Book Title: The 22 Biggest Mistakes Managers Make

Author: James K. Van Fleet

Publisher: Prentice-Hall

ISBN: 0-13-934869-7

Review by Barbara De Vries

This small paperback generally covers tips that you already know.

A better book in the same vein is John T. Molloy’s Live for Success.

Two examples pertinent to IT are:

1.        Failing to Keep Abreast of Developments in Your Own Field

2.        Confining Yourself to Your Own Specialty

Well, duh.

Some more beneficial tips are:

 ·         Wasting Time on Details or Work that Belongs to Others (This is also covered in the book “The One-Minute Manager Meets the Monkey”)

·         Refusing to Assess Your Own Performance Realistically

Some tips on how to be the boss from hell:

·         Using your management position for personal gain

·         Failing to tell the truth

·         Not setting a personal example

·         Trying to be liked rather than respected

·         Failing to give cooperation to your employees

·         Emphasizing rules rather than skill

Basically, this is an introductory book for a first time manager.

It can be useful for managers emerging from a technical field who lack good interpersonal skills.