Review of "The Supermanager: A Short Story About the Secrets of an Extremely Successful Manager," by Greg Blencoe

Review of

The Supermanager: A Short Story About the Secrets of an Extremely Successful Manager, by Greg Blencoe ISBN 978-1460980323


Five out of five stars

 This pamphlet contains a great deal of wisdom that can lead to managerial success, the problem is of course that the people that will most benefit from it will either not read it or ignore it if they do. For it contains principles that the weaker personalities in positions of authority are unable to implement.

 The two main characters are Andrew Hernandez (student) and Leon Cook (teacher.) They met shortly after Andrew graduated from business school when Andrew traveled to Nashville to attend an elite management training program. Full of confidence before he arrived, it was not long before Andrew is terrified of the situation he finds himself in. Fortunately, he goes to a fast food restaurant and is impressed by the attitude of the employees. He asks to speak to the manager and there he meets Leon Cook. Leon agrees to tutor Andrew in the basic principles of being a successful manager.

 Through examples and exercises, Leon introduces Andrew to his seven fundamental principles that will make you a supermanager. They are:

*) Surround yourself with high-quality employees.

*) Train employees well.

*) Communicate the end result you want, then empower employees to achieve it.

*) Lead by example.

*) Listen to employees.

*) Praise good work.

*) Manage each employee differently.

 These are hardly new or original principles, and they will lead to managerial success. However, they require the manager to immerse themselves in situations where they are at risk. Hiring smart people and then empowering them means relaxing controls, something that many people are reluctant to do. It is a situation where to gain power you must be willing to give it up. This is a powerful book that managers should read and take very seriously.