In this book the author explains that managers must build human capital and engender employee engagement by managing them almost not at all, by attending instead to the factors and circumstances that make them successful. In other words, managers must play their role from offstage and out of the limelight. Based on a survey of over 16,000 employees, the author presents Towers-Watson' management performance model: Executing tasks, Building relationships and performance capability, and Energizing change. Additionally, managers must create an atmosphere of authenticity and trust.

Preface viiPart I: Context 11 Do Managers Matter? 3A Brief History of Management 4Defining Management and Leadership 7The Definition, and the Power, of Engagement 16Summary 222 Why Managers Have a Tough Job 25Employees Are Smart and Demanding 26We Have Ambivalent Feelings about Leadership and Followership 29We Really Don't Like Being Told What to Do 32Managers Behave Badly 33Summary 363 A New Model of Manager Performance 39Managers and Competitive Advantage 41The Manager Performance Model 51Summary 664 Constructing the Manager Role 71Manager Contribution--The Player-Coach Job 72Manager Competency--The Technical Skill Dilemma 74The Size of the Job--Span of Control 81Building the Role System 89Summary 101Part II: Implementation 1035 Executing Tasks 105Planning Work 106Clarifying Job Roles 115Monitoring Progress 137Summary 1396 Developing People 143Acting as a Human Capital Treasurer 144Providing Direct Development 153Goal Setting and Performance Feedback 161Summary 1727 Delivering the Deal 177Transforming the Extrinsic into the Intrinsic 178Individualizing Rewards 181Boosting Engagement Through Recognition 187Summary 1948 Energizing Change 199Coping with Imposed Change 200Choosing to Change 213Sustaining Engagement 218Summary 2259 Authenticity and Trust 229Connecting Authenticity and Trust 229Building Trust Through Authenticity 232Implications for Manager Performance 244Summary 25310 Fitting the Pieces Together 257Manager Role Structure and Performance Model--A Summary 258What Makes a Great Manager? 259Can a Good Manager Manage Anything? 265Make Versus Buy 266Notes for Those Who Want Managers to Succeed 269Notes 281The Authors 313Index 315