ABOUT THE BOOK

When I was a young man trying to make my mark in the software business, I was exposed to many different types of leadership personalities. This experience shaped my understanding of management, as it would any wide-eyed college graduate. I tried to emulate the people in positions of power, watched the people in various positions of authority, and started to build my mental framework for what it meant to manage by what they did. After all, they say the quickest way to success is to find out what successful people do and put what you learn into action.

The problem? It was a mirage. Just because managers were in charge didn’t mean they were going to be successful. After watching for a bit I started to realize that all bad managers had one thing in common: “going down in flames.” It might have taken some time, but eventually they all stalled and failed. Maybe they lost their team, maybe they made false promises one too many times, or maybe their irritating attitudes finally caught up with them. Eventually, people figured them out and jettisoned them as dead weight.

I got lucky. When I was put in charge of a small software development team at the ripe old age of 22, a friend gave me Richard Templar’s The Rules of Management as a “good luck” gift. That night I read it cover-to-cover – twice. With no exaggeration, there was more wisdom in those pages than anything I had experienced, seen, or read up to that point on management. There was no secret wisdom, no hidden management guru framework, no convoluted advice. Instead, Templar applied common sense to the concept of management.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Jason Warner is an programmer, leader, author and open source enthusiast. He works for Canonical managing the Ubuntu desktop, has authored several fitness books, maintains a leadership blog and fitness blog and is working on his next series of books.

Jason is passionate about management and leadership and believes one can be successful and still be known as a 'good person'.

In the past he has managed engineering teams for various startups and loves startup energy and creativity. He has a B.S. in Computer Science from Penn State and an M.S. in Computer Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Though and American, Jason currently lives in Adelaide, South Australia with his wife and two young children. They plan to move back to the United States in the second half of 2012.

EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK

Templar's Rules series of books has sold over 1 million copies world wide, influenced numerous other book lines, and generally helped people live better everyday lives. Reading The Rules of Management has become a bit of a rite of passage for new managers. There are very few books universally applicable to management in different industries, but The Rules of Management bridges these divides and can be used by anyone in any management position.

The Rules of Management has become a cult hit among first-time and emerging managers and leaders. It is often referenced in blog posts, on lists of “must read management books,” and cited as an influential read by many new managers.

The book is not just for new managers, though. Seasoned managers have much to gain from it as well. It can serve as reinforcement of good practices and help identify and name bad practices. Good leaders are constantly striving for improvement and looking for ways to change and make gains. The Rules to Management can help in both regards, whether this is your first team or your tenth startup company.

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