you should read this book. or your manager should.

by Alison Green on April 16, 2012

I’m excited to announce that the second edition of my book, Managing to Change the World: The Nonprofit Manager’s Guide to Getting Results, has just been published by Jossey-Bass.

If you want all my thoughts on how to be a good manager, this book is it.

Although it’s geared toward nonprofit managers — because that’s what my co-author, Jerry Hauser (former COO of Teach For America and current head of The Management Center), and I care about most — there’s little in here that I wouldn’t recommend to any manager in any sector.

We offer step-by-step guidance on the fundamentals that help managers produce and sustain great results, like how to set clear goals and hold people accountable to them; delegate specific responsibilities and ensure they’re executed well; create a results-oriented culture; hire, develop, and retain a staff of superstars; address performance problems forthrightly and replace staffers who fall short; and much more. We also included a bunch of tools, like sample scripts for talking about performance problems, worksheets for delegating well, and oh so much more.

You can buy the new edition of Managing to Change the World here. Tell your nonprofit-y friends! Buy it anonymously for your incompetent manager!

Here are some very nice things people have said about the book:

“This book captures the nuts-and-bolts of management in a comprehensive, insightful, and practical manner. What a great resource for both nonprofit and for-profit managers.” – Les Silverman, director emeritus, McKinsey & Company

“I’ve bought it for all my managers. We walk around quoting it left and right. It’s a great piece of work.” – Nitzan Pelman, Executive Director, Citizen Schools New York

“I have found it to be incredibly useful. It is truly a remarkable achievement.” – Richard Buery, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer, The Children’s Aid Society

“What a great book! I bought it for my entire management team because I wanted them to benefit from its wisdom too.” – Gene Karpinski, President, League of Conservation Voters

“I hand this book to every executive director I meet with because I have found it so valuable for myself and for my team.” – Judith Freeman, Executive Director, New Organizing Institute

“As one of my colleagues put it, ‘Managing to Change the World changed my life!’ It was hands-down the most helpful management book that I’ve read.” – Serena Unrein, Executive Director, Arizona Students’ Association

Still not convinced?  You can see the table of contents and read the first chapter here. Amazingly helpful, no? Now go buy it!

* I make a commission if you use that Amazon link.

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{ 11 comments }

{ 11 comments… read them below }

  1. ThomasT*

    Dead-tree edition only? :-(

    What are the best things about the second edition that should make an owner of the first edition buy this title again?

    1. Ask a Manager* Post author

      The publisher did release an e-book edition; it’s available on Google Books right now and should be available on Amazon, etc. within a few weeks!

      The two biggest changes in the second edition are that we significantly updated the chapter on goal-setting to make the whole process simpler and hopefully less daunting, and expanded the chapter on culture. There are changes in every chapter though, as well as updated worksheets, etc. Personally, if I already had the first edition, it’s the updated info on goals that would make me get the second one — I was never quite happy with that chapter in the first edition, but I am with the second!

  5. Jamie*

    I didn’t buy it anonymously – but I did buy it a while back for our awesome new HR who was new to management.

    I cannot recommend this highly enough – we keep the copy at work and I think it should be mandatory reading. And I’ve never been in the non-profit sector – it definitely applies to us regular old corporate people as well.

  6. Anonymous*

    Thanks for the advice at the end. I bought two as well. One for me, and one for someone else I work with who really needs it. ;)

  7. Joe*

    I just borrowed this a couple of weeks ago from a co-worker, and just started digging into it. Now I’m pondering if I should give her back her copy and pick up a second-edition copy instead. Or maybe even just get a second edition, and then return that instead of hers, and see if she notices. ;-)

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