Books about Maister from Amazon.com

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 world-renowned 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. To demonstrate the paramount importance of trust, the authors use anecdotes, experiences, and examples -- successes and mistakes, their own and others' -- to great effect. The result is an immensely readable book that will be welcomed by the inexperienced advisor and the most seasoned expert alike..
Price: $6.44 [Notify me when price goes down.]

For the first time in paperback, international expert and consultant David Maister offers a brilliant and accessible guide to every management issue at play in professional firms.

Professional firms differ from other business enterprises in two distinct ways: first, they provide highly customized services and thus cannot apply many of the management principles developed for product-based industries. Second, professional services are highly personalized, involving the skills of individuals. Such firms must therefore compete not only for clients but also for talented professionals.

Drawing on more than ten years of research and consulting to these unique and creative companies, David Maister explores issues ranging from marketing and business development to multinational strategies, human resources policies to profit improvement, strategic planning to effective leadership. While these issues can be complex. Maister simplifies them by recognizing that "every professional service firm in the world, regardless of size, specific profession, or country of operation, has the same mission statement: outstanding service to clients, satisfying careers for its people, and financial success for its owners.".
Price: $14.48 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Professional firms are forever trying to get their people to act like professionals -- to do the right things. Though their various incentives may create employee compliance, these don't often encourage excellence. David Maister, the world's premier consultant to professional service firms, vigorously challenges professionals to examine this essential, yet under-addressed question: What is true professionalism? His answer is clear: It is believing passionately in what you do, never compromising your standards and values, and caring about your clients, your people and your own career. In clear and compelling terms, Maister shows that this approach is not only ethical but also conducive to commercial success..
Price: $7.99 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Winner of the 2003 Financial Times Germany/getAbstract Business & Finance Book Award

Leading Geeks challenges the conventional wisdom that leadership methods are universal and gives executives and managers the understanding they need to manage and lead the technologists on whom they have become so dependent. This much-needed book written in nontechnical language by Paul Glen, a highly acclaimed management consultant gives clear directions on how to effectively lead these brilliant yet notoriously resistant-to-being-managed knowledge workers. Glen not only provides proven management strategies but also background on why traditional approaches often don't work with geeks. Leading Geeks describes the beliefs and behavior of geeks, their group dynamics, and the unique nature of technical work. It also offers a unique twelve-part model that explains how knowledge workers deliver value to an organization.

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Price: $16.45 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Whether you have recently been appointed as a group leader or are a battle-scarred veteran, you know that managing professional people is difficult! In this unique handbook, Patrick J. McKenna and David H. Maister argue that leaders will best enable their people to achieve peak performance not by managing them, not by leading them, but by inspiring them. The authors show you how to actually add value as a group leader or induce people to accept your guidance, even with intelligent professionals who are often free-agents accustomed to having automony to work on grueling assignments with little supervision. They also give advice on how to handle those oh-so-talented but oh-so-annoying professionals who exhibit attitude problems or are just exceedingly difficult to work with, when you need them but they tend to needle you.

The lessons and learnings presented here will give you insights and action tips to help you provoke and inspire your people to their full potential..
Price: $2.50 [Notify me when price goes down.]

*An incisive look at the special skills needed to lead and manage a team of knowledge workers.
Price: $19.86 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Pierre Duplais' seminal "Traité de la Fabrication des Liqueurs et de la Distillation des Alcools" is the authoritative French distillation guide. It went through seven editions from 1855 to 1900 and is the basis of our understanding of 19th century French distillation techniques. A single English edition was published in Philadelphia in 1871, translated by M. McKennie. The special section on absinthe is of particular importance - this is our most accurate and comprehensive guide to the recipes and techniques used by late 19th century absinthe distillers, and is informally regarded as the "bible" of those seeking to duplicate their recipes today. McKennie's translation appears to have been issued in a very small print run, and surviving copies are extremely scarce. This new facsimile edition published by The Virtual Absinthe Museum has been painstakingly compiled from scans of a rare original copy. This perfect-bound PAPERBACK version is just under 700 pages..
Price: $79.12 [Notify me when price goes down.]

We often (or even usually) know what we should be doing in both personal and professional life. We also know why we should be doing it and (often) how to do it. Figuring all that out is not too difficult. What is very hard is actually doing what you know to be good for you in the long-run, in spite of short-run temptations. The same is true for organizations. What is noteworthy is how similar (if not identical) most firms' strategies really are: provide outstanding client service, act like team players, provide a good place to work, invest in your future. No sensible firm (or person) would enunciate a strategy that advocated anything else. However, just because something is obvious does not make it easy. 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. This simple insight, if accepted, has profound implications for 1. how organizations should think about strategy 2. how they should think abou.
Price: $9.59 [Notify me when price goes down.]