Just out of Hibernation, what did I miss? 3 reviews done and a list as big as my arm of ones to com...
Just out of Hibernation, what did I miss? 3 reviews done and a list as big as my arm of ones to come! I will read and rate as many as I can as I ease myself back into Ciao life.
Member since:21.05.2001
Reviews:44
Members who trust:74
It had to happen, sooner or later, so I though I may as well make it sooner. With a username like Dogbert I had to write at least one opinion on a Dilbert book, whether or not it will be the first and last is yet to be decided.
Incase you have no idea what a Dilbert book is, I’ll try to explain. There are over 10 Million copies of Dilbert books in print, and even that figure is a little old now. The comic strips are featured in more than 2,000 newspapers in approximately 56 countries, which makes it one of the most successful syndicated comic strips in history.
So if you haven’t heard of Dilbert what have you been doing? The first book The Dilbert Principle and this book were both number 1 New York Times best sellers and have sold over a million copies of each! The books are a very humorous and yet painfully accurate look at the world of Business. So if you have ever worked, there will be something in this book for you. Dilbert books (I think) are hard to describe. They are not novels or stories as such, but they do contain short comic strips. So the closest thing that this book could be compared to is a text book, but it’s nothing like a text book. So I’ll do my best.
Unlike most of the Dilbert books, Dogbert’s Top Secret Management Handbook is written in
the character of Dogbert, big surprise there then. To set the scene I’ll just give you a brief description of Dogbert. Dogbert is as his name suggests a dog, but unlike normal dogs he wears glasses, oh yes and he believes that all humans were placed here for his enjoyment.
This description can be found on the Dilbert Website: “dig deep enough beneath the fur and you’ll find…a cynical, arrogant, conniving little mutt with his paw on the pulse of the absurdity of corporate culture”. So who better to write a handbook on how to become a more effective manager!
The book has 8 chapters:
Chapter 1 Acting like a manager Chapter 2 Motivating Employees Chapter 3 Communicating Chapter 4 Success Strategies Chapter 5 Compensation Chapter 6 Getting rid of employees Chapter 7 How to be a happy manager Chapter 8 Conclusion
There is also an introduction and two appendices.
It seems to me that all managers have read this book or are automatically programmed with the ideas that are found within. If you have ever wondered what is going on in your bosses head or need some advice on how to act like a manager, then this book is for you. The book is written in the style of a self help guide for managers, taking them through almost every area of management. Don’t worry though you don’t need to be a manager to read it, simply as it highlights what managers do and shows how stupid the y really are. And yes doing a Human Resources Degree that may place me in management one day, does that make me extra stupid?
The book includes such topics as:
“Pretending to care – how to hear without listening”
“Incentives – inspire employees by giving them worthless knickknacks!”
“Company newsletters – communicate without the risk of conveying information!”
“Competition – The joy of setting your people against one another”
“Empty promises of promotion – Enjoy all the motivational benefits with none of the cost!”
The format of the book is the typical Dilbert style. There are diagrams and comic strips separating the text. This serves two purposes. Firstly they do help to illustrate the point excellently, and secondly it stops you getting tired of reading.
I’m not all that good at reading books, for the simple reason I have the attention span of a chipmunk in a circus hall of mirrors. I know that doesn’t make sense, but I assure you that my attention span is low. However, I find that I can read this book and not want to put it down, and for me that is something special.
Scott Adams has an amazing talent of describing situations so accurately that you feel like he has been spying on your boss! His writing style is very witty and some of the comparisons he draws are hilarious. In this book though, he takes on the persona of Dogbert, which means he is a lot more cynical and evil, and it is wonderful. I recommend you read this book in private, I read some on a bus once and was getting odd looks from people the whole journey for laughing out loud.
Have you heard of the Hierarchy of needs, a basic motivational theory? Well Dogbert adapts this to show how a manager would perceive it.
Dogbert’s Top Secret Management Handbook takes you on a trip from looking and acting like a manager, to keeping your employees working hard, to getting rid of employees and getting promotion. I guarantee you will find something your boss has said or done in here.
Dogbert’s Top Secret Management Handbook is not my favorite Dilbert book that honour goes to The Dilbert Principle, but it is a very close second. I’m not sure why I say this, they are both great books, but the range of subjects is much more varied in The Dilbert Principle. This book is still very funny and in my opinion worth the few quid that I spent on it. I paid £6.99 for my copy, which is the recommended retail price, but you can probably get it a bit cheaper if you look hard enough. (Amazon.co.uk have it for £5.59, but then there are the postage costs!) If you like hardback books you can pay £12.99 and get it that way, although I don’t see the point myself.
“Leadership isn’t something you’re born with. It’s something you learn by reading Dogbert books.”
So there is my first review of a book, how did I do? I would really appreciate your comments on this one as I have no idea what people will make of this. Thanks for reading.
Hmmm yes...an extra portion of stupid for the chipmunk today :-) I hate to admit it ...but that was a good review..although with your attention span you will soon forget I have been nice xx
stitch1969 10.04.2005 20:07
I haven't read the strip for a long time have to buy the book. Karenxxxx
very helpful by (99%):
helpful by (1%):
