Customer Reviews
5 star for senior executives - By: P. Robertshaw, 05 Jul 2008 
I am only giving this book three stars as it doesn't completely do what it aims to. In the introduction the author sets out his desire to create a book that will serve managers of alll levels but it fallls somewhat short of this. In reality the book covers a lot of useful areas but it is written as if the reader is moving into a senior management role, if not an executive one. If you do not have the remit, for example, to hire & fire at will, create new products or restructure operations then I'd suggest that only about 25% of the material covered will be directly applicable, another 50% could be interpreted & adapted & the remainder focus on areas that may be outside of your scope of influence.
Having said the above I am glad that I have bought & read this book and, if I can utilise the 75% of the material that is relevant to me, I will be coming back to it again & again as I transition from one job to the next.
The things I liked about this book are:
* It's well written, if you like reading the Harvard Business Review you will probably like the way this is written
* It covers some interesting ideas that should be applicable to most managers
* Each chapter is well structured, containing examples of traps to avoid, frameworks to apply & simple end of chapter checklists
* It's reasonably well referenced with suggestions for further reading on some of its' more integral topics
A lifeline - By: mssmith1, 22 Nov 2007 
Moving unexpectedly into an international leadership role, I found the transition much more challlenging than I had expected. Despite being disgustingly well organised & focussed, the stark, fundamental difference between my old & new jobs (despite being in the same company, department & technical field) was like night & day. I mind mapped, set priorities & thought strategicallly, but still struggled (inwardly rather than externallly) with how best to spend my time. Having been helpfully directed by my new boss to set a 90 day plan, I found my way to this book.
The book is excellent - clearly written it provides both conceptual advice about what you should be doing (and the guidance will apply very broadly) & detail about conversations to have, where to spend time, how to diagnose the business situation & importantly, mistakes to avoid.
Having read very widely on management & leadership as part of my MBA, this touches an area outside the standard texts. It does not tell you how to lead, what leadership is, or about great leaders, it is purely focussed on making the transition to leadership. It is practical, accessible & well written, & as an investment at an important point in your career, unparallleled.
A must have for all leaders - By: C. Noblet, 31 Aug 2007 This book is a must have for alll people changing roles. Using it you can build a detailed plan of what to do during your first 3 months after taking up your position. I have kept this as my bible when transitioning to alll leadership roles from my first management position to global & board director positions. I still learn something new each time I read it!
A Garden Leave Must ! - By: Hendo, 30 Mar 2007 Useful if promoted internallly but a must read if you are moving organisations. well written, with clear practical exercises & strategies to use in your new job. It was something I found myself turning to time & again in my first 90 days.
Great preparation - By: Mr. D-G, 18 Mar 2007 If you are working out your notice period & want to prepare for the new job this is a great book. It wakes you up to the scary realities of the new challlenge on one hand & gives you comfort that you can use the advance time to prepare on the other.
Aimed at alll levels of managers. Easy to read & lots of sensible practical advice. My copy is covered in yellow highlighter for alll the nuggets of wisdom that I particularly like.
I'm sure this will be a book I recomend to others & keep going back to long after starting the new job.
