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What Keeps Leaders Up at Night
Book

What Keeps Leaders Up at Night

Recognizing and Resolving Your Most Troubling Management Issues

Nicole Lipkin
AMACOM, 2013
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Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Well Structured
  • Concrete Examples
  • Engaging

Recommendation

Author Dr. Nicole Lipkin hired a young woman named Hope to manage routine tasks in a group psychology practice. Soon, the doctor realized that her new employee’s work was not up to scratch. Hope’s failings cost the doctor and her practice both heartburn and money. Despite her experience as a counselor, Lipkin found she could neither fire Hope nor resolve the various issues. Her personal failings and sleepless nights impelled Lipkin to examine the human psyche in search of techniques to help leaders understand and manage their emotions and their organizations. The result is this lively though not sharply original compendium of insights, which are all drawn from psychological research that highlights common managerial blind spots, including poor communication, fractious “group dynamics,” as well as stress and lack of employee engagement. getAbstract finds that almost anyone in the workplace can benefit from this engaging reflection on managerial dilemmas.

Summary

“Emotion Trumps Reason”

In 1995, Jaap Kroese, a Dutch millionaire and a self-made man, purchased Swan Hunter, a British shipbuilding firm. Britain’s Ministry of Defense gave the shipyard an order to “design and build” two vessels for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. Kroese chose to live at the shipyard during construction, but being so near to the project made him micromanage every aspect. The first vessel Swan Hunter built came in over budget and behind schedule. The Ministry cancelled the second, and the shipyard had to sell off assets. Kroese’s experience demonstrates how a good boss can “go bad.”

Managers run into problems because they are too busy, arrogant or afraid to act. Nothing is wrong with being busy; people are happier when occupied, but nobody – no matter what they claim – can multitask effectively. When managers get too busy, they lose the big picture. Managers are often so sure of their judgment that – to their detriment – they reject potentially valuable information. Be aware that “emotion trumps reasoning.” Managers must be aware of their behavior and that of their colleagues. To address your blind spots, work on developing “awareness.” Leaders who worry...

About the Author

Business psychologist and management consultant Nicole Lipkin owns Equilibria Leadership Consulting.

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