The Boss

pg_The Boss - the novel and guide
   
The Boss by Andrew O’Keeffe is a novel based on true stories about bosses at work. The Boss tells Lauren’s story—a talented but naïve professional struggling under a self-serving, insensitive boss who undermines her at every turn. And working around her boss doesn’t help—most of the company execs are disturbing in their own right. Lauren just wants to get her job done, but every manager throws up one more needless hurdle.Disturbing, amusing, and wry, the story progresses as Lauren is forced to upwardly manage the brownnoser, the backstabber, the micromanager, the passive aggressive, the bully, and the idea stealer. Forced into a final decision, Lauren must fight back or have her spirit crushed.If you’ve done time in the corporate rat race, you’ll commiserate with the characters and situations that Lauren suffers.This eye-opening novel will spawn conversations amongst friends and coworkers about the fear, futility, and damage of corporate-level politics.In reviewing the book, Reader Views says, The Boss “…is based on true stories from real corporate environment and as such could and should serve as a teaching tool for aspiring as well as current managers. One of my favorite parts was the fables, which the author cleverly incorporates in the narrative to draw parallels to the events described in the book. Overall, I found the book well written, believable and insightful. While I could not really call it funny – it is a bit too scarily real for that, it certainly made me chuckle in amusement a few times.”The Boss – released May 2009 from Greenleaf Book Group Press.To order the book, please go directly to www.greatbosses.com

Facilitator’s Guide

The facilitator’s guide to the leadership questions at the back of The Boss.

This guide can be used by educators and internal HR professionals for leadership development.

The questions cover the main leadership characters in the book, and some of the universal “management events” that create a manager’s authority to lead. A leader’s authority depends on managing well a number of mandatory events – hiring people and bringing them onboard, appraisals, pay reviews, career reviews and reviews with senior leaders. Leaders can either do these events well and increase their leadership authority or do them poorly and reduce your leadership authority.

This guide provides the suggested answers to the “workplace guide” questions at the back of the book.

Click here for Facilitator’s Guide in International standard A4 layout

Click here for Faciliatator’s Guide in American standard layout

Staff Guide: A guide for looking for a good boss.

The Boss was honoured as a finalist in the Best New Fiction category of USA Book News “National Best Books 2009 Awards”

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