John Newton and I are pals. We bonded over book reviews for this very publication and both pride ourselves on being unapologetically, even fearlessly, frank.
So when he wrote a book, and I was asked to review it, it could have all been terribly awkward.
But luckily, although not surprisingly, he’s written a cracker. And, what’s more, it’s not about marketing. It’s about management, and how to do it well - something that is in short supply in our world.
Aimed at 'first-time line managers’, Nurture is a really practical guide for anyone who wants to remind themselves what ‘good’ looks like when it comes to running a team, and doing it well.
The book consists of 55 micro-chapters, each of which deals with one of the really important - but often overlooked - attributes of effective management. John’s style is warm and very accessible, which helps make this 93 page tome one of those you can get through in a couple of lunch hours. This makes it perfect for the intended audience, although I suspect that anyone who manages anyone (and I really mean ‘anyone’ here, in both cases) will get a lot from this - even if it is just a reminder of the boring-but-important things that make all the difference to your team.
If I had a bad word to say about it, I would. And John knows that, and I suspect he would respect me for it.
Trouble is, I don’t. I just wish I’d written it myself.
Buy it. Read it. Make sure everyone on your team reads it.
Then read it again.
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