What If You Tried This At Work: A Field Guide of Possibilities for Becoming an Invaluable Manager

What If You Tried This At Work: A Field Guide of Possibilities for Becoming an Invaluable Manager

In today's workplace, managers' time is tight, and transactional imperatives abound. A relational mindset seems impossible. Enter What If You Tried This at Work? , which presents a new kind of "how" for managers seeking to expand and enhance their interpersonal management capabilities. Professor Mark Haskins provides thirty-six short, compelling stories and sound wisdom based on forty years of experience to help managers imagine and pursue a personal blueprint for flexibility, personalization, and exploration. Each vignette focuses on a relational management concept followed by a series of questions to prompt and guide personalized focus for action based on the reader's different priorities, interests, and schedules. Relational management becomes a habit when managers are encouraged to be open to the possibilities resident in asking the question "What if I tried this at work?" And so, the transformation begins. "What If You Tried This at Work? is an invaluable resource that I could immediately apply as an early-stage entrepreneur, especially when success hinges on selecting and managing the right founding team. The book's thirty-six practical vignettes offer clear, cross-functional insights that sharpen managerial skills and inspire actionable strategies. It's a powerful tool for assembling a formidable team and leading with impact right from the start." -Kelly Barnett, founder and CEO of SoloSpouse "What If You Tried This at Work? sounds the alarm, urging us to recognize how to cross the line that separates 'the everyday from the extraordinary.' The abbreviation 'RISE' will take on a new meaning as Mark Haskins provides the building blocks and essential advice to convert insight into action. This book offers the fuel to accelerate your journey as a manager and leader for those willing to grab the baton." -Jeff Shuman, board member and former Chief Human Resources Officer at Quest Diagnostics and L3Harris "A gem of a book for managers and leaders in organizations of all sizes. Mark Haskins distils his undoubted deep wisdom and experience into a series of thirty-six engaging, stand-alone vignettes divided into four themes, making this book an invaluable and effective field guide. Bringing in real-world examples to illustrate many points, his insightful questions at the end of each vignette challenge the reader to ensure personal reflection is followed up with practical action. Given what we know about the impact managers have on the levels of engagement of the people they lead, the learning and changes you make from reading this book could transform your team's culture and performance." -Anne Gimson, CEO of Strategic Developments (Int.) Ltd. and Editor-in-Chief of Development & Learning in Organizations "What If You Tried This at Work? is a roadmap for rethinking how to be the best leader and manager you can be. It is a refreshing and interactive take on traditional management books. Whether read alone or with a close group of motivated professionals, it will help you break out of your routine and be a much more thoughtful and intentional leader at work." -Kelly Gerhardt, former Director of Strategic Planning of a Fortune 500 retailer "I met Mark Haskins some years ago after we partnered on an executive leadership program at the Darden School of Business. It was there that I saw firsthand his unique ability to take complex business concepts and make them easily understood to enhance a leader's ability to assess content and make decisions. In this latest book, What If You Tried This at Work? , Haskins continues to leverage his unique approach in a simple yet powerful 'field guide' that illustrates the valuable relationship between gaining insights from real-life stories and building capability through continuous practice. Mark gives us a cookbook for sustainable improvement that leads to tangible impact for any leader wanting to continuously learn and grow." - Andrea Bortner, Chief Human Resources Officer of Grocery Outlet "A young Mark Haskins and a senior colleague step into a coffee bar. . . . What happens next makes an indelible impression on Mark, one that triggers a career accumulating invaluable management insights, which Mark has now curated to create this wonderful collection of management 'vignettes'-useful to young managers and veteran executives alike. Like good coffee, RISE up and savor each cup." -James H. Gilmore, author of The Experience Economy and Look: A Practical Guide for Improving Your Observational Skills Mark Haskins is the Landmark Communications Professor Emeritus of Business Administration at the University of Virginia's internationally ranked Darden Graduate School of Business. He has taught thousands of future managers (MBA students) and practicing managers from around the world. He has authored (or coauthored) numerous articles in such journals as People & Strategy, Strategic HR Review, Journal of Management Development, Organizational Development & Learning, and St