Managing up and down: whether you're learning the ropes or simply need a refresher, this book presents the fundamentals of management.

The Rules of Management by Richard Templar is definitely a top-drawer reference book. It is easy to read and outlines 100 essential guidelines, each accompanied by relevant quotes that drive home his points with humor and inspiration.

Most chapters are no more than two pages of excellent, though at times obvious, management advice, interspersed with accounts of Templar's experiences or those of people he knows. The table of contents is very straightforward, with each chapter clearly identifying the topic, making it an ideal at-a-glance reference. Granted, people like former General Electric CEO Jack Welch and former Chrysler Chairman Lee Iacocca would know this stuff backward and forward. But Templar does not pretend to offer a new dimension of strategic thinking. He is simply targeting his content to lower- and midlevel managers who aspire to the CEO's chair at top multinational companies.

Essentially, The Rules of Management is a guide for managers who either are learning the ropes or have forgotten some of the basic tenets of management and need a refresher. One of the book's most engaging features is the use of quotes from a wide range of politicians, entertainers, philosophers and business leaders. The breadth of the sources sets the tone apart from the typical "management-speak" cluttering up bookstores these days. For example, on setting realistic targets, Templar quotes Apple CEO Steve Jobs: "Let's make a dent in the universe"; and on knowing what you are supposed to be doing, Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca: "You'll excuse me, gentlemen. Your business is politics, mine is running a saloon."

There are a few niggles. Why only 100 rules? Surely the complex art of management has more to it than that. All of the rules presented in this book are very helpful, but I would disagree with Templar's claim that they would not "ever get taught at a manager's training weekend, or course." Of course they would, because they are the fundamental rules of management, albeit not the only ones.

Also, from a professional communicator's standpoint, The Rules of Management has noticeably little to say about the importance of communication as a management tool. Perhaps it is implicit in some of Templar's suggestions about giving honest advice and sharing what you know, but it would have been nice to see one or two chapters on how managers should use various forms of communication with their colleagues both above and below them on the corporate ladder.

But these are minor complaints. The hyperbolic claims on the book cover are a bit much, but overall, Templar knows how to impart the basic guidelines of management, with a little bit of humor, in a simple, easy-to-follow style that most managers, no matter what their experience, can easily relate to.

I, for one, will be certainly keeping this book on my shelf, as it helped to remind me of how easy it is to fall into bad habits and forget what makes a good manager. Templar has done a service with this book to all managers who seek excellence in their work.

about the book

The Rules of Management A Definitive Code for Managerial Success by Richard Templar Prentice Hall, 2005, 240 pages

about the reviewer

Alastair Carthew is director of corporate affairs (Asia/Pacific) for Star Alliance in Bangkok, Thailand.