Everything I Need to Know About Being a Manager, I Learned From My Kids

Being a parent and being a manager have a lot in common. Both involve long hours and a daunting list of responsibilities. Both require clear communication skills and a good sense of humour. In this unique look at the modern workplace, Ian Durston, a successful project manager and happy father of three, uses his experience raising children to shed light on the perennial challenges of management. Issues such as leadership, motivation, performance, team building and change are explored not only through the author's experience as a manager, but, more importantly, through the rituals every parent must go through in raising his or her child. Getting his son to sleep while on holiday becomes a lesson in flexibility on the job; dealing with tantrums at home provides insight into the role of assertiveness at work; and watching his youngest begin to walk is used as an example of the trial-and-error method and the importance of failure as a learning tool.