Introduction

Why am I doing this?  I worked in a firm for over thirteen years, and rather than pursue the "partner track", resigned to reflect on what I was doing and why.  The culture had "socialist" tendencies of which I was certainly a benefactor.  Regrettably, I was also an enabler and perpetrator of the culture.  The "knee jerk" response to why I left was:  I would never have any "real" authority to make the changes necessary for us to succeed, and I had lost my fight.  And, that was absolutely true.  Had true accountability been at an appropriate level, however, I am not even sure I would have deserved real authority nor would most of the firm's leadership. 

I spent the majority of my career in the traditional core of a professional services firm.  But, there was an affiliate which had not been managed in over three years.  This affiliate had seven women, including two very hot-tempered women, a gossip and one serious passive aggressive.  My new direct supervisor was a master manipulator.  This affiliate was not in the same physical location as the core of the firm.  Because the educational requirements were not the same (they were less), this affiliate did not carry the same importance as the core of the firm.  But, this affiliate had a tremendous amount of growth even in a down economy.  I had no experience in this industry but many years in our core firm and in management.  From a personal and a professional perspective, the time was ripe for me to make a change and pursue a challenge.  So, I did.  My charge was to manage the group and position this affiliate to grow. 

Suffice it to say, in my eyes, I failed.  I walked away voluntarily, but I failed.  I firmly believe, unless the group and leadership dynamic changes, any manager will be set up to fail.  I could have returned to the core, but I have too much pride.  And, I refuse to roll around in self pity.  I demand to learn from this failure. 

One way I plan to learn is to read more than a dozen books on leadership and management.  I want the benchmark.  In recent years, I have read Who Moved My Cheese, Good to Great, Fish and 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.  As I move forward, I welcome and will embrace suggestions and constructive criticism.  Hate-filled, belligerent comments are not welcome.

Here is my reading list so far:

1)      The Reactor Factor, Marsha Petrie Sue

2)      The Leadership Pill, Ken Blanchard/Marc Munchnick

3)      Gung Ho, Ken Blanchard/Sheldon Bowles

4)      Raving Fans, Ken Blanchard/Sheldon Bowles

5)      One Minute Manager, Ken Blanchard

6)      Peaks and Valleys, Spencer Johnson

7)      The Present, Spencer Johnson

8)      Crucial Conversations, Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler

9)      Crucial Confrontations, Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler

10)   Top Performance, Zig Ziglar

11)   The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader, John C. Maxwell

12)   The Smart Manager’s FAQ Guide, Rex Gatto

13)   True Professionalism, David Maister

14)   Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman