Work Happy: What Great Bosses Know

"Library Journal" reviews "WORK HAPPY: WHAT GREAT BOSSES KNOW" in the magazine's current edition.  It goes without saying that librarians can be tough critics, since they see more books than anyone, and are often asked to suggest the best for their patrons.   So, what did the reviewer for "Library Journal" have to say?  I'm pleased to report that the verdict is good and Barnes and Noble is already featuring the review on its site.  Here's what the review says: "In the 1970s, Geisler (leadership & management, Poynter Instit.) was an energetic young reporter for a major market television station. After being promoted to news director, which required leading a staff of 50, she spent several decades honing her management skills in the news industry. Geisler draws her insights for this book from her curriculum at the Poynter Institute as well as the 360-degree feedback instrument she developed, a performance review that includes feedback from all levels of the organization, i.e., supervisors, staff, coworkers, and customers. Through reading the text, doing the exercises (which necessitate some serious soul-searching and self-critiquing), and putting her ideas into practice, readers can increase the level of happiness at the workplaces they manage. The examples she shares—both positive and negative employee critiques of bosses—are especially helpful in distinguishing between managerial behavior that will inspire rather than infuriate. VERDICT Though there are no earth-shattering revelations in these pages, Geisler offers sound advice for managers on how to be the kind of bosses employees like as well as respect. If her ideas were as easy to implement as they are to read, the workplace would indeed be much improved. -- Carol Elsen, Univ. of Wisconsin Libs., Whitewater"  

June 14th -- a beautiful Thursday night in Mequon, Wisconsin, and a wonderful crowd at the Next Chapter Book Store.  Family, friends, colleagues, (yes, including people who worked for me) gathered to help celebrate the launch of "WORK HAPPY: WHAT GREAT BOSSES KNOW."   The event was kicked off by Julie Moos, the editor of Poynter.org.  She is the person who helped me develop the "What Great Bosses Know" columns and podcasts that led to the development of the book. Julie is a wonderful editor and beloved friend, so it was very special to have her fly to Wisconsin from St. Petersburg for the event.  Here are a few of my favorite shots from the evening:

Julie Moos kicks off the festivitiesMy turn to readThey must have come for the food!

Andy Potos greets Virgil Dominic

With brother Jack, his wife Joyce and daughter JoannaHow to thank an editor!Son Noah drove in from Indy!Book signing!

Colleagues who have written books warned me about it -- the "Amazon-check" habit that authors develop when a book is published.  Now I know why.  Every now and then there's the joyful discovery like today's.  This is the business management section of the Kindle store, where "WORK HAPPY: WHAT GREAT BOSSES KNOW" has found its way to #1 today.  It's a wonderful milestone, for however long it may last.  What's really important is that people may be investing in some critical training; new ideas to help them build positive and powerful workplace cultures. If you happen to be one of those who helped nudge the book up the list today, my sincere thanks to you.  Please feel free to share your feedback -- either here on this site, on the "WORK HAPPY: WHAT GREAT BOSSES KNOW" Facebook page. Some people have been sending me photos of themselves with their books, and I've been posting them to the Facebook page.  Join us!  

Here's what Amazon.com's business book section looked like this morning -- June 8, 2012! Both the hard copy and Kindle versions of "WORK HAPPY: WHAT GREAT BOSSES KNOW" are displayed as "Hot New Releases."  It's always encouraging to see that kind of showcasing, isn't it? It's been interesting hearing from people who have very particular preferences about how they consume books.  Some just love the convenience of an instant download, readable on a small, portable device.  Others don't feel they have a complete reading experience unless they can feel a book in their hands.  What's your preferred mode of book reading?

You're looking at the studios of WUWM, the public radio station in my home town of Milwaukee.  Host Mitch Teich invited me in for an interview about "WORK HAPPY: WHAT GREAT BOSSES KNOW" for the station's local news and public affairs show, "Lake Effect."    Public radio is a wonderful venue for authors.  Editors at my publishing house, Hachette, tell me that public radio listeners tend to be avid readers. "Lake Effect" airs on Wednesdays at 10am Central time, and as of this writing, the book interview is scheduled to air on Wednesday, June 13th. Thanks, Mitch, for being well-prepared and asking great questions about how bosses become great!

My husband Neil picked me up at the airport today, as I was coming home from teaching a leadership workshop in Mobile.  "Let's stop at Barnes and Noble on the way home," he suggested. Tomorrow is the officially release date for the book, but he thought it would be worthwhile to check the shelves today. When we arrived, he took his camera out of the trunk, so I suspected he knew something I didn't.  In fact, he had done a little advance scouting.  Sure enough, there in the "New Non-Fiction" area in business books, that bright, eye-catching cover, smiling right at us. It's been a wonderful journey, bringing this book to life.  Now, it can bring happiness to workplaces!   Feel free to contact me through the book's Facebook page if you'd like to share your thoughts or ask for advice.

What better way to spend the weekend before the official publication date of the book, than conducting a leadership workshop for some very bright young managers in the Raycom Media group.  Raycom believes in growing leaders from within the organization, and each year selects up-and-coming mid-level managers for specialized training. I've played a role in that program for several years running.  Being a manager is serious business, of course, but if you read my book, you'll see that I believe levity is a key value of leadership. As a surprise to the class, Raycom's news VP, Susana Schuler purchased early copies of the book from Amazon.com, and presented each one with a copy, which I then signed.  This photo was taken after they learned about the importance of feedback -- and my concept of "feedback glasses" (also in the book.) We took a few class pictures together, and needless to say, this one is my hands-down favorite.

This was the scene today as two boxes arrived at the Poynter Institute, to my attention.  This was the day I'd been waiting for -- to see the final, final product: the hard cover edition of my book.  I carried the boxes into the office of Julie Moos, who is the editor of our institute's web publication.  I refer to her as the "midwife" of the book, because she's been the editor of my "Great Bosses" columns, helped develop the iTunes U podcasts, and held my hand through every step of the book process.   When she saw me, her eyes lit up and she guessed what was up.  She handed me her scissors, grabbed her cell phone camera, and said she wanted to record as I saw the hard cover version of the book for the first time. Here's the unboxing -- as it happened: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6XMYDSkUPg Thanks, Julie!

Isn't this a great picture?  It's dynamic, iconic -- it represents a real team with real trust.  The best part of all, is that it isn't some stock photo.  It's a real event.  It wasn't posed.  In fact, it happened in an instant.  I know because I was there.  My hand is in that circle.  But let me be clear: I didn't instigate it.  I just chose to take part, just as every other person did.  This photo is the jumping off point for a column I've written in my "What Great Bosses Know" series for the Poynter Institute. The column offers eight tips for leaders who want to build strong, high performing teams.  It takes trust to build and sustain a true team.  So, here's a link to the column, (just click on the highlighted words to get there) with all eight tips, and the interesting back story of how that picture came to life. (Photo credit to Scott Simmie of The Toronto Star.)

"WORK HAPPY: WHAT GREAT BOSSES KNOW" now has a Facebook Page. Sarah Reck, web publicist at Hachette did a terrific job setting up the page.  This a great way to augment the site you are currently reading -- because it provides an easy opportunity for me to connect with you. I'd really like the site to be a gathering place for good ideas on leadership, robust and civil conversations about issues managers and employees face, and a chance to chat with readers. I'll use the site to post information about book events and adventures and to invite your suggestions for leadership and management topics for my Poynter.org columns and podcasts.  If you like that idea, then click on this link, which will take you to the page for "WORK HAPPY: WHAT GREAT BOSSES KNOW" -- where I hope you "like" what you see.