Crystal clear, highly effective advice

I picked up Behind Closed Doors right when it came out in late 2005 because, as a programmer, I was a fan of the Pragmatic series and I was curious about what they had come out with on the topic of management. What a great decision! I immediately began applying the advice and techniques described in the book and seeing success:

* I setup one-on-one's with by boss.
* I got better at prioritizing my work, which made me more productive.
* I finally figured out how to set reasonable expectations with the sales team.
* I began developing mentoring relationships between my peers.

It wasn't long before I found myself earning more and more responsibility. I became an unofficial leader at the company. When my boss finally asked what my secret was, I pointed to Behind Closed Doors on my bookshelf and told him I'd been trying a few things from it.

After reading the book himself, my boss went out and bought enough copies for the entire management team at our company and handed them out. On my next review I got a VERY nice raise, and was promoted to manager.

Five years later, I still reference the book occasionally. Whether its to figure out how to improve a meeting thats usefulness has become questionable, or to step-in and save an ailing project, or to coach an unhappy team member, the book is a great source of solid, well reasoned approaches to difficult problems.

I recommend this book to anyone looking to improve themselves and their peers professionally, even if you're not in management but especially if you are.

Other Reviews

• Crystal clear, highly effective advice
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• Stolen book
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