A fully revised and updated edition of The Art of Managing People , offering the latest wisdom on crucial guidelines and techniques for creating a positive work environment and increasing productivity and profitability. From the award-winning authors of the bestselling management classic comes the revised and updated edition of The New Art of Managing People , featuring eight new chapters on important contemporary business issues such as ethics, diversity, managing conflict, and creating high-performing teams. When a manager establishes a friendly yet productive working atmosphere, the benefits to the entire organization are substantial. Here, Dr. Phillip L. Hunsaker and Tony Alessandra clearly provide practical and accessible strategies, guidelines, and techniques for managing the best team you could possible have. Dr. Phillip L. Hunsaker is a Professor of Management and Director of Management Programs in the School of Business Administration at the University of San Diego. He is an internationally recognized consultant, seminar leader and speaker in the areas of personal, management, and organizational development. Dr. Hunsaker has authored over 100 publications, including numerous articles in academic and professional journals and the best-selling books You Can Make It Happen: A Guide to Personal and Organizational Change (Addison-Wesley, 1977); Managing Organizational Behavior (Addison-Wesley, 1986); and Strategies and Skills for Managerial Women (Southwestern, 1986). Chapter 1 "Oh, wad some power the girlie gie us to see oursels as others see us." Robert Bums, 1786 Building Productive Managerial Relationships Have you ever wished that you could magically know what other people are really thinking about you when you are interacting with them? There are plenty of reasons why this information could be very valuable to you as a manager. There may also be plenty of reasons why you would rather not know. "That incompetent SOB. He's trying to get me to do his job again." "Another phony smile. She doesn't really care about me." "He makes me feel so stupid and helpless." "She's treating me like a child. When I get the chance, I'll slip it to her good." "He asks questions as if doubting everything I say." "She does all the talking. Obviously, my opinion doesn't count." "His poker face keeps me guessing whether he understands me or is even listening to me." "She argues with everything I say. I'm always wrong. She's always right." Thousands of managers have such things said about them every day. But because they can't get inside the heads of their subordinates, peers, and superiors, they are unaware of why they are having such problems. In fact, many of them are unaware of any problems existing at all. And we're talking about some of the brightest managers with the best technical track records in industry today. In most of these cases the problem is not lack of experience, energy, intelligence, or dedication but neglect of building and maintaining productive relationships with others. In attempting to determine what managers need most to be effective, a countless number of surveys have produced a very consistent answer. More than anything else, a manager needs to be able to get along with other people. You probably aren't too surprised with this answer. Then why is it still such a monumental problem for so many managers? One reason is that managers typically are not well trained in relating productively with others. Many managers today have advanced degrees in business administration, engineering, or the like, but such technical expertise does not magically confer equivalent expertise in managing relationships. And neither do years of successful experience in a technical area. Consequently, most managers simply are not as well equipped to deal with people problems as they are with technical ones. Even if they were, chances are that most managers would not think in terms applicable to people problems. In the business world, management is almost always viewed in terms of productivity. Why? Because productivity is the key to the success of the organization and to your future as a manager. You evaluate your subordinates on how much they produce, because you are evaluated on how much they produce. Under this one-dimensional system of evaluation, it is easy to slip into the point of view that people are similar to such other resources as material and money, which are to be exploited as much as possible for the company's good. Today's employees will not tolerate this type of treatment without severe negative consequences for both their own well-being and their contribution to the company's goals. Successful managers realize that for employees to be most productive, they must have opportunities for satisfying their own needs built into the work environment. Consequently, managers need a thorough awareness of employees' values, needs, and reasons for behaving, as well as personal skills in c