The Mindset of Effective Management: A Journey of Self-Discovery and Growth

As I reflect on my own journey as a manager, I realize that even though I'm getting things done, helping people at the core is what management is all about. This realization has been shaped by various experiences, including interactions with engineers who have moved into managerial roles. They shared insights from Star Trek, which I find fascinating. The show's characters constantly face challenges of staying alive and moving towards their broader mission. While this may seem like science fiction, it offers valuable lessons for effective management.

One of the key takeaways from Star Trek is that good managers can learn from a wide range of sources beyond traditional business books. The show's writers have crafted compelling narratives that not only entertain but also provide insights into human behavior and leadership dynamics. By embracing this diverse approach to learning, managers can broaden their perspectives and develop a more nuanced understanding of effective management.

When it comes to technical skills, there are several resources available that can help managers build their knowledge and expertise. One such book is "Scaling Up" by Verne Harnish, which offers practical advice on how to take a small business and scale it up to achieve significant growth. This book has been instrumental in helping me understand the challenges of scaling a company and how to create the right cadences for management.

Another important resource is "Crucial Conversations," which provides managers with tools and techniques for navigating difficult discussions and building strong relationships with their teams. This book has been particularly helpful in teaching me the importance of approaching conversations with empathy, understanding, and a willingness to listen. By mastering these skills, managers can create a safe and supportive environment that fosters collaboration and innovation.

In addition to technical skills, there are also aspirational resources available that can help managers think differently about their role and responsibilities. One such book is "Reality Plus," which explores the idea that our reality may not be what it seems. This concept challenges us to question our assumptions and consider alternative perspectives, leading to a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world around us.

Another inspiring resource is "Star Trek: The Next Generation," which offers a compelling example of leadership in action. The show's characters face complex challenges that require innovative solutions, and their approach to problem-solving is both effective and humane. By studying these examples, managers can learn valuable lessons about the importance of empathy, cooperation, and long-term thinking.

Furthermore, "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team" by Patrick Lencioni provides a detailed analysis of team dynamics and how they can break down. This book has been instrumental in helping me understand the importance of building strong relationships with my team members and creating an environment that fosters collaboration and open communication.

In terms of tools and techniques, "Good to Great" by Jim Collins is another highly recommended resource. This book offers a framework for understanding what makes great companies tick and how managers can create a culture that supports growth and innovation. By applying these principles, managers can build a company that has the right heartbeat and achieves long-term success.

Finally, I want to recommend "Five Dysfunctions of a Team" again, because they are some technical ones like scaling up crucial conversations five tech five dysfunctions of a team some aspirational ones um that certainly have shaped me and shaped how I think about leadership management and and my role in a company foreign.

There is also the work of Adam Grant, whose book "Give and Take" offers valuable insights into the importance of collaboration and reciprocity in relationships. This book has been instrumental in helping me understand the value of building strong relationships with my team members and creating an environment that fosters mutual support and growth.

In conclusion, effective management is a journey of self-discovery and growth that requires a willingness to learn from diverse sources. By embracing technical skills, aspirational resources, and tools and techniques, managers can build their knowledge and expertise and create a company that has the right heartbeat. As I continue on this journey, I am grateful for the insights and inspiration that come from these various resources, which have shaped my understanding of leadership and management and will continue to guide me in the years to come.

To further explore the topic, I recommend checking out books like "Reality Plus," "Star Trek: The Next Generation," and "Good to Great." These books offer a wealth of knowledge on topics such as reality-checking, leadership, and company culture.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enforeign whatever happened there all of this and what I want to ask you is what resources are there out there for people who are looking to become stronger leaders or managers including myself I'm actually kind of interested in anything that you have to contribute on this I like it well you know if you're worried about this whole idea that you're going through in terms of us living in a simulation which we almost certainly do there's a new book out called reality plus which I highly recommend and then I recommend all of the books of Science Fiction that really push forward that thinking you know uh so you know interesting work going on in the philosophy sense moving more seriously into like some of the some of the places you know I asked my Engineers this question because a lot of them have moved into managerial roles and one of them one of the first thing he told me is like you know Luke I don't know if you can say this but one of the things I learned great management from is Star Trek and I said oh that's interesting thing you know he said you know think about this because this um as a Star Trek connected with me first as a person he said and then secondly you know they're continually going through this challenge of how to stay alive and how to go toward this broader Mission and you know I'm partial to the Next Generation Um and some people like like the other ones right some people even like this new Picard one it's too new for me I'm old school but uh you know I think you can learn the the point behind the point is that I think you can learn a lot of management from interesting places and you don't need to just look at business books uh the problem with business books at the end of the day is that historically they have one idea that is kind of interesting and then they get resonance with that idea and then eventually have to write a book that's 300 pages long explaining how that three-page idea manifests in tons of different places I think there are some books that push the conversation forward and help me as a manager in terms of tool based things things like five dysfunctions of a team by Patrick lencione is really interesting it gets down to Team Dynamics and what really does break down when a team breaks down things like scaling up which gets through how hard it is to move from a one million dollar company to a 10 million dollar company and then a 10 million dollar company to a 50 million dollar company what are the cadences of management what are the heartbeats of management what are the ways you actually can go into and actually build a company that has the right heartbeat I think good stuff is there I think tomes like crucial conversations resonate for a lot of reasons right because they have tools for how we should approach the our mindsets as we go into managerial discussions ways we should approach the long term with our team and then actually look to go up the ladder of inference to find Common Ground as we're building things and I think tools like that the The crucial conversations really break down some of the core mindsets and and ways of of having the skills of being a manager so I'm partial to those I'm also partial to uh work rules from from Google I think they did a lot of interesting data databased research in terms of what good managers look like how they actually behave how they actually do the things that we ephemerally talked about at the beginning leading coaching and managing how they actually made those things work and so I I'm partial to that book as well um and so you know when I look at those It's a combination of more tactical and more more kind of like aspirational things something like Star Trek would be more aspirational something like give and take from Adam Grant I think is actually a really good book for getting into the right mindset of realizing that even as you're getting things done helping people at the core is what management is all about and that's how you actually long term get more things done um and so you know this is kind of a smorgasbord of different things that I've given you but there's there's some technical ones like scaling up crucial conversations five tech five dysfunctions of a team some aspirational ones um that certainly have shaped me and shaped how I think about leadership management and and my role in a company foreignforeign whatever happened there all of this and what I want to ask you is what resources are there out there for people who are looking to become stronger leaders or managers including myself I'm actually kind of interested in anything that you have to contribute on this I like it well you know if you're worried about this whole idea that you're going through in terms of us living in a simulation which we almost certainly do there's a new book out called reality plus which I highly recommend and then I recommend all of the books of Science Fiction that really push forward that thinking you know uh so you know interesting work going on in the philosophy sense moving more seriously into like some of the some of the places you know I asked my Engineers this question because a lot of them have moved into managerial roles and one of them one of the first thing he told me is like you know Luke I don't know if you can say this but one of the things I learned great management from is Star Trek and I said oh that's interesting thing you know he said you know think about this because this um as a Star Trek connected with me first as a person he said and then secondly you know they're continually going through this challenge of how to stay alive and how to go toward this broader Mission and you know I'm partial to the Next Generation Um and some people like like the other ones right some people even like this new Picard one it's too new for me I'm old school but uh you know I think you can learn the the point behind the point is that I think you can learn a lot of management from interesting places and you don't need to just look at business books uh the problem with business books at the end of the day is that historically they have one idea that is kind of interesting and then they get resonance with that idea and then eventually have to write a book that's 300 pages long explaining how that three-page idea manifests in tons of different places I think there are some books that push the conversation forward and help me as a manager in terms of tool based things things like five dysfunctions of a team by Patrick lencione is really interesting it gets down to Team Dynamics and what really does break down when a team breaks down things like scaling up which gets through how hard it is to move from a one million dollar company to a 10 million dollar company and then a 10 million dollar company to a 50 million dollar company what are the cadences of management what are the heartbeats of management what are the ways you actually can go into and actually build a company that has the right heartbeat I think good stuff is there I think tomes like crucial conversations resonate for a lot of reasons right because they have tools for how we should approach the our mindsets as we go into managerial discussions ways we should approach the long term with our team and then actually look to go up the ladder of inference to find Common Ground as we're building things and I think tools like that the The crucial conversations really break down some of the core mindsets and and ways of of having the skills of being a manager so I'm partial to those I'm also partial to uh work rules from from Google I think they did a lot of interesting data databased research in terms of what good managers look like how they actually behave how they actually do the things that we ephemerally talked about at the beginning leading coaching and managing how they actually made those things work and so I I'm partial to that book as well um and so you know when I look at those It's a combination of more tactical and more more kind of like aspirational things something like Star Trek would be more aspirational something like give and take from Adam Grant I think is actually a really good book for getting into the right mindset of realizing that even as you're getting things done helping people at the core is what management is all about and that's how you actually long term get more things done um and so you know this is kind of a smorgasbord of different things that I've given you but there's there's some technical ones like scaling up crucial conversations five tech five dysfunctions of a team some aspirational ones um that certainly have shaped me and shaped how I think about leadership management and and my role in a company foreignforeign whatever happened there all of this and what I want to ask you is what resources are there out there for people who are looking to become stronger leaders or managers including myself I'm actually kind of interested in anything that you have to contribute on this I like it well you know if you're worried about this whole idea that you're going through in terms of us living in a simulation which we almost certainly do there's a new book out called reality plus which I highly recommend and then I recommend all of the books of Science Fiction that really push forward that thinking you know uh so you know interesting work going on in the philosophy sense moving more seriously into like some of the some of the places you know I asked my Engineers this question because a lot of them have moved into managerial roles and one of them one of the first thing he told me is like you know Luke I don't know if you can say this but one of the things I learned great management from is Star Trek and I said oh that's interesting thing you know he said you know think about this because this um as a Star Trek connected with me first as a person he said and then secondly you know they're continually going through this challenge of how to stay alive and how to go toward this broader Mission and you know I'm partial to the Next Generation Um and some people like like the other ones right some people even like this new Picard one it's too new for me I'm old school but uh you know I think you can learn the the point behind the point is that I think you can learn a lot of management from interesting places and you don't need to just look at business books uh the problem with business books at the end of the day is that historically they have one idea that is kind of interesting and then they get resonance with that idea and then eventually have to write a book that's 300 pages long explaining how that three-page idea manifests in tons of different places I think there are some books that push the conversation forward and help me as a manager in terms of tool based things things like five dysfunctions of a team by Patrick lencione is really interesting it gets down to Team Dynamics and what really does break down when a team breaks down things like scaling up which gets through how hard it is to move from a one million dollar company to a 10 million dollar company and then a 10 million dollar company to a 50 million dollar company what are the cadences of management what are the heartbeats of management what are the ways you actually can go into and actually build a company that has the right heartbeat I think good stuff is there I think tomes like crucial conversations resonate for a lot of reasons right because they have tools for how we should approach the our mindsets as we go into managerial discussions ways we should approach the long term with our team and then actually look to go up the ladder of inference to find Common Ground as we're building things and I think tools like that the The crucial conversations really break down some of the core mindsets and and ways of of having the skills of being a manager so I'm partial to those I'm also partial to uh work rules from from Google I think they did a lot of interesting data databased research in terms of what good managers look like how they actually behave how they actually do the things that we ephemerally talked about at the beginning leading coaching and managing how they actually made those things work and so I I'm partial to that book as well um and so you know when I look at those It's a combination of more tactical and more more kind of like aspirational things something like Star Trek would be more aspirational something like give and take from Adam Grant I think is actually a really good book for getting into the right mindset of realizing that even as you're getting things done helping people at the core is what management is all about and that's how you actually long term get more things done um and so you know this is kind of a smorgasbord of different things that I've given you but there's there's some technical ones like scaling up crucial conversations five tech five dysfunctions of a team some aspirational ones um that certainly have shaped me and shaped how I think about leadership management and and my role in a company foreign\n"