Managing.for.Dummies.3rd.Edition.pdf

Dedication

To any manager who has struggled to do the job and every employee who

has had to live with the consequences.

Authors’ Acknowledgments

Bob recalls three in uential mentors in his career: Jim Reller, a delegator

par excellence in Bob’s rst corporate position at Control Data Corporation,

often gave out assignments with a disclaimer such as, “I could probably do

this task faster than you, but I believe you’ll learn a lot from the process”;

Dr. Ken Blanchard, co-author of The One Minute Manager, whom Bob worked

with for more than ten years, demonstrated how to get the best efforts from

people by using the softer side of management and never directly telling

them what to do; and Dr. Peter F. Drucker, whom Bob worked with in his PhD

studies at Claremont Graduate University, taught him that the best manage-

ment principles were also the simplest ones.

These mentors taught more than just the technical skills of assigning work,

conducting a performance appraisal, or disciplining an employee. They

emphasized the people side of management: how to motivate employees

by example, reward them when they exceed expectations, and make each

person feel like he or she is the most important in the world.

Bob and Peter also appreciate everyone at Wiley Publishing, Inc., who has

helped to make their books — and Managing For Dummies, 3rd Edition, in

particular — be the best, including Stacy Kennedy, Elizabeth Rea, Krista

Hansing, and Julie Cookson.

On the personal side, Bob would like to acknowledge the ongoing love and

support of his parents, Helen and Edward; his wife, Jennifer; and his children,

Daniel and Michelle. Peter acknowledges his wife, Jan, and his children, Peter

J, Skylar Park, and Jackson Warren, for their everlasting love and for putting

up with his crazy life. May the circle be unbroken.