In the Third Edition of the bestselling book, The Truth About Managing People, bestselling author Stephen Robbins shares even more proven principles for handling virtually every management challenge. Robbins delivers 61 real solutions for the make-or-break problems faced by every manager. Readers will learn how to overcome the true obstacles to teamwork; why too much communication can be as dangerous as too little; how to improve your hiring and employee evaluations; how to heal "layoff survivor sickness"; how to manage a diverse culture; and ways to lead effectively in a digital world. New truths include: how to nurture friendly employees, forget about age stereotypes, first impressions count, be a good citizen, techniques for managing a diverse age group, and ethical leadership among others.

Preface vii PART I THE TRUTH ABOUT HIRING Truth 1 First Impressions DO Count! 1 Truth 2 Forget Traits; It's Behavior That Counts 5 Truth 3 Brains Matter; or Why You Should Hire Smart People 9 Truth 4 When in Doubt, Hire Conscientious People! 13 Truth 5 Want Friendly Employees? It's in the Genes! 7 Truth 6 Realistic Job Previews: What You See Is What You Get 21 Truth 7 Throw Out Your Age Stereotypes 25 Truth 8 Match Personalities and Jobs 29 Truth 9 Hire People Who Fit Your Culture: My "Good Employee" Is Your Stinker! 33 Truth 10 Good Citizenship Counts! 37 Truth 11 Manage the Socialization of New Employees 39 PART II THE TRUTH ABOUT MOTIVATION Truth 12 Why Many Workers Aren't Motivated at Work Today 43 Truth 13 Telling Employees to "Do Your Best" I sn't Likely to Achieve Their Best 47 Truth 14 Not Everyone Wants to Participate in Setting Goals 51 Truth 15 Professional Workers Go for the Flow 55 Truth 16 When Giving Feedback: Criticize Behaviors, Not People 59 Truth 17 Managing Across the Generation Gap 63 Truth 18 You Get What You Reward 67 Truth 19 It's All Relative! 71 Truth 20 Recognition Motivates (and It Costs Very Little!) 75 Truth 21 There's More to High Employee Performance Than Just Motivation 79 PART III THE TRUTH ABOUT LEADERSHIP Truth 22 Five Leadership Myths Debunked 83 Truth 23 The Essence of Leadership Is Trust 87 Truth 24 Experience Counts! Wrong! 91 Truth 25 Effective Leaders Know How to Frame Issues 95 Truth 26 You Get What You Expect 99 Truth 27 Charisma Can Be Learned 103 Truth 28 Charisma Is Not Always an Asset 107 Truth 29 Make Others Dependent on You 111 Truth 30 Successful Leaders Are Politically Adept 115 Truth 31 Ethical Leadership 119 Truth 32 Virtual Leadership: Leading from Afar 123 Truth 33 Adjust Your Leadership Style for Cultural Differences, or When in Rome 127 PART IV THE TRUTH ABOUT COMMUNICATION Truth 34 Hearing Isn't Listening 131 Truth 35 Listen to the Grapevine 135 Truth 36 Men and Women Communicate Differently 139 Truth 37 What You Do Overpowers What You Say 143 Truth 38 The Value of Silence 147 Truth 39 Watch Out for Digital Distractions 151 PART V THE TRUTH ABOUT BUILDING TEAMS Truth 40 What We Know That Makes Teams Work 155 Truth 41 2 + 2 Doesn't Necessarily Equal 4 159 Truth 42 The Value of Diversity on Teams 163 Truth 43 We're Not All Equal: Status Matters! 167 Truth 44 Not Everyone Is Team Material 171 PART VI THE TRUTH ABOUT MANAGING CONFLICTS Truth 45 The Case FOR Conflict 175 Truth 46 Beware of Groupthink 179 Truth 47 How to Reduce Work-Life Conflicts 183 Truth 48 Negotiating Isn't About Winning and Losing 187 PART VII THE TRUTH ABOUT DESIGNING JOBS Truth 49 Not Everyone Wants a Challenging Job 191 Truth 50 Four Job-Design Actions That Will Make Employees More Productive 195 PART VIII THE TRUTH ABOUT PERFORMANCE EVALUATION Truth 51 Annual Reviews: The Best Surprise Is No Surprise! 199 Truth 52 Don't Blame Me! The Role of Self-Serving Bias 203 Truth 53 Judging Others: Tips for Making Better Decisions 207 Truth 54 The Case for 360-Degree Feedback Appraisals: More IS Better! 211 PART IX THE TRUTH ABOUT COPING WITH CHANGE Truth 55 Most People Resist Any Change That Doesn't Jingle in Their Pockets! 215 Truth 56 Use Participation to Reduce Resistance to Change 219 Truth 57 Employee Turnover Can Be a Good Thing 223 Truth 58 In Cutbacks: Don't Neglect the Survivors 227 Truth 59 Beware of the Quick Fix 231 References 235