The Managers Guide to Employee Feedback by Glenn Devey is essential reading for all managers, no matter how experienced you believe you are. Even as a manager of seven years I found the tips in this book to be useful, backed up as they are by real-life examples. In fact, I’ve been on management training courses that weren’t as well considered or developed as this little book.
Not all managers do the same job, of course. A manager in the military, a Captain for example, does not do the same job as a head of department in a school or a Software Development Manager. These differences are superficial, of course, because in the context of manager all have the same responsibilities. All managers manage people and appraise their staff. Most courses and books make the mistake of focusing on one particular career, if not in the title then in the examples that they provide. This book has wide ranging examples, covering teachers, accountants, sales, software development – I wouldn’t necessarily say that all careers are covered, but that’s not through want of trying! Glenn Devey even manages to fit in useful parenting tips – it has often occurred to me that managerial skills are transferrable to parenting, but I’ve never seen the suggestion in print before.
I was also pleased to note that this book looks at the problem of effective management from the point of view of the staff as well as that of the manager. Empathy is vital in an effective manager, and the little tips and role plays are useful aids to understanding both sides of the management equation. Even the concept of ‘Managing your Manager’ is not forgotten, although it isn’t phrased so bluntly. Management is a two way street based on trust – a manager can’t just shout and expect to be obeyed, a manager needs to listen and respond to staff feedback too.
There are the occasional holes of course, but they’re few and far between and it would be churlish and nit-picky to reject this book on their account. The biggest I found was that, in mentioning ‘Verbatim’ skills, it doesn’t mention that shorthand is a useful skill to develop – discretely keeping minutes of the salient points of your meetings even if someone else is officially assigned to this task. Different managers, with different styles, will doubtless find different niggly objections.
Would I recommend this book? Wholeheartedly, yes. It’s written in a witty and engaging style, and stuffed full of useful examples and helpful tips. If Glenn Devey is half as good a manager as he seems to be here, then managers everywhere have a lot of learning, and catching up to do.