Book Review, Press Release, Assessment
Most of my recent consulting has been with The Booth Company, an international leadership and management development consulting firm, and its clients. Below is a selection of book reviews, press releases, and reports I have written for .
Book Review: The Truth About Middle Managers. Published in The Booth Company’s Revolve newsletter, July 2009.
The Truth About Middle Managers: Who they are, how they work, why they matter., by Paul Osterman., Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation, 2008. 171 pages.
Reviewed by Diane Byington, Ph.D.
Paul Osterman brings his academic perspective from the MIT Sloan School of Management to the issue of what is happening with middle managers today. Basically, he finds that middle managers are insecure in their jobs, more loyal to their teams than to the larger corporation, and like the work they do. None of these conclusions will be a surprise to people who work within corporations, but the data-driven analysis gives his words some weight.
(click here to read the entire review)
Press Release: The Booth Company Launches Interactive Development Planning Tool – June 9, 2009
Boulder, Co. – The Booth Company, an international provider of leadership development surveys, announces the launch of TruTrack™ – an interactive development planning tool that is seamlessly integrated with its .NET survey hosting platform, TruScore® (www.truscore.com). TruTrack™ will allow a survey participant to create a development plan online and email it to a manager, coach, or other stakeholder. The development plan is also stored on the participant’s portal for ready access and easy modification. To increase the likelihood of goal completion, the participant is prompted to schedule reminders in their business calendar, such as Microsoft Outlook®. TruTrack™ also comes equipped with a full library of developmental recommendations for each survey.
(click here to read the complete press release)
360 Executive Analysis Report. I write these assessments on a regular basis for executives who participate in 360 feedback. This is a sample.
360 Analysis
Executive Leadership Survey
Dr. John Smith
Summary
The Executive Leadership Survey consists of 49 questions over 19 leadership dimensions. A total of 10 raters responded to the survey: peers = 4, reports = 4, manager = 1, self = 1. Average (mean) score from peers was 5.69 on a 7 point scale, reports = 4.87, manager = 6.12, and from self = 5.93. Overall mean score was 5.65 on a 7 point scale.
Areas of Strengths
Dr. Smith’s strongest ratings were in D. Business & Financial Acumen, E. Industry & Market Insight, and F. Organizational Savvy. Comments indicate that:
- Dr. Smith is appreciated for being supportive and available
- He has a positive attitude and is approachable
- Good at handling difficult situations, and can make decisions quickly