Product Description

Economic uncertainty. Employee loyalty. Power struggles. Conflict resolution. Tony Soprano has to deal with leadership problems just like any CEO. Aside from "whacking" people (a definite no-no in most corporate environments), his strategies and tactics can work for you. He’s direct, he’s fast… and he’s successful. Learn what makes him such an effective leader in this offbeat management guide, including advice you can you use on: - Busting Balls and Building Teams - Behind the Bada Bing: Making Decisions - Sit Downs, Stand-Ups and Other Meetings - What Carmela Knows: Managing Up - And more…

With case studies, worksheets, tips on managing up and delegating—and a special chapter on what Tony does wrong—this is a business book like none you’ve ever read. Use it to gain insight—and find street-smart ways to manage your own workplace family.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #274127 in Books
• Published on: 2004-02-03
• Released on: 2004-02-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Review
Funny, wise and well-written... readers will learn to lead smarter, manage faster, delegate better, and turn vision into value. -- Lewis S. Ranieri, Chairman, Hyperion Partners, Former Vice Chairman, Salomon Brothers

Smart, funny and relevant... will help you be a better manager, run a more effective company, and make more money. -- Julie Stav, Author of GET YOUR SHARE and FUND YOUR FUTURE

TONY SOPRANO ON MANAGEMENT is really a great business education. -- Tim Zagat

About the Author
Anthony Schneider is a nationally recognized marketing consultant and leadership coach. He is the founder and CEO of Web Zeit, an Internet strategy firm in New York City whose clients include Pfizer, J.P. Morgan Chase, Dell and HarperCollins. His interests include waste management, Newark real estate, and cooking pasta.

Customer Reviews

Nuggets of Management Wisdom
Schneider has mined nuggets of management wisdom from the first four seasons of Sopranos episodes, and he cleverly uses quotes, anecdotes, and vignettes from the show to illustrate his lessons about management skills such as delegating, negotiating, and giving praise.

Tony Soprano on Management has additional attractions, if you're not a Sopranos fan. The book includes an excellent chapter offering advice on how to manage up (that is, how to influence people in management positions above you). There are also plenty of case studies and traditional advice on good management practices, along with worksheets to help readers identify their hot buttons or concerns and plan future corrective actions.

Kathy Graden
Society for Technical Communication
November, 2004

Tony Soprano on Management
I found "Tony Soprano on Management" by Anthony Schneider to be a well written, coherent discussion of leadership rules in which every manager should follow. He covers every aspect of leadership from knowing yourself to dealing with poor performance. Several of the essential theories of leadership discussed in this text include seeing your vision, making decisions, resolving conflict, delegating, fueling energy, negotiating, and building the right team. In every chapter, Schneider uses the Tony Soprano approach as a guideline for the rules of management. For instance, knowing yourself is the first rule of leadership presented by Schneider. He introduces this rule by explaining that the beginning of The Sopranos pilot, Tony Soprano is in the waiting room of his therapist, Dr. Melfi. Schneider states, "what is more symbolic of a man on a quest of self-knowledge than standing in the waiting room before his first meeting with a therapist?" Several lines later, Schneider is able to relate Tony Soprano's therapist visits to rules of leadership. "Knowing yourself and understanding your tendencies as a person and leader are keys to becoming a better person and a more effective leader." Throughout this entire book, Schneider backs up every argument on leadership style with an example from The Sopranos.

In addition to the valuable contents of the book, the set up of each chapter is useful for leaders working to improve their skills. Each chapter breaks down the aspects of leadership into segments. For instance, the chapter on praise and feedback examines how to determine when praise is due, rapidly responding to praiseworthy performance, praising in public and reprimanding in private, and the effects of annual performance evaluations. Each segment includes bullet-pointed summaries and worksheets, and the chapter concludes with a wrap-up summary. The style of the book allows it to become a workbook for the aspiring leader.

Schneider's technique of using mob boss, Tony Soprano, as an example keeps the reader intrigued and entertained. For example, he compares Tony's decisions to "whack people" with a manager's decisions on firing employees. He even includes comical quotes from Tony, such as, "[Screwed-up] thing is I don't even like Ralph. If he was drowning, I'd throw him a cinderblock. But not protect one of my captains?" This quote indicates that a good leader always stands by his or her team. Schneider's entire discussion of leadership style is presented in a knowledgeable, organized manner. The added element of Tony Soprano, one of America's favorite mobsters, leads me to classify this book as a must-read for any type of manager or leader.

Remarkable General Business Book
This is a remarkable book. It's smart, fun to read, very up to date in terms of case studies, methods and examples from the corporate and not-for-profit worlds, both in the US and abroad.

I'm an old manager, stuffy, jaded. Someone recommended this book, and I didn't think I'd like it. I don't like many biz books. But this one is a winner. It's not just for managers -- entrepreneurs, freelancers, board members, this book is for you.

My favorite chapter is on vision. Another favorite deals with time-saving, decision making and delegating. I try and try to get better at those things, and usually books don't help. But so far, this one is.