Management skills for everyday life (in progress)

Chapter 1: What predicts success?

"In contrast to derailed managers, successful managers tend to have a more accurate understanding of their abilities (or may slightly underestimate their abilities), seek more feedback on their performance, and invest more in continuous learning and self-improvement. Consequently, they develop a broader skill set that enables them to grow into their new jobs and serves them well in a variety of situations."

Some of the observations about predictors of management performance fail to account for restriction of range or Berkson's paradox. Given this and some other errors in interpreting studies, it is difficult to know how much to trust the rest of the book.

Predictors of success:

• Intelligence (though the book emphasizes that it's only one factor)

• Conscientiousness

• Proactiveness

• Learning orientation

• Self-awareness

• Emotional intelligence

• Emotional stability

(The original list is a bit longer, but there is a lot of overlap between the categories.)

Like a firefighter, you should be willing to drop your tools if they're holding you back rather than helping you. What are you doing just because you've always done it?

Chapter 2: Developing self-awareness