Discover today's quick, practical, proven guide to overcoming "killer" management problems and succeeding brilliantly as a leader! Unlike other management books, The Truth About Managing People, Fourth Edition is 100% practical and completely based on tested evidence, not mere anecdote or opinion. Top management author Stephen P. Robbins has distilled thousands of research studies, meta-analyses, and Big Data investigations into a set of 63 proven, tested solutions for today's make-or-break management challenges. Each solution is presented quickly and concisely, in just 2-3 pages, so you can absorb them fast, and use them immediately. Robbins' fully updated truths cover every key aspect of management, including hiring the right people and building winning teams; designing high-productivity jobs and rewarding the right behaviors; managing diversity, change, conflict, turnover, and staff cuts; overcoming self-serving bias, groupthink, and digital distractions, and much more. This edition adds nine all-new chapters, covering the crucial importance of people skills, building emotional intelligence, loyalty expectations, employee engagement and mentoring, managing face-to-face vs. virtual teams, overcoming the downsides of teams, handling unacceptable workplace behavior, promoting creativity and innovation, and more. Whatever your management role, Robbins has compiled indispensable practical truths you can and will apply, every single day.

Stephen P. Robbins, Ph.D., professor emeritus of management at San Diego State University, is the world's best-selling author of textbooks in management and organizational behavior. His books have sold more than six million copies and been translated into 20 languages. A member of USA Masters' Track & Field Hall of Fame, he holds the current world record at 100 meters for men 65 and over.

Preface vii

PART I THE TRUTH ABOUT HIRING

Truth 1 The Importance of "People Skills" 1 Truth 2 First Impressions DO Count! 5 Truth 3 Forget Traits; It's Behavior That Counts! 9 Truth 4 Brains Matter; or Why You Should Hire Smart People 13 Truth 5 When in Doubt, Hire Conscientious People! 17 Truth 6 Want Friendly Employees? It's in the Genes! 21 Truth 7 Don't Ignore Emotional Intelligence 25 Truth 8 Throw Out Your Age Stereotypes 29 Truth 9 Match Personalities and Jobs 33 Truth 10 Hire People Who Fit Your Culture: My "Good Employee" Was Your Stinker! 37 Truth 11 Good Citizenship Counts! 41 Truth 12 Realistic Job Previews: What You See Is What You Get 45 Truth 13 Manage the Socialization of New Employees 49

PART II THE TRUTH ABOUT MOTIVATION

Truth 14 Why Many Workers Aren't Motivated at Work Today 53 Truth 15 Telling Employees to "Do Your Best" Isn't Likely to Achieve Their Best 57 Truth 16 Professional Workers Go for the Flow 61 Truth 17 Not Everyone Wants a Challenging Job 65 Truth 18 When Giving Feedback: Criticize Behaviors, Not People 69 Truth 19 You Get What You Reward 73 Truth 20 It's All Relative! 77 Truth 21 Recognition Motivates (and It Costs Very Little!) 81 Truth 22 There's More to High Employee Performance Than Just Motivation 85 Truth 23 So Long Loyalty, Hello Employee Engagement 89

PART III THE TRUTH ABOUT LEADERSHIP

Truth 24 Five Leadership Myths Debunked 93 Truth 25 The Essence of Leadership Is Trust 97 Truth 26 Experience Counts! Not Necessarily! 101 Truth 27 Effective Leaders Know How to Frame Issues 105 Truth 28 You Get What You Expect 109 Truth 29 Charisma Can Be Learned 113 Truth 30 Charisma Is Not Always an Asset 117 Truth 31 Make Others Dependent on You 121 Truth 32 Successful Leaders Are Politically Adept 125 Truth 33 Ethical Leadership 129 Truth 34 Virtual Leadership: Leading from Afar 133 Truth 35 Leading Across the Generational Gap 137 Truth 36 Becoming a Mentor 141 Truth 37 Adjust Your Leadership Style for Cultural Differences, or When in Rome... 145

PART IV THE TRUTH ABOUT COMMUNICATION

Truth 38 Hearing Isn't Listening 149 Truth 39 Listen to the Grapevine 153 Truth 40 Men and Women Communicate Differently 157 Truth 41 What You Do Overpowers What You Say 161 Truth 42 The Value of Silence 165 Truth 43 Watch Out for Digital Distractions 169

PART V THE TRUTH ABOUT BUILDING TEAMS

Truth 44 What We Know That Makes Teams Work 173 Truth 45 2 + 2 Doesn't Necessarily Equal 4 177 Truth 46 The Value of Diversity on Teams 181 Truth 47 We're Not All Equal: Status Matters! 185 Truth 48 When Teams Are Appropriate, and When They're Not 189

PART VI THE TRUTH ABOUT MANAGING CONFLICTS

Truth 49 The Case for Conflict 193 Truth 50 Beware of Groupthink 197 Truth 51 How to Reduce Work-Life Conflicts 201 Truth 52 Negotiating Isn't About Winning and Losing 205

PART VII THE TRUTH ABOUT PERFORMANCE EVALUATION

Truth 53 Annual Reviews: The Best Surprise Is No Surprise! 209 Truth 54 Don't Blame Me! The Role of Self-Serving Bias 213 Truth 55 Judging Others: Tips for Making Better Decisions 217 Truth 56 Coping with Deviant Workplace Behavior 221

PART VIII THE TRUTH ABOUT COPING WITH CHANGE

Truth 57 Most People Resist Any Change That Doesn't Jingle in Their Pockets! 225 Truth 58 Use Participation to Reduce Resistance to Change 229 Truth 59 Creating Creative Employees 233 Truth 60 Employee Turnover Can Be a Good Thing 237 Truth 61 In Cutbacks: Don't Neglect the Survivors 241 Truth 62 Beware of the Quick Fix 245

References 249