Chapter 5. From Functional Manager to Business Manager

Many top executives look back at their experiences as heads of businesses as the most enjoyable in their careers. As business managers, they have accountability for both making a product or creating a service and and selling it. They manage cost and revenue. There is a tremendous sense of ownership. At the same time, this first business manager position represents a huge challenge—probably the biggest challenge of all six leadership passages. It's not simply a question of learning new skills or reallocating time. Business managers actually have to change the way they think.

Anyone transitioning from functional management to business management is in for "leadership shock." A business manager ...

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