September 2002

First among equals: How to manage a group of professionals

By Patrick J. McKenna and David H. Maister
Published by Free Press, 2002; $26.00; ISBN 0-7432-25551-1
Reviewed by Thomas W. Morris

Several years ago, a creativity consultant with an impressive client list and respectable media visibility asked to meet with me about collaborating on a project. He saw authoring a book as a way to boost his credibility and exposure, and, I suspected at the time, an add-on to sell to clients.

His plan was this: Having read everything on business creativity and innovation, he wanted to put all of the good ideas in one book. I suggested that case studies from some of his household-name corporate clients that had profited from his creativity-enhancing process would make interesting reading and a better book. He didn’t like that. Hoping his issue was something like client confidentiality, I suggested composites, fictionalized stories, and other ways to share lessons without violating confidences or spoiling a client’s next breakthrough announcement. He still wasn’t interested, and the discussion wound down. Although I told him I’d pass, whenever we ran into each other later he mentioned “our book idea.” But nothing happened and thus far the publishing industry has been spared another mediocre book.

This story relates to First Among Equals because it, too, contains nothing revolutionary. Nor does it make grandiose claims or hyperbolic statements about new concepts of vision or leadership, despite a look and tone that often signal more style than substance. The subtitle, “How to Manage a Group of Professionals,” aptly describes the book’s mission—a coaching manual for the professional services company—and it delivers on that promise.

New ideas aren’t necessarily good, of course. Very often ideas are easy but showing how to use them—the real work—is more difficult. And although few of the authors’ ideas are new, many old ideas are updated in useful ways. For example, the effective use of e-mail and other current technologies has changed how people relate to their work, each other, and information. Many ideas and discussions are delivered in quotes and long passages from managers, most of whom are named. The authors have clearly had direct contact with the people whose coaching experience is worth observing.

The book is organized into 23 chapters in four broad areas:

• Getting ready
• Coaching the individual
• Coaching the team
• Building the future.

The material is presented in a conversational voice that is more like a magazine than a book. The succinct chapters, with many checklists and lists of bullets, make it highly user-friendly for busy people. Although each chapter stands on its own, the book is well organized. These qualities are also noticeable on the website, www.firstamongequals.com, where many sections—such as a diagnostic test from the book’s introduction—are available. The website resources include questions and answers between readers and the authors, and a e-mail link for further questions.

Something the book does very well is to break long processes down into steps. In many cases, such as a counseling meeting between two conflicting coworkers, it includes a mini–role play. There, a hypothetical what-to-say script helps a coach prepare for a difficult situation, anticipate different outcomes, and thus feel in control. In the chapter “Deal with Your Crises,” the examples resound weakly given the events of the last year, but the advice is nonetheless clear and no less useful.

One of the book’s strengths is showing diverse ways to solve problems and make changes, the message being that there is no single correct way. The right solution in a given situation will depend on the circumstances and individuals; there are no quick fixes. The chapter “Listen to Build Rapport” is especially good because it puts sound human relations advice about active listening entirely in a business context if not specifically a professional services one. It also shows the necessary follow-through of keeping written records, and five approaches to “Dealing with Bad Listeners” that include realistic examples of what to say or do to apply each approach.

For the manager or any professional whose responsibilities include managing groups, this book will be a useful tool. Neither a motivational text nor a pep talk in print, it delivers a strong, positive tone about how to manage groups and the value of doing it well.