Book Review - The Making of a Manager

I ran into The Making of a Manager at Barnes & Noble where I was hunting for something new. I was well and truly caught once I figured out that it wasn’t a run-of-the-mill management book PLUS it was also an ImmiGreat read.

That's a lucky find in my opinion.

Read on for my The Making of a Manager review.

The Making of a Manager Review

CEO and Co-founder of Slack, Stewart Butterfield describes The Making of a Manager as “something they would give out to new managers at Slack and it could very well set a new standard for new managers.”

I think Sir Stewart's right! Author Julie Zhou brilliantly weaves her struggles as a rookie manager at 25. She recounts the early days, describing what she thought being a manager was vs. the actual reality. Her writing is infused with humorous, vulnerable, and practical insight. She discusses everything from how to build trust in your small team to how to navigate the first 3 months as a manager: the difference between average and great managers, giving feedback and dealing with impostor syndrome.

I’ve been recommending this book to manager friends, old and new. 25 used to be considered ridiculously young to be made a manager but in a world that relies this heavily on technology, TMOM has great advice many of us can relate with. The Making of a Manager is real talk all the way - like when she talks about how things can go wrong when you’re suddenly managing your friends.

The Making of a Manager is not a one and done read. It’s bedside table reading material because chances are, it will save your ass in the morning.

Follow Julie Zhou on Twitter @joulee + she blogs about technology, design and leadership at The Year of the Looking Glass