A Manager's Guide to Self-Development

Part 1 Introduction
Chapter 1 The Philosophy of this Book
Chapter 2 How this Book Works

Part 2 Planning Your Self-development
Chapter 3 A Career/Life-Planning Activity
Chapter 4 The Qualities of Successful Managers and Leaders
Chapter 5 Where to Start? Assessing your Learning Priorities
Chapter 6 How to Select and Use the Activities

Part 3 Activities for Management Self-development
Activity 1 Know Your Facts
Activity 2 Networking
Activity 3 Managing Your Time
Activity 4 Keeping Up to Date
Activity 5 Find a Mentor
Activity 6 Communication Tools
Activity 7 Facts and Assumptions
Activity 8 Personal Journal
Activity 9 Use Your Power
Activity 10 Differences and Discrimination
Activity 11 Political Awareness
Activity 12 Credulous Listening
Activity 13 Decision Making
Activity 14 Planning and Decision Making
Activity 15 Role Set Analysis
Activity 16 Planning Change
Activity 17 Catastrophic Contingencies
Activity 18 Critical Thinking
Activity 19 Reflective Practice
Activity 20 Asserting Yourself
Activity 21 Handling Conflicts
Activity 22 Getting the Best Out of Groups
Activity 23 What Are You Like?
Activity 24 Getting to Know You
Activity 25 Getting to Yes
Activity 26 Collaborative Working
Activity 27 Be a Coach!
Activity 28 Virtual Leadership
Activity 29 The Saturated Life
Activity 30 Difficult Situations
Activity 31 Are You Stressed?
Activity 32 Treat Yourself Well
Activity 33 Relaxation
Activity 34 Fitness
Activity 35 Manage Your Feelings
Activity 36 Stability Zones
Activity 37 The Virtual Revolution
Activity 38 Be Your Own Personal Trainer
Activity 39 Who's the Boss?
Activity 40 Practising Change
Activity 41 Action Planning
Activity 42 Imaging
Activity 43 Managing Upwards
Activity 44 Beyond 'Yes ... But ...'
Activity 45 Generating New Ideas
Activity 46 Approaches to Creativity
Activity 47 Attribute Alternatives
Activity 48 Your Multiple Intelligences
Activity 49 Coping with Complexity
Activity 50 Just a Minute
Activity 51 A Helicopter Mind
Activity 52 Managing Your Dependency
Activity 53 Learning to Learn
Activity 54 Study Skills
Activity 55 Your Learning Cycle
Activity 56 Conversations with Yourself
Activity 57 Backwards Review

Part 4 Trainer's Guide

A Manager's Guide to Self-Development has become the indispensable guide for building management skills

Now in its sixth and substantially revised edition, this practical self-development guide helps new and experienced managers and leaders to improve their performance, advance their careers and realize their full potential. It provides:

• A complete picture of the managerial skills and competencies required from change management to coaching
• A flexible, self-development programme to do alone, with a colleague, or in a group

Part Two introduces a framework of 11 key managerial qualities. The diagnostic exercises help you to discover your strength and weaknesses, and identify your goals for self-development.

Key features:

• Part Three features more than 55 practical activities, with references and follow up activities to help you develop your skills and abilities
• 4 new activities including Planning & Decisions Making, Virtual Leadership, Critical Thinking and Reflective Practice
• Radically updated 'Career/Life-Planning Activity' chapter featuring a more personal, self-developmental approach
• New 'Trainer's Guide' offering guidance on how to structure sessions and use the activities with groups

"Engaging, innovative and exciting to use in anyone's self development. The exercises are fun andilluminating, and the pace is fast and energising. A must read for any manager wanting to be 'the best'."
Prof. Cary L. Cooper, CBE, Lancaster University Management School, UK

"This book continues to be the shining light in guiding managers and leaders toward self-development."
Dr Gareth Edwards, Bristol Business School, University of the West of England, UK

"Fads and fashions in management development come and go but this is an ever-reliable source of inspiration. This is a book that puts the power to act in the hands and heads of leaders and managers themselves."
Professor Jeff Gold, Leeds Business School, Leeds Metropolitan University, UK

"Ideal for students of Business and Organisational Management at undergraduate and postgraduate levels and is equally suitable for both younger managers in the early parts of their career and experienced managers wishing to refresh their personal qualities after some years of operational experience."
Barry Curnow, Head of Human Resources & Organisational Behaviour Department, University of Greenwich Business School, UK

"This guide provides real support for managers to take charge of their own learning and all managers need to pay attention to making it happen."
Prof Ian Cunningham, Self Managed Learning College, Brighton, UK

"The changes introduced in the new edition mirror the strong focus on narrative and reflective sense-making, which are important in preparation for the positions of senior leadership our programme members aspire to."
Chris Dalton, Henley Business School, UK

"This book is an essential purchase for any manager who takes their development seriously."
Kim Turnbull James, Professor of Executive Learning, Cranfield School of Management, UK

"My introduction to the book was in 1978 and it has become a staple resource for my teaching ever since. The book recognises the fact that developing individuals is inextricably linked to developing organisations and if individuals are to be effective they need to know themselves and develop appropriate skills and attitudes. "
Richard Thorpe, Professor of Management Development and Pro Dean Research, Leeds University Business School, UK