Management Bits and Tips

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 -

Have you ever been worried about managerial amnesia? There are two types of it: the full amnesia and the partial one. The latter one is the most dangerous. Being selective, it provokes worries. The full amnesia, on the contrary, might stem from the current organization focus in other functional areas and could be even a confirmation of trust. Here is the story. I was made redundant in one company long time ago. A month before that, I asked to replace a light bulb in the room because I used to work very long hours. However the light bulb had never been changed and only after redundancy I realized that it was one of the warning signs: there was no need to replace the light bulb - I was one in the office room and after my redundancy the room became empty…

- Dmitry Vostokov @ ManagementBits.com -

To my shame I have never read the famous book “AntiPatterns: Refactoring Software, Architectures, and Projects in Crisis”. Being interested in antipatterns which I often figure out myself in the practical domain of software technical support (see Crash Dump Analysis AntiPatterns) I looked for the most recent collection of the management ones and found this book which I’m reading now:

Antipatterns: Identification, Refactoring, and Management (Auerbach Series on Applied Software Engineering)

In addition to their own patterns, the authors of the book provide the description of Brown’s antipatterns (the book mentioned earlier, “AntiPatterns: Refactoring Software, …”), provide two tables for easy antipattern identification in an organization or a team (Management Antipattern Locator and Environmental Antipattern Locator), list and comment on Myers-Briggs personality types, discuss Keirsey temperament groupings and Bramson’s human personality phenotypes. Highly recommended. I especially liked “All You Have Is a Hammer” antipattern of which I was guilty myself during my earlier Team Lead role experience.

- Dmitry Vostokov @ ManagementBits.com -

Have you ever seen or worked with a person that never provides concrete answers or in the worst case doesn’t answer at all? Perhaps this persons considers any question as rhetorical and therefore has RQD. You need to stop asking questions and make statements instead.

- Dmitry Vostokov @ ManagementBits.com -