Van Mell

Being a great boss can make a huge difference in people’s lives. In 2022, there were 887 accredited MBA programs in the world, so why hasn’t there been a simple, standard book clearly defining the manager’s job? Atoms & Orchestras: The Case for Standards-Based Management finally gives the world a common language of terms, tools, and practices. The standards include the one-page Pledge of Managerial Power, the single-screen General Management Index (The Index) of terms and practices, and the half-page Milwaukee Model of Manager Development. The Toolkit includes one-page tools-tested with hundreds of executives in every sector-for meeting management, planning, process improvement, and project oversight. Concise, readable, practical, Atoms & Orchestras can be read section by section, each of which ends with a recap and a simple set of individual and group activities to try. The last chapter, ＂Management as a Calling,＂ makes the plea that managers can and should think of their work like other helping professions. Be the boss everyone wants to work for!