Becoming a Manager: Mastery of a New Identity

I found this book insightful and validating. I transitioned from being a healthcare professional to a manager of a clinic. Despite the difference in practice areas between this book and my own career (sales vs. healthcare), I still found the findings in the book to be important. Whether you're transitioning to manager from a position of top performer in terms of money or in terms of some other measure of achievement (such as quality of patient care or number of new innovations, for example), the lessons of this book still apply. I highly recommend this book to new managers and to THEIR managers.

I highly recommend this to anyone involved in "management", particularly where you have to lead people. The value of this book -- to me -- was not that it revealed anything new (most managers would instinctively know what the issues are when working with a team). What it did for me was to give me assurance that the trials and tribulations that I've gone through (some of which are daily occurances) are normal. That told me that I AM NOT ALONE! -- for management is a lonely business. This book took me sometime to finish (440 over pages) but a very readable book. Not overly academic. I particularly liked the section on "Is Management Really for Me?".

I highly recommend this book as one that should be kept handy for all new managers transitioning from the role of "individual producer". I also recommend it for those top performers who feel it is likely they will be "approached" about a management position and/or are wondering if management is their "cup of tea". It's also of benefit for managers OF new managers (who sometimes forget what it's like), and HR professionals responsible for designing New Manager training programs.It's very well written, even humorous at times, and details the actual statements and insights of these new managers. What an absolutely accurate sanity check!!! These folks really let their hair down and were completely honest about their experiences.Not only did I dog-ear and underline my book all over the place, I wouldn't hesitate to buy this book for a friend or close colleague who is considering or transitioning to management. It's like being in a roomful of other new/fairly new managers and getting honest feedback on the ups-and-downs, the highlights, and the things you would love to have known before accepting the management position!!Linda Hill's analysis in the final chapters is the icing on the cake. Based on this study, she offers extremely valuable insights into how corporations need to support and train new managers, and suggests things that potential and new managers need to be aware of and prepare for.

This is one of the few books that explores and discusses the reasons that new managers FEEL the way they do. It helped me through my own difficulty transition from top individual producer to manager/director of others. I recommend it often in conversation or speaking engagements and actually give it to each new manager I promote, as required reading. Lastly, I have found it most effective when read after a month or two of performing as a new manager. By: Pete Dignam, Sales Director and General Manager, ICG Communications

I've been in management at Hewlett-Packard for 10 years. This book accurately captures my experience and the experience of many of my friends and colleagues who have made the transition from individual contributor to first-level manager. Even though the managers in this study were sales people in financial firms, their experiences mirror those I've seen as a manager of R & D engineers. I highly recommend this book to anyone considering a career in management. It's an accurate description of both the joys and frustrations.