Harvard business essentials: manager's toolkit : the 13 skills managers need to succeed

pt. 1. Learning the basics 1. Setting goals that others will pursue : committing to an outcome Begin with strategy Top-down or bottom-up? Characteristics of effective goals Developing unit goals Prioritizing Your goals as manager Four steps to accomplishing goals Periodic review After-action review Summing up 2. Hiring the best : the role of human assets Defining job requirements Recruiting promising candidates Interviewing Evaluating the candidates Making the decision and offer Don't forget process improvement Summing up 3. Keeping the best : why retention matters Retention matters Why people stay Why people leave Market-wise retention General strategies for retention The role of work-life balance Summing up 4. Delegating with confidence : avoid being overworked and overwhelmed Benefits of delegating Warning signs Guidelines for effective delegating Approaches to delegation Preparing to delegate Making the assignment Control, monitoring, and feedback After-action review Summing up 5. Managing your time : making the most out of your day Understanding how you spend your time Let your goals guide your way Scheduling your time Three enemies of time management, and how to defeat them Summing up

pt. 2. Reaching the next level 6. Managing teams : forming a team that makes the difference Teams, and when to use them Characteristics of effective teams Designing the team Operating as a team The leader's role Evaluating team performance Becoming an effective team leader Summing up 7. Appraisal and coaching : improving results with feedback Performance appraisal Coaching Summing up 8. Handling problem employees : motivating or letting go Principles of motivation The feedback approach Handling "C" performers When all else fails : handling a dismissal Summing up 9. Dealing with crises : don't wait until they hit What is a crisis? Avoiding the crisis Preparing to manage the crisis Recognizing the crisis Containing the crisis Resolving the crisis Learning from the crisis Frequently asked questions Summing up 10. Developing your career : and theirs Not just up First, know yourself Your core business interests Your work values Your skills Finding development opportunities at your company Career development for your people Summing up 11. Becoming a leader : the final challenge The challenge of contemporary leadership Characteristics of effective leaders The tensions leaders must balance Crafting a vision that others will follow Be a change agent Leading when you're not the boss Summing up 12. Strategy : a primer What is strategy? Steps for formulating strategy Be prepared for change Summing up

pt. 3. Mastering the financial tools

13. Budgeting : seeing the future

What is budgeting?

Budget functions

Types of budgets

The master budget

The human side of budgeting

Summing up

14. Understanding financial statements : making more authoritative decisions

Why financial statements?

The balance sheet

The income statement

The cash flow statement

Where to find it

Summing up

15. Net present value and internal rate of return : accounting for time

Time value, and why it matters

Calculating return on investment

Net present value

Internal rate of return

Summing up

16. Breakeven analysis and operating leverage : understanding cash flow

Operating leverage

Summing up

Appendix A. Useful implementation tools

Appendix B. Legal landmines in hiring

Notes

Glossary

For further reading

Index.