AN EXECUTIVE'S COACHING HANDBOOK

Through a succession of quasi-authentic vignettes, managers short on interpersonal problem-solving skills but long on problems are guided through a score of potentially thorny confrontations. Real-life situations frequently encountered in business environments are offered in a ""choose the more appropriate and objective response"" formula, which, though overly simplistic, does offer useful insights into proper managerial performance. Topics covered include the over/under achiever, the boozer, the drug bust, the office flirt, and the company thief, among others. The bulk of the manual's text is comprised of dialogues between various level managers from a mythical computer software concern called Salvo, and their employees, who are, in each episode, guilty of some transgression. Through a brief analysis of the participant's attitudes and methodology, Parson comments on what would be the preferred response to appropriately handling the situation. Whenever a particularly tricky or significant point arises, the event is noted with an ""action asterisk,"" with additional analysis and advisories provided. The work falls short of serving as a definitive reference guide for executives, but it should be of interest to managers looking for a basic advisory for coping with the day-to-day problems prevalent in any business environment. In a real world of gray shades, however, particularly in interpersonal relationships, it should be used with caution, and then only as an outline for developing individual responses.