Crossing the Minefield is a front-line guide to surviving the daily bombardment of pressures and problems that managers must endure in an era of constant change. Robert W. Barner has distilled the problems to six basic challenges: (1) how to respond quickly to demands from both senior management and customers; (2) how to manage stress and burnout in yourself and your team members; (3) how to focus efforts on truly critical issues; (4) how to motivate your work team and yourself to the highest performance possible; (5) how to make the most of available staff; and (6) how to use positive politics to forge alliances with other managers and departments.
The author provides an arsenal of weapons to meet each challenge, including warning signs to watch for, dozens of specific strategies and tactics, examples from real-life situations, exercises to learn from, and illustrations for immediate application. The book also includes a ready-to-use trainer's guide so that the book's principles can be taught to other managers throughout your organization.
Recognizing these six critical challenges - and learning how to attack them efficiently and confidently - will yield you great benefits. You will be able to deal proactively with trouble before it becomes overwhelming; set and achieve high, but realistic, goals; create a more committed and productive team; avoid no-win, wasteful activities; and enhance your career by achieving success despite enormous obstacles.