“In a world of relentless change, one of the few sources of competitive advantage for companies is the quality of their management practices. Top executives are increasingly looking for ways to rethink their management processes and systems. In this book, Julian Birkinshaw suggests a complementary approach – to push responsibility for rethinking management down to individual managers, and to help them find better ways of doing their job on an individual basis, one person at a time. Becoming a Better Boss is a revolutionary approach to management because it starts from the view of the person being managed, not the one doing the managing.”

Gary Hamel, best-selling author and management thinker

“We know the secret of long term success is more engaged employees. In this book Julian Birkinshaw shows how managers can do a much better job of fully engaging the people around them, so they can do their best work.”

David MacLeod, author of The MacLeod Report to the UK Government, “Engaging for Success”

“Great companies are defined by the quality of their managers. At Roche, we expect our managers to take a genuine interest in their people, to empower and trust them, and to exhibit integrity, courage and passion. This may sound straightforward, but it’s not – it takes real effort and commitment to do these things on a sustained basis. In Becoming a Better Boss, Julian Birkinshaw provides a clear roadmap for how we can all become great managers.”

Jayson Dallas, General Manager, Roche UK

“Good leadership and management begins with good people management and it’s never been more important given the increasing diversity of the workforce and the ways in which we work. Julian’s book speaks to these challenges and is full of great case studies, models, and ideas about how to effectively manage and engage the workforce of today, and of the future, for leaders at all levels. As he has done so often on the topics of management, he is able to bring new perspectives and insights and deliver these in a highly readable and engaging way.”

Peter Cheese, CEO, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development

“Julian’s new book is perhaps the world’s first discourse that looks at management from the eyes of the employees. With this simple yet path-breaking thought Birkinshaw ends up providing a practical roadmap for individuals to function effectively within an organization no matter how archaic/dysfunctional its structures or management machinery is.”

Vineet Nayar, Vice Chairman, HCL Technologies

“One of the hallmarks of a truly successful company is its ability to harness the talents and skills of its employees across the world. In this book, Julian Birkinshaw shows why so many companies struggle with this, and he offers practical advice to help managers at all levels be more effective at getting the most out of their people.”

Ayman Asfari, CEO, Petrofac