cover image It's Okay to Manage Your Boss: The Step-by-Step Program for Making the Best of Your Most Important Relationship at Work

It's Okay to Manage Your Boss: The Step-by-Step Program for Making the Best of Your Most Important Relationship at Work

Bruce Tulgan, Jossey-Bass, $23.95 (304p) ISBN 9780470605301

Tulgan doesn't waste time tooting his own horn, telling stories, or cracking jokes. He just gives advice, and good advice it is. A business adviser and public speaker, Tulgan sees a pattern in the workplace: employees flail when they're undermanaged. There are any number of reasons for this, from bosses who don't want to micromanage or be perceived as difficult, to overworked managers that simply lack sufficient time. Whatever the reason, the result for the undermanaged employee is frustration, stagnation, or worse. Tulgan fills his book with strategies for ensuring that employees have the opportunity to do their job, performing tasks properly and on time. Chapters cover making expectations clear, accessing necessary resources, and tracking performance, among other topics, and advice is given on avoiding mistakes when trying to manage your boss and dealing with "jerk" bosses. Tulgan even offers advice to telecommuters for managing their bosses from home. Anyone lucky enough to work for the perfect boss may skip Tulgan's guide, but everybody else will want to take his suggestions to the office. (Sept.)