Tough Management: The 7 Winning Ways to Make Tough Decisions Easier, Deliver the Numbers, and Grow the Business in Good Times and Bad

by Chuck Martin

Offers job seekers answers to the many questions they may be asked. Here, job seekers can receive the answers to a range of questions, including icebreaker questions and questions about previous... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0071452346
• ISBN13: 9780071452342
• Release Date: April 2005
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill
• Length: 200 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.3" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Tough Management

the book was in great shape and shipped timely. I would by again from this source.

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger - (and more stressed)

Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger is credited with saying, "A diamond is a chunk of coal that is made good under pressure." Just as the reality of pressure is inescapable in politics, so it is in business. But traditional management tactics fall short of helping business leaders make quality decisions under ever-mounting pressure. Business strategist, author and CEO of NFI Research Chuck Martin spent two years surveying thousands of executives to capture the best ways that the best business minds meet this challenge every day to achieve sustained growth and exceptional results. Soundview likes what Martin has to say about what differentiates successful business leaders who deliver more and do more - with less stress. Additionally, Martin offers real solutions to real world problems, which is really valuable for anyone struggling to bear up under pressure.

Tough Management ... Easy Results?

It is no secret that work today is more demanding than ever. With the bottom-line orientation of budget-constrained organizations as the new way of life, the increasing need for output without a proportionate increase in personnel is driving shareholders, executives and managers to demand more from those who work for them, as well as from themselves. Getting recharged and tackling tough decisions in these tough times requires a new, hardened approach by managers, with an eye toward pragmatically achieving results. Everyone in businesses of all types and sizes faces this new reality: the requirement to do more with less, deliver more and increase more without a total emotional drain. The work environment of today requires what Chuck Martin calls tough management, which is a way to approach work in a practical, reasonable and organized way to get to decisions more easily, make the numbers on a consistent basis, have those around you understand where you stand and increase the business. There are seven steps to practice tough management: 1. Communicate clearly. Though many senior executives and managers feel they communicate well, the message does not always get through. Tough management requires an abundance of communication that is clear, concise, timely and truthful. Clear communication that is clearly received aligns those creating strategy with those executing throughout the ranks. 2. Force the hard decisions. The majority of executives and managers say their superiors do not deal with tough decisions right away. Managers need to collect all the necessary information available at the time, make the decision, communicate it and then move on. Forcing the hard decisions also requires forcing office politics out of the equation. 3. Focus on results. Every manager must identify exactly the results that matter most at any given time, and determine actions that produce those results. This requires focus, working smarter and harder, increasing productivity and delegating. It also means being more realistic about what results are being demanded by those doing the demanding as well as those who are being demanded to execute. 4. Remain flexible. Managers need to be organized so they can change directions quickly to keep pace with the changing needs of their organization and customers. Executives and managers are under increasing stress at work, especially because there is more to do than there is time to do it. This means pushing back and saying no at times. It also requires stopping something, such as institutionalized tasks, projects or meetings at work. 5. Prove your value to the company. It is essential that you align with your company's values so that you can prove your value inside the enterprise. This means accepting even more new challenges and becoming the person everyone turns to for solutions. However, there is a fine line between proving your value and having the organization take advantage of you. 6. Force collaboration. Teamwor

Sound, Practical, and Eloquent

Martin's seven "ways" are actually admonitions. As he would be the first to point out, they are much easier said than done. In fact, he wrote a book to explain how to "make tough decisions easier, deliver the numbers, and grow business in good times and bad." Here are the admonitions: 1. Communicate clearly. 2. Force the hard decisions. 3. Focus on results. 4. Remain flexible. 5. Prove your value to the company. 6. Force collaboration. 7. Practice tough management without being tough. There are no head snappers among the seven. The substantial value of this book is derived, rather, from responses by more than 2,000 senior executives and managers in 50 countries who participated in an NFI Research survey. They completed a brief survey segment every two weeks over a period of 24 months. That is a key point because, over time both circumstances and respondents' reactions to them change. The final survey results thus have much greater credibility. Martin operates a global idea exchange and research engine with a network base of more than 2,000 senior executives and managers from more than 1,000 companies in more than 50 countries, including half of the Fortune 500. Those who read his book are invited to visit his Web site: www.nfiresearch.com or info@nfiresearch.com. Martin devotes a separate chapter to each of the seven admonitions. I especially appreciate the provision of a survey summary and a "Voices from the Front Lines" section in each chapter. For example, in Chapter 3 ("Focus on Results"), survey respondents were asked: "In general, how well does your supervisor delegate to you, in relation to enabling you to execute against your organization's strategy and direction?" The results: Very well 54% Somewhat well 30% Not very well 9% Not at all well 3% "In general, how well do you delegate to your subordinates, in relation to enabling them to execute against your part of your organization's strategy and direction?" The results: Very well 50% Somewhat well 47% Not very well 3% Not at all well 0% Then four "voices" from the "front lines" are provided. There is comparable material within each of the other six chapters. Credit Martin for succeeding brilliantly with the organization and presentation of so much survey information within an eloquent and brisk narrative. Well done! Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out David Maister's Practice What You Preach, Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee's Resonant Leadership, Michael Ray's The Highest Goal, and James O'Toole's Creating the Good Life.

Highly Recommended!

Chuck Martin has written a straightforward book predominantly based upon data gathered by his company, NFI Research, in two years of research involving 2,000 managers and executives worldwide. The business world portrait he paints isn't rosy: companies continually ask managers to do more with less. Most managers and executives work more than 50 hours a week, and the marketplace constantly heats up the pressure to perform better. Under such difficult circumstances, Martin advises managers to get tough by exercising a solid set of seven specific skills. Ironically the list ends with, "Don't be a tough guy," meaning that stressed-out managers should strive for work-life balance. The book would be even stronger if it cited prior work on the pros and cons of being tough in the workplace. Douglas McGregor's Theory X and Y, and William Ouchi's subsequent Theory Z are two classics that come to mind. We find that this book provides useful - albeit bleak - insights into contemporary corporate management, and recommend its sound advice to managers.