The Manager’s Guide to Human Beings

Organisations are full of human beings, stacked high with them indeed. Whether hot desking or working from home, employed or on-contract, people breathe an organisation’s air and rub shoulders physically or digitally with other human beings. Although machines, platforms, robots and computers have radically changed the way in which we work, organisations are still humming with people. Why is it then that after at least two centuries of practice, so many initiatives designed to enhance human performance fail to hit the mark? Why is it that organisations still don’t get the human bit of human being? This book explains why. If you want to break this pattern, The Manager’s Guide to Human Beings is here to help. By clarifying the core characteristics of our human self, it gives managers a framework against which the myriad of approaches that flood the HR market can be considered and indicates why some are doomed for failure and some have a higher chance of success. In this short and accessible book, the manager is taken below the surface, to the very core of what human beings are all about and given practical ideas to make life easier in the real world of managing real human beings. By developing a more complete understanding of your people and yourself, you have a greater chance of improving the performance of your team and, more importantly, helping to build a more fulfilling life for the human beings around you. And that includes you. The Manager’s Guide to Human Beings is the missing link in HR books. All those who manage or lead people, regardless of sector, seniority or discipline, whether managing nurses or investment bankers, will find this book a resource to come back to time and time again.