Chapter 2Piercing Six Myths of Management

As soon as she heard, Sandra called her husband with the great news. “I’ve just been promoted,” she said. “I’ve been named manager of the data processing unit!”

Almost immediately, she began to think out loud about how she’d manage. “I’m going to be friends with everyone. I’m going to decide stuff quickly, not dilly-dally over every little thing. I’ll run a tight ship and restore order, and I’ll stand by my people the way a leader should. Most of all, I’m not taking any guff from anyone. They’ll know that what I say goes.”

While Sandra clearly wants to do well, her comments raise a few red flags. She will soon discover that, while her views of management certainly sound reasonable, they won’t prove all ...

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