David H. Maister

A guide to managing professional environments by two noted business consultants provides readers with the "play book" for inspiring employees to do their best on the job as it furnishes helpful guidance on the art of leadership. Reprint. 30,000 first printing.

The 20th anniversary edition of the "brilliant and practical" (Tom Peters, author of The Professional Service 50) business classic--now updated to reflect the digital world--provides essential tools and wisdom for all consultants, negotiators, and advisors.In today's fast-paced networked economy, professionals must work harder than ever to maintain and improve their business skills and knowledge. But technical mastery of one's discipline is not enough, assert professional advisors David H. Maister, Charles H. Green, and Robert M. Galford. The key to professional success, they argue, is the ability to earn the trust and confidence of clients. In this 20th anniversary edition, Maister, Green, and Galford enrich our understanding of today's society and illustrate how to be effective communicators in a digital world. Using their model of "the trust equation" they dissect the rational and emotional components of trustworthiness. With precision and clarity, they detail five distinct steps you must take to create a trust-based relationship. Each step--engage, listen, frame, envision, and commit--is richly described in distinct chapters. This immensely accessible book offers "an invaluable road map to all those who seek to develop truly special relationships with their clients" (Carl Stern, CEO, Boston Consulting Group). The authors weave together anecdotes, experience, and examples of both their own and others' successes and mistakes to great effect. The Trusted Advisor is essential reading for anyone who must advise, negotiate, or manage complex relationships with others.

We often (or even usually) know what we should be doing in both our personal and professional life. We also know why we should be doing it and (often) how to do it. Real strategy lies not in figuring out what to do, but in devising ways to ensure that, compared to others, we actually do more of what everybody knows they should do. In 18 chapters, Maister explores the fat smoker syndrome and how individuals, managers, and organisations can overcome the temptations of the short-term and actually do what they already know is good for them.

Managing people when you're not their boss is a challenge, particularly in professional service firms where, increasingly, top professionals are being tapped to lead their peers. Now Patrick McKenna and David Maister provide a 'play book' for professionals trying to be both a team member and coach. In industies ranging from banking and insurance to law and engineering, as well as in research labs and software companies, management responsibility is increasingly delegated - usually without guidance - to those who head up smaller teams of professionals. FIRST AMONG EQUALS speaks directly to those who have gone from focusing on their own performance to being a group manager in charge of leading others. From understanding the group leader role to setting terms of reference and effectively dealing with talented prima donnas, McKenna and Maister present a thorough introduction to managing and orchestrating talent.

Draws on an international survey, case studies, and business interviews to identify the qualities of successful companies and managers, providing examples and guidelines on how to motivate employees, instill ethical principles, and promote a culture of cooperation and integrity. Reprint. 20,000 first printing.

International expert and business guru David Maister offers a brilliant and accessible guide to every management issue at play in professional service firms.

In order to survive, today's professionals must earn the trust of their clients and re-earn it throughout their careers. Now David Maister, the famed ""guru's guru,"" joins forces with a pair of elite consultants to deliver a dynamic must read for successfully negotiating relationships in today's bold new economy.

This text offers practical ideas on the managerial problems of professional service firms. It shows that professional firms are different from other business enterprises in two ways. First, they are in the business of providing highly customized services and therefore cannot apply many of the management principles developed for the mass production industrial world. Second, professional services are highly personalized and involve the skills of individuals, therefore firms must compete not only for clients, but also for talented professionals. This text explores issues ranging from marketing and business development to multinational strategies, from human resource policies to profit improvement strategies, from strategic planning to the effective behaviour of practice leaders.