Table of Contents

Introduction. 1. Stress Management. The Toxic Workplace. Managing Office Stress. Stress at Home. Getting Sleep, Staying in Balance. Curbing Procrastination. The Stress of Information Overload. Taking the Stress Out of Travel. The Time/Money/Stress Connection. 2. Time Management. Understanding Time Management. Shaping Your Future. Avoiding the Tyranny of the Urgent. Scheduling for Results. Getting Organized. Managing Your Desk and Office. Surviving Information Overload. Taming Technology. Keeping Interruptions to a Minimum. Multiplying Your Time Through Delegation. Avoiding the Time Traps. Managing Time on the Road. 3. Getting Organized. Easy Organizing Basics. Finishing a Day's Work in Advance. Using High-Tech Tools and Software. Organizing Your Office. Managing Your Computer. Going on the Road. Working at Home. 4. Motivating People. What Motivates People? Take Care of the Basics. Providing a Great Environment. Giving Them What They Need to Succeed. Go Team! Throw a Party! Give a Gift. Getting Out of the Office. Just Go Home! Recognizing Achievement. Involving People in Innovation. Providing Challenge. Share the Success! 5. Leadership. What Is Leadership? The Traits of a Leader. Leadership Styles. Communicating as a Leader. Successful Speeches and Presentations. Managing Performance. Improving Your Team. Worst Leadership Mistakes. Nonstandard Techniques. Avoiding Micromanagement. Transformational Leadership. Troubleshooting. Nurturing and Mentoring. Women in Leadership. Young or Minority Leaders. Where to Find Help. 6. Organizational Management Basics. Organizing Your Staff. Managing Your Budget. Staying Focused Amidst Change. Streamlining Business-Specific Processes. 7. Hiring Employees. Analyzing the Position. The Resume. References. Testing. 8. Conducting a Job Interview. Interview Models. Structured Behavioral Interviewing: Part 1. Structured Behavioral Interviewing: Part 2. Controlling the Interview. Navigating the Legal Minefield. Active Listening Skills. Conducting the Interview. Critique and Fine-Tune. 9. Improving Employee Performance and Development. Improving Performance. Encouraging Employee Development. Striving for Employee Satisfaction. Compensating Employees. 10. Conducting Performance Appraisals. Improving Communication. Looking at Sample Questions. Three Approaches to Performance Appraisals. Preparing for the Meeting. The Meeting. Gaining Your Employees' Trust. Forging Agreements. Feedback Systems and Recognition Programs. You Can't Win 'Em All. Pulling It All Together. 11. Effective Business Presentations. Become an Effective Speaker. Define the Central Message. Know Your Listeners. Energy for Effectiveness. Eye-Contact Communication. Gather Your Evidence. Organize Your Material. Create Successful Presentations. Interact with Audiences. Make It Simple. Banish Those Butterflies. Dealing With the Details. Ten-Point Presentation Primer. Handling Questions and Answers. One-to-One Presentations. Listening. Mastering the Media. Continuous Improvement. 12. Creating Effective Visuals. Visual Aids. Presenting Your Visuals. 13. Running Effective Meetings. Effective Meeting Basics. Types of Meetings. Is This Meeting Necessary? Planning Your Meeting Strategically. The Importance of Environment. Preparation Time. The Mechanics of Facilitation. The Art of Facilitation. Pacing the Meeting. Creating Group Memory. Meeting Outcomes and Follow-Up. Handling Common Problems. Out of the Boardroom. Unusual Means to Create Successful Meetings. Meetings Without Meeting. 14. Business Writing. Effective Business Writing Matters. Start with a Purpose in Mind. Framing Your Thinking. The Opening Is the "Bottom Line". Give Your Reader Sufficient Background. Making Your Recommendations or Conclusions. Providing Rationale for Your Recommendation. Add Information as Needed. Specify What Should Happen Next. Outline Your Thinking. Writing Business Letters. Writing E-Mail. Writing a Presentation Document. Avoid the Grammar Minefield. Style Facilitates Effective Communication. 15. Problem-Solving and Decision-Making. All Are Smarter Than One. Problem-Solving Overview. Problem-Solving Tools. Decision Methods and Implementation. 16. Project Management. So You're Going to Manage a Project? What Makes a Good Project Manager? What Do You Want to Accomplish? Laying Out Your Plan. Assembling Your Plan. Keeping Your Eye on the Budget. Gantt Charts. PERT/CPM Charts. Reporting Results. Choosing Project Management Software. A Sampling of Popular Programs. Multiple Bosses, Multiple Projects, Multiple Headaches. A Construction Mini-Case. Learning from Your Experience. 17. Customer Service. Customer Service: What's It All About? Who Are Your Customers-and What Do They Want? Your Only Competitive Advantage. Hiring a Service-Oriented Attitude. Keeping a Service-Oriented Attitude. What's Your Vision? What's Your Business? Meeting (and Exceeding) Customer Expectations. Keeping Your Customers in the Driver's Seat: Part 1. Keeping Your Customers in the Driver's Seat: Part 2. Participative Management. Service Delivery Skills and Techniques. Handling Difficult Customers. Appendixes. Glossary. Management Resource List. Sample Interview Questions. Interview Evaluation Summary. The Speaker's Notebook. Reading Financial Statements. Index.

About the Author

Dale Furtwengler (president of a business consulting firm specializing in performance) on performance appraisals; Stephen Windhaus (consultant for a marketing and planning firm), Janet Bigham Bernstel (author and financial journalist) on getting organized; George Kops (founder of Focus Communications) on business presentations; Jeff Davidson (author of The Complete Idiot's GuideA (R) to Time Management and The Complete Idiot's GuideA (R) to Stress Management on time, stress management and project management; Elizabeth O'Leary (Senior Editor in AOL's newsroom) on leadership; Nancy Stevenson (author and corporate manager) on motivating people; plus top authors on Business Writing, Customer Service, Effective Meetings, Conducting a Job Interview and more!