Being the Boss

By: Linda A. Hill, Kent L. Lineback

Narrated by: Erik Synnestvedt

Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's Summary

You never dreamed being the boss would be so hard. You're caught in a web of conflicting expectations from subordinates, your supervisor, peers, and customers. You're not alone.

As Linda Hill and Kent Lineback reveal in Being the Boss, becoming an effective manager is a painful, difficult journey. It's trial and error, endless effort, and slowly acquired personal insight. Many managers never complete the journey. At best, they just learn to get by. At worst, they become terrible bosses.

This new book explains how to avoid that fate, by mastering three imperatives:

• Manage yourself: Learn that management isn't about getting things done yourself. It's about accomplishing things through others.
• Manage a network: Understand how power and influence work in your organization and build a network of mutually beneficial relationships to navigate your company's complex political environment.
• Manage a team: Forge a high-performing "we" out of all the "I"s who report to you.

Packed with compelling stories and practical guidance, Being the Boss is an indispensable guide for not only first-time managers but all managers seeking to master the most daunting challenges of leadership.

©2011 Linda A. Hill, Kent Lineback (P)2011 Gildan Media Corp

Returning it

What made the experience of listening to Being the Boss the most enjoyable?

I assume the remaining 2/3rds of the book are good. But if I have to hear another sentence from this narrator, I will jump out of the window.

What didn’t you like about Erik Synnestvedt’s performance?

The narration was so annoying that I am returning the book.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Very usefull

Would you consider the audio edition of Being the Boss to be better than the print version?

no

What did you like best about this story?

The book is divided into three parts, the first part confirmed most of my own findings, the second part, about exercising influence outside of your own team was an eye opener

Would you be willing to try another one of Erik Synnestvedt’s performances?

Never, this was the weakest part of the book. It was almost impossible to get through to what was being said, because of the monotone way it was read, and how every other sentence would finish with the same intonation as the previous.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Just that the voice really annoyed me.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Just don't.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

No, I bought this because it's assigned reading for a class and I thought it would save me some time. I could listen while I ran or drove, but the performance is so bad I chose to just read it instead.

Would you be willing to try another book from Linda A. Hill and Kent L. Lineback ? Why or why not?

Yes, the information is great.

How could the performance have been better?

It's a book about management. The narrator should be able to say the word management. The cadence and inflection were also just totally off. The reading was irksome.

Do you think Being the Boss needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Probably, there are many ways it could be expounded upon.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Useful, Practical Content

What made the experience of listening to Being the Boss the most enjoyable?

The content is very good. It will assist managers/leaders to consciously be aware of various components that they need to keep in mind while leading teams.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Being the Boss?

For me, the most important insight is the articulation that being an effective Boss requires the person to actively manage three components.

Any additional comments?

The narration is below average. I might be harsh here but the narrator really is annoying with his weird ending to each phrase/sentence. It is just irritating.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Great book, not great narrator

Where does Being the Boss rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The content is great, but the narration made it tough to get through.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Erik Synnestvedt?

Someone not trying so hard.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Great content, horrible narration!

Would you consider the audio edition of Being the Boss to be better than the print version?

No, Not with the current narrator. It was almost like the man version of Siri... Very distracting to the content

Would you recommend Being the Boss to your friends? Why or why not?

Yes, overall the content is on point but definitely needs an upgrade in the narration

Would you be willing to try another one of Erik Synnestvedt’s performances?

No

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Good content, horrible narration

Would you listen to Being the Boss again? Why?

I would read the book, but never listen to this narrator again.

Has Being the Boss turned you off from other books in this genre?

No, the content was excellent.

Would you be willing to try another one of Erik Synnestvedt’s performances?

He is the worst narrator I have ever heard. I will never buy a book read by him again.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Great leadership book: summarizes Harvard's best

What made the experience of listening to Being the Boss the most enjoyable?

Very good examples, structure, and more than enything CONTENT!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, can be listened in parts.

Any additional comments?

GREAT READ for all managers... MUST READ for new managers.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Award for the most irritating narrator - Erik Synnestvedt

Erik Synnestvedt has mastered the art of blending valley girl vocal fry and 18th century aristocratic tonal inflection. In truth, I can’t get through this audible due to the absolute trash of the narration. Please! Listen to the sample before purchase.

Good book for high potential leaders

Good book for high potential leaders who are becoming more relevant and are starting to manage a greater group of people.

High potential leaders might have a problem when managing people. Usually they might think that they didn’t need coaching, motivation or inspiration. In that sense, they think that a team should learn by themselves and spent little time on the teams.

~80% of the manager day should be talking to people, more reactive and with quick interactions.

It’s proven that good leadership is differential for a good performance.

There are three main areas to understand: know your self, your network and your team.

Don’t be a boss enforcing your authority. You should engage and inspire people to do what you need. The less you use your authority for something the more it is valued.

You also need to know the boundaries on friendship on work. You have to be friendly but it can’t interfere on the relations, tough feedbacks and etc.

To be a good leaders you also need to be trusted. There are three important facts to ensure your credibility: your technical knowledge, operations and political. On the technical, you need to have all the tools and broad view and not to be the expert on everything. You need to know enough to give guidance and have a sistêmica view. On the operational, you need to know how to apply the good ideas. And on the political, you need to know how to influence and each person abilities on how they can help you and the company.

A good network relationship is very important. The sooner you understand that a company is also a political environment the better. The more you grow in you career, the mor information you need. So a good network to know where to find the info you need is necessary. To cultivate a good network, you need to work to mutually benefit (this remembers some concepts on the Give and take book). You need to start the relation and invest on them before you need it.

Managing up
You are responsible to create the environment to improve yourself. Communicate with your boss the way he feels more comfortable. Some demand getting into details and to be informed on everything and others wants only most relevant updates. If you don’t know, it is better preferred to “overinform”. Also you need to know how to leverage the positive characteristics of your boss and try to fill the gap on the others. Also important to take into account culture on the day to day relationship. If you disagree you need to make your point clear. If you agree you also have to make it clear (if you only disagree, you might not make the same influence).

Managing teams is not only making the best of each individual. You need to extract the best from the people as a team. Some things beyond training and one to one meetings as purpose, goals and plans are important. It’s good to have a very well defined plan where you can share with the company and the teams.

The written plan should have at least three aspects. Where you are now (it seems simple , but most people doesn’t know), where you want to get (short and medium term) and how to get there.

When managing your team you also have to take into consideration different aspects on culture and behaviors, but you cannot treat them “differently”. You also need to make them to constructively disagree (different ideas are good). You have to make them work as a group but you can’t forget also to treat them individually.

A good methodology you should follow is: prep, do and review. You should also enforce your team with this method.

Great content, really annoying narrator

Where does Being the Boss rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

For this particular topic top in terms of content

What did you like best about this story?

The book is well organized into sections. It flows well from topic to another. Some things may seem obvious but are often missed or ignored. It discusses the common pitfalls of managing others and dealing with a large organization.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator is awful. He sounds like a teenage valley girl. Absolutley the worst and most annoying narrator.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

No

1 of 1 people found this review helpful