THE MONROE DOCTRINE: An ABC Guide to What Great Bosses Do

Monroe, founding principal of the Frederick Douglass Academy (a successful public school in Harlem) and a leadership consultant, offers succinct and practical strategies on managing and getting ahead. Drawing on her background in education, Monroe offers definitions of key concepts for every letter of the alphabet (in some cases several per letter) from "analyze" to "zigzag." In no more than one and half pages per subject, she explains by using incidents from her own life and provides problem-solving suggestions. Under "imagine," for example, she says, "I have never undertaken any project (including this book) without first imagining on paper what it would ultimately look like.... To simply imagine without writing out my thoughts is unthinkable to me and utterly impractical, since all the doers who would be responsible for carrying out my imaginings have to be informed and let in on the dream." Monroe is innovative and believes workers and bosses need to support each other, offering several examples of principals backing up teachers even when other administrators weren't helpful. She says managers need to spend time understanding what their staff does, but she also asserts that managers need to let valued employees know they're important. Her advice is sound and will be especially useful to new managers and those who have just entered or are re-entering the workforce. The definition-driven format works well, although the short sections don't allow for a complete overview. Overall, this is a practical manual that will provide immediate tactics for readers. (Aug.)