At America’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC) conference this year, I had the opportunity to learn from some excellent speakers on small business. I especially liked the presentation by Lorna Kibbey, a Business Management consultant in Three Oaks, Florida a regular presenter at the ASBDC conferences. This year she provided tips from her book Becoming a Better Boss. I purchased the book and asked two of my interns to read and provide a review. Following are their reviews.
I enjoyed the book and even learned a new tip or two. This book would make a nice Holiday gift for new managers.
Donna Simpson, Consultant Manager
The University of Scranton SBDC
Book Review
Title: Becoming A Better Boss
Author: Lorna J. Kibbey
Genre: Guidebook
Name of Reviewer: Daniela Salcedo, Intern, University of Scranton SBDC
A Brief Synopsis: Becoming a Better Boss is a guidebook to 25 fundamental management responsibilities for any individual who is a boss or wants to perfect their role as a superior. The guidebook provides tips on how to handle responsibilities, situations, and interactions with employees in the workforce. Both experienced and inexperienced bosses can use this book as a checklist to make sure their team and organization is on the road to success!
Recommendations: I highly recommend this guidebook to all entrepreneurs who have just started their own businesses. It provides advice on topics such as communicating with employees, e-mail writing, the distinction between a leader and manager, the momentum of an organization, teamwork, setting expectations, and much more. The guidebook has 25 chapters and all lessons are vital to a company’s development. Not only will these tips help an individual become an efficient boss, but it will also help them develop a comfortable work environment for their employees. Furthermore, the guidebook for Becoming a Better Boss is an easy read and perfect for quick, lifelong business lessons!
Name of Reviewer: Chloe Burns, Intern, University of Scranton SBDC
Lorna J. Kibbey’s book “Becoming a Better Boss” perfectly outlines the twenty-five responsibilities that bosses must continuously work on to become better in their leading skills. She breaks each responsibility into one chapter that ranges from two to four pages long. The topics discussed come from ways for bosses to communicate with their staff, along with how to approach daily work tasks. Some examples of topics include delegation, motivation, performance appraisal, email writing, and meeting with staff. It is a quick and easy read for any current or aspiring boss to learn lessons on things that can make them better. Some of these topics may be obvious, but Kibbey clearly shows her knowledge in how she writes the book and organizes it.
From my perspective, the two most important chapters for a boss to read are the chapters on change and empowering employees. Change is happening constantly and should become a normality for bosses. Bosses must learn to understand change and the five steps that it entails to make a transition. The five steps include: shock, emotion, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. They need to learn to not just stick onto one of those steps but move through them in however long it takes them to. In order for bosses to empower employees, they must give them tools that will fulfill them in their talent and potential. These topics range from teaching, asking questions, helping the employees feel in control. A work environment is much more successful when employees are empowered to do their best by doing the tasks at which they are best. It also creates a better boss and employee relationship when there is an open line of communication.
My rating is four out of five stars for “Becoming a Better Boss.” This is definitely a book I would recommend to someone aspiring to be a boss or someone who just became a boss. It is a lot of information laid out at once so I would recommend focusing on each chapter and taking your time to understand the information. This will make the material sound less like a textbook and more like advice. The book is more inviting to readers by having short chapters with graphs and tables. Bosses all learn differently, so if they are a visual learner this would help them.
For more information about Lorna Kibbey, M.B.A., C.P.M., or Becoming a Better Boss, visit https://www.lkibbey.com/
