Management Bits and Tips

One of the outcomes of the reading of a book Comments on the Society of the Spectacle (by Guy Debord) is the possible evolution of feelings of a corporate citizen where the last stage corresponds to a spectator:

ECHO

Enthusiasm
Confusion
Hating
Onlooking

- Dmitry Vostokov @ ManagementBits.com -

I found the book Selling the Work Ethic: From Puritan Pulpit to Corporate PR in a local library a few months ago and was intrigued by its title and table of contents. After reading it from cover to cover I must say I was really surprised to learn much more about capitalism and the unfolding of consumer society than I learnt during Soviet era from Marxist propaganda. Having a big management library myself I would say I never questioned why all these management books were printed. To know why you need to read this book. Funny enough, after reading, I stumbled across the demo of a computer game about Sponge Bob where he was about to start working hard to be promoted to a management position. Walking around his house he met a welfare creature who asked him not to forget him after the promotion. The whole episode now looks from a fresh selling work ethic perspective especially when I learnt that the CD came from a packet of children food bought in Tesco (selling work values to kids?). I liked the book and bought another one from the same author: This Little Kiddy Went to Market: The Corporate Assault on Children and also a biography Benjamin Franklin: An American Life.

- Dmitry Vostokov @ ManagementBits.com -

Inspired by reading Robert Green’s book The 48 Laws of Power I started carving my own laws of intellectual power. Sometimes they are direct opposites like the first law:

Law 1

ALWAYS OUTSHINE THE MASTER

Rationale

Make observers feel that you are superior. Impress them with your intellect. Go far in displaying your talents or you accomplish the opposite: others will outshine you.

Now working on the second law to be published later today. 

- Dmitry Vostokov @ ManagementBits.com -

Previously announced book (publication date is 1st of September, 2010) now got preliminary front and back covers.

Front cover:

Back cover:

- Dmitry Vostokov @ ManagementBits.com -

It is impolite to attend a seminar, lecture or training course and read a book there (bit). Use touch-style e-readers (but not Kindle because it is too associated with books) to write notes and you can switch to your favourite pages during breaks (tip).

I recently bought Sony e-Reader PRS 600 and although its screen is a bit reflective compared to Kindle I like its tough capabilities especially when I need to quickly double-click on a word to see its dictionary definition. Reflectiveness is usually not noticeable under a sunlight when I commute. At home in the evening, when reflection is most noticeable, on a sofa I prefer to read a real hardback/paperback book.

- Dmitry Vostokov @ ManagementBits.com -

“… those people who are really good at what they do and yet are at the bottom of a management hierarchy have a power that no one else in the hierarchy has. They can’t be demoted.” 

Robert Glass, Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering

Understanding and overcoming resistance is one of the tasks of a manager. A public performance (transcript) of the manager is different from an inner transcript and the same can be said about transcripts of engineers. I now recall that in one of my previous companies I worked for, a senior engineer was telling one recently hired junior colleague in a private setting (canteen) to always tell VP of Engineering how he loves the work. I recently became interested in analysis of managerial domination and of various forms of hidden resistance and stage performances of subordinates and internal pressures they experience. Doing my research I stumbled across this book on Amazon and bought it:

Domination and the Arts of Resistance: Hidden Transcripts

The book is written in almost jargon free style and highly recommended as a stimulating and refreshing read to remind about additional perspectives on relations inside teams and engineering organizations, between customers and their relationship managers (inverse domination). 

- Dmitry Vostokov @ ManagementBits.com -

If you move to work in another country it is always useful to read about local workplace norms, redundancy regulations, various employment acts and other smart knowledge. If you happen to be the native of that country then you should prefer to read such books as well. More than 8 years ago when I moved to work in Ireland I bought this guide (one of the previous editions):

Working And Living In Ireland

Today I was visiting a local bookshop and browsing the bargains section where I found this book written by the same author and immediately bought it. “Exit” chapter is recommended to read during the current turbulent times in Irish economy.

Smart Moves at Work in Ireland

- Dmitry Vostokov @ ManagementBits.com -

As you know I came back to an engineering role again after serving 2 years as a Team Lead and then almost 2 years as a Technical Manager:

The Importance of Being Technical

So instead of growing as a Manager vertically I decided to concentrate on growing horizontally because I have additional management roles as Editor-in-Chief of Debugged! magazine, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of OpenTask iterative and incremental publisher, President and Director of Memory Analysis and Debugging Institute. At the same I need to spend more time growing my technical knowledge and digging deeper in memory dumps.

I plan to continue this blog anyway and still commit to publishing this book next year:

Management Bits: An Anthology from Reductionist Manager (ISBN: 978-1906717131) 

- Dmitry Vostokov @ ManagementBits.com -

The title of this post employs an operating system metaphor for a team member as a thread in a process (team).  I recalled this morning a book that I was reading 3 years ago and dug it from one of my dark dusty office corners:

My Job Went to India: 52 Ways to Save Your Job (Pragmatic Programmers)

I think it is relevant in this economic downturn if you replace India as an empty set or empty string: My Job Went to “”.

- Dmitry Vostokov @ ManagementBits.com -

To look at your salary expectations from a new angle I recommend at least to read the description of the following book that I “wrote” and published:

Salary Figures: A Codebook of Expectations

- Dmitry Vostokov @ ManagementBits.com -