Imagine Nuggets on How to Manage a Manager in This Era
- Category: Reviews
- Date 06-02-2022
- 419 views
There are books that give you the wink on the first encounter. Like the girl of your dreams, they are beautiful and dazzling and confident. You could be passing through a mega bookstore and only two or three books will have this kind of overt interest in you, just by looking at their cover. It is this initial attraction that makes you pick one book out of a shelf of hundreds. The saying that ‘never judge a book by its cover may be a tad implausible after all.
Venansio Ahabwe’s book ‘How To Manage A Manager’ is one such book. The catchy title promises to handle an important component of our professional lives and that is just one aspect of the book’s allure. The book is premised on the idea that everyone in the workplace has a manager (which goes without saying) and being able to do their bidding while keeping true to yourself is a great secret to having success in your professional career.
The style of this book is peculiar. It is a nonfiction, self-help book that is written like a fiction book. That sounds like an oxymoron, but the style actually works wonders. It becomes very clear on the onset that the writer is writing about real people he has met and real scenarios he has been researched. But he chooses to keep the identities of the people and organizations hidden in a style that reads like fiction. This makes for a fast-paced reading, with real-life characters engaged in plausible scenarios. So if you enjoy works of fiction that are based on true stories, this book is going to be a delight for you.
This style makes the book wildly hilarious in many areas, which happens to be one the most important aspects of any storytelling. Because who of us despises a good laugh? The author’s voice only comes in to commentate on the goings on of his characters before he dives right back into the fiction world again.
This is a book for the underdog and the luminary. Whether you are starting out, fresh from school or already a CEO, it shares insight into the human condition that should be helpful to you. Whether you are a CEO dealing with the directors of the company or a cleaner dealing with your supervisor, there are insights here that will help.
One of the very inspiring quotes from the book is this: “There is no actual difference between a manager and the managed. The two can easily switch roles. In some cases, a junior staff eventually becomes a manager and starts supervising the former boss.” This tends to jolt the reader and gives him a fresh perspective on his relationship with his supervisor.
The book delves into important qualities at the workplace, all of which puts you in a favorable position with the manager. Qualities like honesty and speaking uncomfortable truths at the office. Speaking truth to power might be so uncomfortable that many people would rather keep to themselves. But the truth always sets you free. Keeping it to yourself might placate the manager you fear to offend but speaking it could save the company and your job.
There is a chapter about ‘jumping career growth barriers’ that stands out as particularly powerful. It is premised on the idea that, sometimes, educational background does not necessarily define a person’s competence on the job. It serves you well when you believe in yourself even when your educational background isn’t necessarily related to the vacant position.
Courage is a virtue to pursue wholeheartedly. If you don’t believe in yourself, neither will your bosses. The idea is that the strongest don’t always win the fight not the quickest the race. It is about refusing to see boundaries sometimes.
While most of the topics in the book are pretty much common knowledge, it’s the scenarios and the characters in the story that combine to create unforgettable lessons. The writer encourages you to show respect to everyone, to defy the odds, to dare to dream and take gambles. All this, while taking the needs of your manager and those of the company in mind. That and more is how you manage your manager.
The book starts on a low note and can be quite underwhelming. The first section of the book that includes the foreword, author’s word, introduction and background read like stand-alones that seem to have little connection to each other. It is all mind and no heart. This section, which is important to any book, comes off as preachy and seems to be leading nowhere. And it goes on for 17 pages, which is hard to read and disconcerting. Then chapter one comes and everything changes. This book reads well, it is funny and full of helpful nuggets to uplift your professional life.
Tony Mushoborozi, Daily Monitor Correspondent.