“Whether you have been managing people for twenty-seven days or twenty-seven years, Bruce Tulgan’s research and book will prove a practical and invaluable guide for meeting specific challenges and managing for success.”

—Ray Kotcher, chairman and senior partner, Ketchum

“Management is basic work, but hard work. We applied Bruce Tulgan’s principles of Management 101 to rapidly turn our organization into a focused execution machine. In The 27 Challenges Managers Face, Bruce provides a pocket guide and a comprehensive overview of how to manage, every day, for business impact. Whether you are an experienced manager or taking on your first direct reports, whether you are trying to be a better manager or improve an entire organization’s ability to manage and execute, Bruce’s guide is the manual you need.”

—Geoffrey Crouse, CEO and president, Cord Blood Registry

“The 27 Challenges Managers Face is a good read for managers and people who lead people. Tackle the recurring daily challenges of leading yourself and others by rediscovering fundamental principles of communication and management.”

—Sylvia B. Vogt, president, Carnegie Bosch Institute, Tepper School of Business, Carnegie Mellon University

“Bruce Tulgan will refocus you. His scholarly research and anecdotal style will make an immediate impact on developing talent. The 27 Challenges Managers Face is a must-read for any company that believes it is their people who make the difference.”

—Keith A. Hoogland, president, Family Video

“The 27 Challenges Managers Face is a must-read for every manager on your team. These fundamentals are the basis for running an outstanding organization, and Bruce Tulgan gives you the steps you need to develop a high-performing organization. Every manager should read this book, whether you’ve been leading an organization for days or decades!”

—Deb Dulsky, chief commercial officer, HomeServe USA

“I’ve been a fan of Bruce Tulgan and his work for over fifteen years. The 27 Challenges Managers Face is a very well-written and insightful guide. Whether you’re a new or seasoned manager, Bruce’s book offers step-by-step guidance and practical advice. Bruce really nails it, and my only wish is that this book had been written years ago, when I first became a manager.”

—Lorie Valle-Yañez, vice president, chief diversity officer, MassMutual Financial Group

“Like Studs Terkel before him, Bruce Tulgan was educated as a lawyer but discovered his real passion in the study of how people work and manage. Bruce brings that passion to life with The 27 Challenges Managers Face and reminds us that Management 101 is easy to understand in theory, but easy to forget on Monday mornings.”

—Hank Harris, president and CEO, FMI Corporation

“The 27 Challenges Managers Face is a practical, smart, easy-to-use guide from one of the clearest thinkers in the field. Bruce Tulgan has done it again, creating a must-read compendium for handling the most common to the most vexing management challenges. It’s all here.”

—Alan Greene, executive vice president, business head, US Investment Services and Institutional Investor Services, State Street Corporation

“Bruce Tulgan was the original voice of reason about how to manage the next generation of leadership. In The 27 Challenges Managers Face, he provides an immensely insightful yet practical guide for managers of any generation. Bruce has always based his work on years of careful research, thousands of interviews and focus studies, and deep experience coaching managers from the front lines of fast food to the officers of the elite US military. He writes as he speaks, pulls no punches, is immensely entertaining, and always leaves his audience better prepared to succeed as managers.”

—Joni Thomas Doolin, founder and CEO, People Report

“The 27 Challenges Managers Face gives direct and straightforward ways to handle challenges. Bruce Tulgan’s continued focus on the basic fundamentals, the importance of one-on-ones, and easy-to-understand examples is not only refreshing but will yield results.”

—Robert Werk, senior vice president, operations, CraftWorks Restaurants & Breweries

“Bruce Tulgan has hit another home run! The 27 Challenges Managers Face is simple and easy to read yet relevant and practical in application. This book is designed to be referenced again and again, to address the classic challenges of getting results through others. No matter how seasoned a manager is, these principles will help fulfill the responsibilities of leadership in the most effective way possible. A must-read and a must-practice for today’s new and experienced managers.”

—Sharon McPherson, director of training, On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina

“In his always clear and insightful style, Bruce Tulgan puts forth practical and easy-to-follow solutions for the most common supervisory challenges facing all managers, regardless of industry. The 27 Challenges Managers Face is helpful for new supervisors and veterans of management alike. Bruce researched in the workplace to hear from real managers where their greatest challenges lay, and he shares the basic solutions in an appetizing and easy-to-digest way, making this a good reference book to keep on the shelf after reading.”

—Doug Gammon, vice president, human resources and training, Black Angus Steakhouses

“I honestly believe anyone interested in being a better manager could benefit from The 27 Challenges Managers Face. If they had a particular need for advice, they could pick the book up, look at the table of contents, and find help with a solution. I loved this book.”

—Judy Irwin, vice president, human resources and training, Golden Corral

“Based on decades of firsthand interview research, Bruce Tulgan’s coaching enabled our general managers and store managers to communicate more easily and effectively with, motivate, and develop their line staff, notably improving overall shop performance. The 27 Challenges Managers Face will help owners and managers connect authentically with staff, overcoming the chronic misperception by staff that they are not seen or understood, enabling a positive working atmosphere critical to growing your business.”

—Doug Bell, president, Grasslands Uruguay, and retired president, Supercuts Owners Association

“What sets Bruce Tulgan’s work apart from other management books is that he provides real-world advice for real-world management challenges. The 27 Challenges Managers Face, like his others, is meant to be consulted again and again. Don’t stick this one on your reference shelf; keep it close at hand, and watch your management performance improve.”

—John Bissell, executive vice president, Greylock Federal Credit Union

“The 27 Challenges Managers Face brings great insight for executives at any level and phase in their career. This is practical information you can use now to inform your strategies moving forward for the way you manage people and how you are managed, as well. A comprehensive primer on managing people with heart and integrity, while still getting bottom-line results for your company, The 27 Challenges Managers Face is a book you should have within reach at your desk.”

—Daniel Butler, vice president, community integration, National Retail Federation

“First Bruce Tulgan gave us permission to manage; now he tells us when and how to execute the fundamentals, based upon years of experience and success. The 27 Challenges Managers Face is for the seasoned executive as well as the new manager and will make a lasting difference in your life and the lives of others.”

—L. Gary Boomer, CEO, Boomer Consulting, Inc.

“Bruce Tulgan forces managers to ask ourselves what our job truly is, and then enumerates simple—though in no way simplistic—steps for us to take to do that job. Management is work, and The 27 Challenges Managers Face removes the excuse so many of us use as a crutch when those who perform under us underperform—that the fault lies not in ourselves, but in our stars.”

—Homer Robinson, president and CEO, Kaiserman Company

“Once again, Bruce Tulgan has provided us with a back-to-basics fundamentals book, packed with research and practical solutions. The 27 Challenges Managers Face will be a go-to reference and solution guide for years to come. Bruce’s writing style invites the reader to embrace management challenges and be much better for it.”

—Carl George, CEO, Carl George Advisory, LLC, and former CEO, Clifton Gunderson LLP

“Bruce Tulgan continues to be my guru of management! The 27 Challenges Managers Face provides examples and research and makes it easy to find the right material when facing a management issue. I’ll use it to coach other managers and help them improve their confidence and performance.”

—Janet Kyle Altman, marketing principal, Kaufman Rossin

“The 27 Challenges Managers Face is yet another example of Bruce Tulgan’s ability to identify the issues managers face and offer specific action steps to help them lead their organizations to success. Leaders, managers, and employees at all levels will benefit by reading this book, and based on their current situation, can decide which chapter to tackle first. The book is a great read and a resource all managers should turn to as situations arise.”

—Howard C. Fero, professor of leadership, Albertus Magnus College, and coauthor, Lead Me Out to the Ballgame

“Bruce Tulgan creates practical advice and solutions leaders can use to engage employees and deliver results. He understands the challenges modern managers face, and by helping them communicate more effectively, he prepares leaders to handle tough issues and help people achieve their highest level of performance.”

—Jennifer Russo, director, corporate communications, Copper Group, Rio Tinto

“Many of our managers at Westar Energy have found a mentor in Bruce Tulgan. As we work as a company on raising the level of conversation between managers and employees, we found that Bruce’s message of talk about the work was particularly useful. After two visits and a series of weekly online messages, it’s quite commonplace at Westar for our leaders to reference Bruce Tulgan.”

—Diane Owen, lead training representative, Westar Energy

“The 27 Challenges Managers Face exposes the root management problem, refreshingly admits that there is no easy fix, and then provides nuanced advice that can be individually tailored by each manager. Like others in the field, Bruce Tulgan offers numerous tips, but where Tulgan provides significant added value is in his distinguishing between the application of solid management practices that generate real and lasting results and merely going through the motions.”

—Steve Katz, principal, Fish & Richardson

“Bravo! I use Bruce’s back-to-basics principles in managing my direct reports and am a big supporter of his work. The 27 Challenges Managers Face will be a great reference for managers as they come across various situations.”

—George Wilson, president, Barriere Construction

“The 27 Challenges Managers Face is essential reading for managers. Too many managers are operating on autopilot, waiting for a crisis to happen before reacting. Bruce Tulgan rightly emphasizes critical fundamentals, especially around effective communication, that stop the vicious cycle of managing by crisis. MBA students often ask us what the key elements of good management are—they’re contained in this cogent, well-argued book.”

—Donald E. Gibson, dean and professor of management, Charles F. Dolan School of Business, Fairfield University

“Bruce Tulgan demonstrates how managers can break the cycle of firefighting and learn to perform meaningful management that benefits the manager, the employees, and the organization. A good manager will go back to The 27 Challenges Managers Face time and time again to keep the management structure operating smoothly and effectively.”

—Colonel Craig Price, superintendent, South Dakota Highway Patrol

“Bruce Tulgan hit a home run with this one! He speaks the truth and provides clear, concise management advice. The 27 Challenges Managers Face will become my desktop guidebook for helping leaders at all levels manage their way to more effective organizations and better results.”

—Lisa Beutel, executive director, Center for Leadership, University of Dayton

“The 27 Challenges Managers Face continues to deliver the effective and useful insight I expect from Bruce Tulgan. It is a must for your management toolbox!”

—Jon Morrison, vice president, vehicle dynamics and controls, global, WABCO Vehicle Control Systems

“The 27 Challenges Managers Face offers great insights into undermanagement. Many of my clients complain about bosses being too hands off, which results in employees who hate their jobs and want to leave because they don’t have ongoing, quality communication and feedback from their managers. Each of the twenty-seven scenarios are rich with nuggets on how to navigate the most common people management issues.”

—Katie Weiser, former global director, training and development, Deloitte Consulting, and CEO, Katie Weiser Coaching

“Once again, Bruce Tulgan takes the essential but often overwhelming responsibility of getting work done through others and breaks it into understandable, commonsense steps. The 27 Challenges Managers Face is another great tool.”

—D. J. Zarnick, vice president, human resources, The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc.

“The 27 Challenges Managers Face covers a broad range of the most essential management topics. Based on research with hundreds of thousands of managers and presented in the inspirational way only Bruce Tulgan can do, this book is the equivalent of having your own mentor. Every manager will become a better manager for it.”

—Jill Kilroy, assistant vice president, learning and development, Horace Mann Companies

“The 27 Challenges Managers Face is a practical, research-based approach to managing one of an organization’s most important resources—people. Bruce Tulgan once again combines research and best practices to create a book of solutions. New and experienced managers alike will benefit.”

—Tani Bialek, director, national learning and professional development, McGladrey LLP

“The 27 Challenges Managers Face covers it all, with valuable insight for managers everywhere. It reminds us that to manage well is to manage often. Managing is a commitment, but one that delivers dividends daily, and Bruce Tulgan enthusiastically encourages us to recommit ourselves to our colleagues and ourselves. The tools are simple, the work hard, and the rewards great.”

—Jeffrey R. Katz, partner, Ropes & Gray LLP

“Like any other skill, managing people requires a mastery of the fundamentals. In The 27 Challenges Managers Face, Bruce Tulgan presents situations we all face and reminds us how to apply those fundamentals. This book is a mandatory addition to every manager’s toolbox.”

—Arturo M. Hernandez, vice president, engineering, Grote Industries

“At Chick-fil-A, we’ve always felt that those who lead must first serve. Bruce Tulgan’s book is a great reminder of how to serve well through managing well. So many of today’s challenges in organizations can find their beginning and end in the same place: people management. The 27 Challenges Managers Face is a great review of the fundamentals of great people management, and how to make them a part of your everyday life.”

—Andy Lorenzen, senior director, organizational development, Chick-fil-A, Inc.

When I talk about the 27 challenges, people often ask me, “Why are there 27 challenges, instead of 26 or 28 or some other number?”

This book is based on twenty years of workplace research conducted by my company, RainmakerThinking, Inc. We’ve asked hundreds of thousands of managers, in our management seminars, focus groups, interviews, and surveys, some version of this open-ended question: “Which employee situations are most challenging for you as a manager?” Despite the diversity of people and situations, the same basic challenges come up repeatedly. In fact, more than 90 percent of responses over the years refer to these same 27 challenges.

This book is intentionally designed to be used and reused as a reference book—a hands-on management tool you may go back to over and over again throughout your career as a leader, manager, or supervisor. As you’ll see in the table of contents, the 27 challenges are not enumerated in order of frequency or difficulty, but rather, grouped in seven chapters based on the larger themes they have in common. I encourage you to go ahead and skip right to the specific challenge you are facing today.

Once you’ve solved that problem, you may feel tempted to leave this book on your shelf until the next challenge. However, you should consider reading the whole book from beginning to end. Here’s why: It turns out that when things are going wrong in a management relationship, almost always the common denominator is unstructured, low-substance, hit-or-miss communication. And almost always the solution comes from applying the fundamentals of management. Throughout the book, you’ll see—one challenge at a time—how the most effective managers apply the fundamentals of management to gain control of any situation with a step-by-step solution to the problem at hand. So reading the whole thing from beginning to end is like putting yourself through management fundamentals boot camp. Then go ahead and put it on your shelf until you need a refresher on your next real-life challenge.

However you choose to use this book, please use it well and use it strong!