Over the years, we have met and collaborated with many wonderful people, but Mike Cook stands out as one of the most experienced and interesting partners we have ever worked with. CoachingOurselves co-founder Phil LeNir and Mike developed a close relationship and decided to write a book together on the importance of experience and human based management learning. Unfortunately, Phil was unable to keep on the project, but Mike began writing on his own and just completed the book “Thriving in the Middle”. This book contains a wonderful set of stories and concepts for operational leaders and learning and development professionals. It will stimulate your thinking and open your eyes to a very humanistic perspectives on organizations and management.Read the synopsis below and click here to purchase the book. Enjoy!
“How does your company train its operational-level managers? Do they go offsite, learn new information from a management expert, receive a training manual, or something similar? Most businesses fall into this development category, treating managers as our academic system treats students. The results, unfortunately, consist of short-lived bursts of enthusiasm and little measurable improvement, in part due to the lack of day-to-day applicability and personal accountability. Thriving in the Middle looks to replace this ineffective version of management development with a more culturally founded, experience-dependent model. Based on decades of leadership experience and breakthrough studies, Mike Cook establishes the case for “Distributed Development Communities,” in which application takes place in a near-real-time, experiential environment using actual situations faced. In this model, process-driven development is more frequent and delivered in small doses, and operational-level managers are coached and groomed to become great operational-level managers without the subtext of upward advancement. Learn the attributes and processes of better management improvement. Your bottom line and your front line will thank you for it.”