Issue No. 576 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting spotlights both humor and deep learning in a new book, At the Heart of Management. And this reminder: click here to download free resources from the 20 management buckets (core competencies), click here for over 575 book reviews, and click here for my review of Stay Sane in an Insane World: How to Control the Controllables and Thrive.
LOL! The score to date: Author Lino F. Ciceri leads with 1 point. The book reviewer’s score (Home): 0. (Zip. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Niete.)
Beyond the Management Theory Jungle
This is funny! Earlier this summer, Lino F. Ciceri, the author of At the Heart of Management, emailed me a gracious invitation to receive a review copy of his new book. Here’s our string of emails:
ME: “Right now, my bookshelves are bulging with books I’ve already promised to review, so, reluctantly, I’ll have to say no to your kind offer. Hope the rollout goes well!”
AUTHOR: “John, I am sorry you are overwhelmed by too many undone reviews. In the future, At the Heart of Management might help you avoid this situation. Nonetheless, thank you for taking the time to respond. All the best, Lino.”
ME: “Congratulations! Your response to my ‘no thanks’ email ranks as the Number One Greatest Comeback! Really…LOL!” (I asked him to send me a review copy!)
AUTHOR: (His next email said the book was on its way.) He added, “Speaking of my book, it may be something other than a world changer or a trendy sensation, but that doesn't mean I wrote it without ambition. I apply scientific principles to human organizations, and from lofty skies, I draw critical management tools and practical considerations for success, as I have found that many business failures result from not having an understanding of fundamental management tools or being reluctant to put them into practice.”
You gotta love the author’s humility and his persistence! (Hmmm. Maybe that’s a fundamental hallmark of effective management?) So…score 1 for the author and 0 for this reviewer. Ciceri is both witty and brilliant!
If you read Issue No. 570 in July, you’ll recall I delivered a dump truck load of six leadership and management books for your summer reading, with a promise that I’d feature short snippets of these books in future issues. I asked you to consider this: “More Mistakes or More Leadership Books?”
“Be honest now. How many leadership mistakes did you make yesterday? How many mistakes last week? Last month? Last quarter?
“So…is it possible that if you read one more leadership book—you could potentially reduce your blunders, bobbles, bloopers, and bottlenecks?”
The author, a former research chemist and MBA professor from Italy, proposes a “scientific” approach to management. “The book breaks down the core concepts taught in an MBA, clarifying the language and introducing fresh ideas inspired by scientific analogies.” I wholeheartedly recommend this book!
In this helpful book, Ciceri builds the case for what he calls “Timeless Management” (TM). The author’s systematic approach to management leverages research, science, in-the-trenches experience, tools, and persuasion to convince readers and leaders to take a second look at the power of effective management. If I ever need an attorney to argue my case in court, I may ask Lino Ciceri to persuade the jury!
Ciceri promises, “This book is designed to enable you to apply the concepts and tools learned immediately in your work situation.” I especially appreciate this claim: “The following chapters attempt to go beyond the current management theory jungle and clarify some indispensable concepts.”
The author also promises that his TM process will foster “creativity through logical discipline and mastery without unnecessary complexity.” He adds, “With a solid foundation of tenacity, a good management approach can make the difference between failure and success. Strong will is a prerequisite, and an effective method will undoubtedly help anyone succeed.”
“All the best-known management views,” writes Ciceri, “such as those of McKinsey & Company or the Boston Consulting Group” may be reduced to three stages: “Analysis, project, execution & control.” He notes, “Conceptually, it is as simple as that, although that is only sometimes the case in practice.”
Who should read this book?
• New managers and wanna-be leaders and CEOs
• Management coaches and mentors
• Team members who are overwhelmed with complexity, but without an agreed-upon process
• University professors and management workshop leaders
• Guys who have made too many book review promises!
Lifelong-learning managers never met a management book that didn’t shed new light on an old discipline. Ditto this manager (me) and this book. The “Annexes” (aka Appendix) features 34 pages of fascinating content:
• Management definitions: (Drucker: “Management is the life-giving, the acting organ of the institution it manages.”)
• The history of management in a nutshell: The Art of War, Moses and Jethro, Machiavelli’s The Prince, Maslow, MBO, Theories X, Y, and Z, and more.
• Definitions: Purpose, Forecasts, Scenario, Strategic Fit, and more
• Management Tools: Balanced Scorecard, Exponential Law, Outside-in and Inside-out, Generic Strategies (3), Marketing Mix, Product Life Cycle, Gantt Chart, Benchmarking, JIT, PERT, the Pareto Principle (80/20), and more
• One-page Chart: “New Project: Preliminary Evaluation”
• Business Plan: “Illustrative Layout for Internal use”
Yikes. The author lists dozens of acronyms and other management concepts that were unfamiliar to me. (It’s a good thing I’m retired!) The bibliography features two categories: Recommended Readings (3 books) and Works Citied (24 resources). Did I mention his research? Wow. I was somewhat encouraged to know I have reviewed at least two of his featured books: Heroic Leadership: Best Practices From a 450-Year-Old Company That Changed the World and The Prince, by Niccolo Machiavelli.
The list is tempting. He introduces The 10-Day MBA and a book I’ve always wanted to read, My Years With General Motors, by Alfred P. Sloan. He also recommends titles by Thomas Aquinas, Aristotle, Isaac Asimov, Warren Bennis, Noam Chomsky, Peter Drucker, and others. (Note: Along the way, I bumped into Complete MBA for Dummies, which reminded me of my reviews of several “dummies” books.)
Along with the meat and potatoes, there is also humor for dessert. Discussing Pareto’s 80/20 law in strategic planning (“20% of our efforts produce approximately 80% of our results”), the author notes: “Those big, thick strategic plans that go on for hundreds of pages and that no one will read are an example of poor strategic planning.”
In his chapter on “The Most Classical Management Model,” Ciceri persuades readers and leaders that his process is applicable for all. “Even a simple undertaking, such as a birthday party, is a management process requiring many decisions.”
His by-the-way insights are memorable. He writes, “Incidentally, in management, overlapping and puzzling definitions often exist. What if science used unclear words? This book uses precise and unambiguous definitions for terms such as purpose, strategy, goals, etc. Sooner or later, management studies will hopefully get closer to science.”
And by-the-way, if I had $10 for every minute I’ve wasted in strategic planning sessions (“What’s the difference between a purpose statement and a mission statement?”)…well, you know the rest.
Don’t skip these gems:
• The “Cohesive EU” matrix (developed by students at the University of Malta) with these quadrants: “Complain another day” and “Vae soli! (Heaven help you!)”
• In the chapter on goal alignment: “Without numbers, goals are wholly a matter of good intentions.”
• LOL! The author notes the book, The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity, and illustrates with four quadrants: Helpless, Stupid, Intelligent, and Bandit.
• Whoa! Read what Alfred Sloan learned (too late) when Walter P. Chrysler quit his job at GM—and later launched the Chrysler Corporation. (Note: This reminded me of the Sept. 6, 2023, WSJ article, “Up, Then Out: Why People Quit After Getting a Promotion.”)
• The “process questions” at the end of each chapter are excellent, especially the 13 questions from Chapter 6. Example: “What are the future demands on our people’s expertise?”
I agree with one book endorser who wrote, “Whatever your approach to management, your ideas are likely to change after reading this book. Indeed, your approach to life, in general, may be affected too.” The book is imminently applicable to businesses, nonprofits, churches, and—yes—even your family!
To order from Amazon, click on the title for At the Heart of Management: Process, Tools and the Ubiquitous Exponential Law, by Lino F. Ciceri. And thanks to the author and publisher for sending me a review copy.
BONUS BOOKS! Watch for more management and leadership book reviews coming (per the "Leadership Lotto" Issue No. 570.)
COMING SOON! Real-Time Leadership: Find Your Winning Moves When the Stakes Are High, by David Noble and Carol Kauffman (Feb. 21, 2023). Listen on Libro (9 hours, 49 minutes). With a foreword by Marshall Goldsmith, this book is so, so practical. Chapter 5, “Get Smart About People,” recommends you “Know Your Defaults to Get Beyond Them.” 
COMING SOON! When Everyone Leads: How the Toughest Challenges Get Seen and Solved, by Ed O’Malley and Julia Fabris McBride (Jan. 31, 2023). The authors propose a 10-point manifesto on redefining leadership. (See #5, "Plenty of people in important positions never exercise leadership.")
READ MY REVIEW. True North: Leading Authentically in Today's Workplace, Emerging Leader Edition, by Zach Clayton and Bill George. Do you “ask for compliance with rules” or “seek alignment through values?” The “Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations” chart on page 123—gulp!
YOUR WEEKLY STAFF MEETING QUESTIONS:
1) In the final section, “Why Should Anybody Follow You?”—Lino Ciceri writes, “Management is the broadest, the most demanding, and the subtlest of all human activities. And the most indispensable for life.” What’s your view of management—and what management process do you use to organize your work and your life?
2) “To be a manager in real life, one must necessarily also be a leader,” writes Ciceri. Do you agree? (For more, click here to read what Olan Hendrix (1931-2023) said about leadership and management.)
3) Check out this helpful tool from the Program Bucket, "Worksheet #6.2: Top 10 Questions to Ask About Program Capacity and Sustainability." What question(s) did we fail to ask when launching our most recent program?
Mastering 100 Must-Read Books - Part 8: Five Business Classics
Book #46 of 100: In Search of Excellence
For your team meeting this week, inspire a team member to lead your “10 Minutes for Lifelong Learning” session by spotlighting Book #46 in Mastering 100 Must-Read Books.
In Search of Excellence:
Lessons from America’s Best-Run Companies
by Thomas J. Peters and Robert H. Waterman, Jr.
Books #46 through #50 spotlight five memorable books I’ve labeled “Five Business Classics.” Business Guru Tom Peters, 40 years ago (!), introduced a new lexicon to the business world. (And this reminder: Ken Blanchard recommends every book deserves four readings to bridge the chasm between knowing and doing.)
• Read my review.
• Order from Amazon: In Search of Excellence
• Listen on Libro: The Heart and Soul of Excellence (Abridged, 1 hour)
• Download the 100 Must-Read Books list (from John and Jason Pearson).
In Part 1, “The Saving Remnant – Successful American Companies,” Peters and Waterman write, “The eight attributes that emerged to characterize most nearly the distinction of the excellent, innovative companies go as follows:
1. A bias for action, for getting on with it.
2. Close to the customer.
3. Autonomy and entrepreneurship.
4. Productivity through people.
5. Hands-on, value driven.
6. Stick to the knitting.
7. Simple form, lean staff.
8. Simultaneous loose-tight properties.”
They add, “They don’t try to hold everyone on so short a rein that he can’t be creative. They encourage practical risk taking, and support good tries. They follow Fletcher Byrom’s ninth commandment: ‘Make sure you generate a reasonable number of mistakes.’” [More mistakes here!]
Managing Our Work
The first management book I read was Managing Our Work, by John W. Alexander, IVCF's president. It was originally a staff training document to address those who had a reluctance to plan. Read my review here. And for more book reviews, visit the Pails in Comparison Blog. What was the first management book you read?
The 4 Big Mistakes Board Seminars
Sept. 29: San Diego
Oct. 12: Irvine, CA
The Barnabas Groups in San Diego and Orange County are hosting seminars for nonprofit CEOs and board members. On Oct. 12, John Pearson and Mike Pate will present “The 4 Big Mistakes to Avoid With Your Nonprofit Board: How Leaders Enrich Their Ministry Results Through God-Honoring Governance.” Contact TBG/OC for more info about the Oct. 12 seminar. John is also presenting the seminar on Sept. 29 in San Diego for TBG/San Diego. Can’t attend? Order the 107-page workbook from Amazon.
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PEARPOD | TELLING YOUR STORY. Are you leveraging the most strategic management tools for telling your story? Read Business Storytelling for Dummies to learn the why, what, how, and who of effective storytelling, plus 10 ways to measure the results of a story initiative. And read this review of Chip Heath’s 2022 book, Making Numbers Count: The Art and Science of Communicating Numbers. Need more tools? Contact Jason Pearson at Pearpod (Design, Digital, Marketing, Social).
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