UNMANAGED

Skeels offers a guide to unlocking the secrets of great management in this business book.

In his nonfiction debut, the author draws on his decades of experience as an entrepreneur and management leader to lay out a blueprint for more nimble, successful management. He views such a blueprint as badly needed, pointing out that, in his long experience meeting managers, he’s observed that most of them coast along in their decision-making by imitating other managers (or just winging it), hoping things will work out. Skeels asserts, “our prevailing management models, mostly based on a factory mindset, are counterproductive to project and organizational success.” To address these models’ flaws, the author proposes a multipronged managerial approach based on what he calls “Flow,” which “allows workers to experience autonomy in its fullest form.” In these pages, Skeels champions the idea of “unmanaging,” which cuts down on managerial overhead and encourages managers to get out of the way of their teams. The needs of workers and teams, the author insists, take precedence over one’s own managerial workflow; a manager’s most important goal is to enable employees to maximize their productivity. Throughout, the author delivers his insights with an effective combination of readable prose and clear-eyed pragmatism. His experience is evident on every page and should prove invaluable to readers in any managerial roles. He sympathizes with how these readers may feel they’re swimming against the tide of popular opinion: “If you are a manager who came up through the ranks as a specialist, then most of what you mastered will point you away from great managing,” he cautions, firmly but good-naturedly. “You’ll need to toss out that old compass.” This book will do very nicely as a new one.

A bracing, standard-resetting approach to doing management right.