Bry’s Business Book of the Month: ‘The Manager’s Book of Checklists’

Welcome to the first of a regular blog; Bry’s Business Book of the Month, in which Bryony Thomas will recommend a business book. She will have chosen it from her bookshelf. So, not necessarily a brand new book, but one that she has enjoyed and found useful in business.

“The Manager’s Book of Checklists” by Derek Rowntree

(c) Derek Rowntree, 1996, 2006

Third Edition, 2006, Pearson Education. First published 1996.

This is a book that I’ve gone back to time and time again. It is a very simple concept, where Derek has compiled a checklist for the common activities and challenges faced by managers of all shapes and sizes. It’s a great resource for someone in a management position for the first time, or an experienced manager looking for a bit of a reminder.

The book is split into broad topic areas, with an introduction to the key concepts at the beginning of the chapter, and then a collection of 5-10 checklists relating to that area. The book covers:

• Managing your job: from job specification to managing stress.
• Managing operations: from setting quality standards to making decisions.
• Managing finance: from setting a budget to controlling costs.
• Managing people: from recruitment to discipline.
• Managing information: from answering the phone to managing IT.
• Managing your career: from keeping up to date to maintaining your integrity.

I wouldn’t suggest that the book replaces proper training, or experience, but it is a great starting place. There’s nothing more daunting than a blank sheet of paper. This book helps you think about the key things that you need to consider. From there you can seek out specialist advice, information or training to ensure that you have it covered.

It’s not a book to read cover-to-cover. It is a great resource to have to hand as a starting point on common projects and issues that will almost certainly come your way as you progress through your career.
Available on Amazon >

By Bryony Thomas | Chief Clear Thinker | Clear Thought Consulting Ltd | www.clear-thought.co.uk

Clear Thought Consulting works with small businesses, equipping them with the marketing strategies, suppliers, skills and set-up that they need to become bigger businesses. We do this at the fraction of the cost of recruiting into a full-time position by delivering one-off strategic projects, hands-on training, marketing support, and out-sourced marketing departments. We firmly believe that when you can’t out-spend your competition, you have to out-think them.

Published on 22 February 2010