Excellent new release! Clear and succinct delivery, undoubtedly useful for the target audience. I would look at it as a remastered High Output Management by Andy Grove aimed a the modern age new managers.

The downside is that is premised on a setting that is hardly universal. Most examples would resonate if you are working in a (for the lack of better term) ‘white-collar’ job, possibly in tech sector. But if you are exposed to managing teams in a ‘blue-collar’ environment some of the advice may ring less true.

Still - there are pearls of practical wisdom in here. So, I would strongly recommend giving this read a go.

This is a very good reference guide for managers new and old. Its full of good tips and tricks on how to be the best manager you can be.

This is an excellent book, and not just for new managers. Those who have been managers for a while will still find plenty resonates with them. Managing is a skill that can be learnt but is rarely taught, and certainly not taught as well as this book does.
Highly recommended
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC

The Making of a Manager is not just a how-to book, but your own manager development mentor.

Julie Zhuo is a well-informed author with the type of experience of a manager in the modern world of business. It is a place where only those capable of understanding the wisdom of being attentive and possessing the willingness to change, adapt and constantly fine tune are rewarded by a life at work which goes beyond financial remuneration.

Here is someone prepared to admit their mistakes and clearly lay out how they developed themselves as a fully thinking individual to move forward conceptually.

No manager becomes successful without taking on the notion that there will be times when they may not have paid enough attention, where well-used and familiar strategies simply haven’t worked and that potential failures will tell you as much as your successes if you are wise enough to pay attention and learn from them. Complacency is not an option.

Zhuo puts forward the notion that a successful manager approaches their work life as a vocation not just surviving the hours required of them by their firm before returning home with the pay check. In a world where work has become highly demanding in what is expected of an employee this makes a great deal of sense.

The Making of a Manager is the type of book that can be scaled to any level of management, even those entrepreneurs who are their own CEO and sole employees (because you will always have to interact with someone if you’re running a business). Given that retail and many other industries have now shifted to those on the shop floor, or at the “coal face”, needing to adopt the type of decision-making required of a section or floor manager in the past, this is a very timely book.

The Making of a Manager is therefore something which is a keeper because it’ll never lose its relevance and can be always referred to at different points in a manager’s career.

As a previous manager of various sized teams, like many of the previous reviews say, I wish this book had been around to read all those years ago. It is such a good read and I cannot recommend it high enough for anyone applying for a management position or finding themselves in one because it has a wealth of knowledge and information that is written in a very easy to read way. I found myself engrossed in it and especially enjoyed the writing style which literally had me page turning wanting to know more.

My wife is also a manager and she is now reading the book too and finding it extremely useful despite being a manager for a few years. There are still plenty of tips in it to use an on ongoing basis and she too has already recommended it to some of her colleagues.

Overall a great read and extremely informative.

I admit I wasn't aware of Julie Zhuo before hearing about this book but now I am her biggest fan! Zhuo is the VP, Product Design at Facebook, having successfully worked her way up the ranks. She first became a manager at 25 and wasn't sure where to start, what she should be doing and what she should NOT be doing! As you can imagine, she has learned a huge amount from this experience, especially her own mistakes. This book is a really approachable guide for managers, whether you are new or experienced.

I first became a manager of a team when I was 26 and recently moved into a new company where I inherited a team. My first experience was a team that I set up myself, hired and grew. Zhuo labels this a "Pioneer" route. My current experience is the "New Boss" route as I am moving into an already established team. Both have their own challenges but I certainly felt it more in my new role, I'm moving into a new environment, in an industry I haven't worked in before, and need to quickly build up relationships with my team members, proving I can be a good manager and am capable of doing the job!

Luckily I got a copy of this book at just the right time and was able to devour it before starting my new role. In it, aside from breaking down the different routes to management and techniques to deal with each, the book covers areas such as:
- what really is management? How do you tell a great manager from an average one?
- the skills you need to be a people manager - it's not suited to everyone and people should not be forced into this role to advance
- how to build trust
- giving (and receiving) good feedback
- having useful 1:1s and not wasting them
- dealing with issues such as people not pulling their weight or causing conflict in the team
- nurturing your team's culture
- your own personal development as a manager

This really is a brilliant book and one that I will be rushing out to get my own copy of as soon as it is out. I read it all the way through, making notes as I go, but I'll now use it as a guide I can dip in and out of when needed. Thank you Julie for a wonderful book!

Thanks for the early access to 'The Making of a Manager'. I've been doing a lot of.self reflecting on my work style and values and found this to be a perfect partner for that thinking.

I think this is a book that everyone who's managing a team should read.
My PMP certification states I know how theoretically manage a team, this book tells how to do in everyday life.
I loved the style of writing, clear and full of humor, and I liked the example and the clear explanations.
A very good book, one that doesn't address the problems of C-level manager but of anyone who manages people.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Penguin Random House UK and Netgalley for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book, all opinions are mine.

Every now and then I read a book that inspires me, this book is written in a very readable, honest and frank way. The paragraph I will take away with me is;
‘Learning how to be a great leader means learning about your superpowers and flaws, learning how to navigate the obstacles in your head, and learning how to learn. With these tools comes the confidence that you’re meant to be just as you are - no masks or pretences needed and that you are ready for whatever challenges lie ahead’.
A must for everyone who works in a team as one day you will manage that team. Think positive and you will achieve.