Manager’s Handbook - The 17 Skills Leaders Need to Stand Out

Oct 13, 2026

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Manager’s Handbook focuses on the 17 skills leaders need to stand out, organized into five parts covering leadership mindset, managing oneself, managing individuals, managing teams, and managing the business. It provides practical guidance on topics such as the transition to leadership, building trust and credibility, emotional intelligence, communication, productivity, delegation, feedback, talent development, team leadership and creativity, hiring and retention, strategy, financial tools, and building business cases, ending with an epilogue, sources, and index.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLetters

FormatPDF

Pages352

Reading Time2 h 3 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

PART ONE - Develop a Leader Mindset

1. The Transition to Leadership

2. Building Trust and Credibility

3. Emotional Intelligence

4. Positioning Yourself for Success

PART TWO - Managing Yourself

5. Becoming a Person of Influence

6. Communicating Effectively

7. Personal Productivity

8. Self-Development

PART THREE - Managing Individuals

9. Delegating with Confidence

10. Giving Effective Feedback

11. Developing Talent

PART FOUR - Managing Teams

12. Leading Teams

13. Fostering Creativity

14. Hiring—and Keeping—the Best

PART FIVE - Managing the Business

15. Strategy: A Primer

16. Mastering Financial Tools

17. Developing a Business Case

Epilogue

Sources

Index

Manager’s Handbook The 17 Skills Leaders Need to Stand Out Harvard Business Review Manager’s Handbook Harvard Business Review Manager’s Handbook The 17 Skills Leaders Need To Stand Out Harvard Business Review Press Boston, Massachusetts HBR Press Quantity Sales Discounts Harvard Business Review Press titles are available at signiﬁcant quantity discounts when purchased in bulk for client gifts, sales promotions, and premiums. Special editions, including books with corporate logos, customized covers, and letters from the company or CEO printed in the front matter, as well as excerpts of existing books, can also be created in large quantities for special needs. For details and discount information for both print and ebook formats, [contact booksales@harvardbusiness.org](contact booksales@harvardbusiness.org), tel. 800-988-0886, [or www.hbr.org/bulksales](or www.hbr.org/bulksales). Copyright 2017 Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 The material in this book has been adapted and revised from works listed in the Sources section and from Harvard Business Essentials Manager’s Toolkit: The 13 Skills Managers Need to Succeed (Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing, 2004), subject advisor Christopher Bartlett. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior permission of the publisher. Requests for permission should be directed to permissions@ [hbsp.harvard.edu](hbsp.harvard.edu), or mailed to Permissions, Harvard Business School Publishing, 60 Harvard Way, Boston, Massachusetts 02163. The web addresses referenced in this book were live and correct at the time of the book’s publication but may be subject to change. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Harvard Business Review Press. Title: The Harvard Business Review manager’s handbook : the 17 skills leaders need to stand out. Description: Boston, Massachusetts : Harvard Business Review Press,[2017] Identiﬁers: LCCN 2016030997| ISBN 9781633691247 (pbk. : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781633692114 (hardcover : alk. paper) Subjects: LCSH: Management—Handbooks, manuals, etc. Classiﬁcation: LCC HD38.15 .H375 2017 | DDC 658.4/092—dc23 LC record available at [https://lccn.loc.gov/2016030997](https://lccn.loc.gov/2016030997) [eIBSN: 9781633692299](eIBSN: 9781633692299) The paper used in this publication meets the requirements of the American National Standard for Permanence of Paper for Publications and Documents in Libraries and Archives Z39.48-1992 Contents Introduction 1 PART ONE Develop a Leader Mindset 1. The Transition to Leadership 7 Understanding your role as a manager 7 The diﬀerence between management and leadership 9 Demystifying leadership 10 Handling the emotional challenges ofthe transition 13 2. Building Trust and Credibility 23 Establishing your character 25 Demonstrating your competence 27 Cultivating authentic leadership 29 Ethics and integrity 32 3. Emotional Intelligence 37 What is emotional intelligence? 39 The power of self-awareness 39 Emotional steadiness and self-control 43 Managing an employee’s emotions 45 Building social awareness on your team 48 vi Contents 4. Positioning Yourself for Success 55 Redeﬁning success 55 Understanding your organization’s strategy 57 Planning for strategic alignment 60 PART TWO Managing Yourself 5. Becoming a Person of Inﬂuence 67 Positional versus personal power 68 Managing up 71 Partnering with your peers 74 Silo busting and eﬀectiveness 76 Promoting your ideas to others 78 6. Communicating Eﬀectively 85 Finding your voice as a leader 85 Mastering the written word 87 Persuasive presentations 92 Conducting eﬀective meetings 96 7. Personal

FAQs

What are the five main parts of the handbook?

The handbook is organized into five parts: Develop a Leader Mindset, Managing Yourself, Managing Individuals, Managing Teams, and Managing the Business.

Which leadership and emotional topics are covered early in the book?

Early chapters address the transition to leadership, building trust and credibility, and emotional intelligence, including self-awareness, emotional control, and managing others’ emotions.

How does the handbook guide managers on business decisions and planning?

It covers strategy fundamentals, financial performance tools (like understanding financial statements and budgeting), and how to develop a business case including stakeholder perspectives, cost/benefit analysis, risk mitigation, and gaining buy-in.

Oct 13, 2026

Upload by dawugda