Managing Assertively: How to Improve Your People Skills: A Self-Teaching Guide

A few months ago, I used Madelyn Burley-Allen's "Managing Assertively" (1995, 224-page paperback) with colleagues in a personal assessment seminar. Our intent was to improve our professional growth while focusing on career talents. The book's study and application, as a people skills improvement self-teaching guide, has proven to be a rewarding experience. Burley-Allen's pioneering presentation, in a workbook type instrument, assists learning for the workplace novice and veteran. Each of the 11 chapters brings case studies, check lists, and an "assertive statements" section. Her lecture method is very comfortable and informative. The book could be most applicable, and effective, as a department, or workgroup, training program. Perhaps, the most helpful portions of this book are chapters 5 (on "Listening"), 7 (about "Feedback"), and 8 ("Saying No"). Burley-Allen's advice and direction are poignant: "be persistent", "be specific", "get the facts", "practice regularly", "encourage feedback", "take responsibility", etc. Her most challenging suggestion, and principal point, is "be assertive, not aggressive". This self-help book will make you a better leader, manager, and person. Burley-Allen may be used at the office, at home, and beyond. It is recommended to everyone wanting to improve his or her everyday interpersonal skills and business acumen.

A very useful book for changing your attitude towards others and towards yourself. It has a lot of exercises. Some of the examples can be skipped, since some of them tell the same things.

Managing Assertively is an excellent teaching quide for improving your people skills. It gives defination to the different types of supervisory styles that exist. The book uses exercises to teach an eight step building block plan for managing assertively. This plan can be used daily to improve your supervisory skills. A great book to build confidence and self awareness.

A super self-teaching guide for managers (and others) who want to develop assertiveness skills! This isn't just a book of theories. There are practical exercises and lots of self-assessment tools. It's worth adding to your reference shelf and sharing with others. Wondering why you're having trouble getting through to someone? Need to turn a personality clash into a more productive relationship? While this book doesn't promise to cure all your woe's, it offers techniques that are simple to apply and they work! It helped me identify the events, thought processes and attitudes that influence the results I get when interacting with others. You'll be surprised at what you learn about yourself. These easy to adopt behaviors can improve your relationships with others. Try it and see.