication and setting expectations. We'll discuss the ever elusive work-life balance and build an understanding of work and life and the difference between the two. Another key component of the workplace is the new generation, Gen Y. What makes them unique? What makes them tick? And understand the common behaviors of Gen Y. Finally, we approach the sensitive and crucial diversity dimension of management and discuss why diversity is important and how we can support a diverse workplace.
Chapter 11, Effective Planning - In this chapter, we take a detailed look at the planning function of a manager. Review the traits and behaviors of a good project manager. Understand the planning cycle and various considerations of it, such as the external ecosystem in which the team operates. We also get into creating an execution plan and other key aspects, such as regular monitoring and review. Finally, we look at some planning issues and specifically the issues of project planning in the Indian environment.
Chapter 12, How to Grow As a Manager - A short chapter on understanding your own growth aspirations and listing the key ingredients for growth. Are you ready to grow in your current role or organization? We walk through the behaviors that will propel growth, such as trust, consistent results, diverse experience, and many more. Finally, we look at what behaviors hold managers back from growth.
Chapter 13, Summing it Up - This is a summary chapter where we take a visual journey to recall some of the key things that we discussed in the earlier chapters.
This book is most contextual for new managers in the knowledge industry
Aspiring managers and soon-to-be managers
MNCs who want to effectively manage employees at their Indian offices
All managers who wish to be more effective by better understanding the management frameworks and how they apply to the Indian IT and ITes sectors - IT Product Development, Services, Backend processing, and BPO
Management principles remain the same across all sectors and so people from other sectors will also benefit from this book
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