The Irresistible Manager, HR News, ETHRWorld

Time of India

21 hours ago

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Book Title: The Irresistible Manager : Managing, Leading, and Thriving in a Disrupted WorldAuthor: Bhushan KulkarniReviewed by: Tarana Kaushik, Head-Product & Partnership, ETHRWorld & ET EducationIn an age where headlines celebrate companies doing away with managers altogether—remember Bayer's April 2024 shake-up?—Bhushan Kulkarni's The Irresistible Manager arrives like a warm, insightful voice reminding us that managers aren't obsolete. They're simply evolving.Bhushan, drawing from 22 years of rich corporate experience across India Inc., offers something rare: a leadership book that's not preaching from the ivory tower, but walking beside you in the messy, complex, and often thankless corridors of middle management.This is not just a guidebook; it's a leadership reimagination.From the very first chapter—'Why Do People Become Managers?'—Bhushan sets the tone for a refreshingly honest exploration of what it feels like to be a manager today. Not just what you must do. Using real-life workshop moments and reflections from legends like Satya Nadella and Peter Drucker, he peels back the reasons why many high performers stumble in leadership roles. Imposter syndrome, identity shifts, self-doubt—it's all here, handled with compassion and candor.What makes this book deeply relatable is its rootedness in Indian corporate life. Bhushan doesn't parachute in with Silicon Valley success stories alone. He brings the dosa stall from Andheri, the warehouse manager from Noida, and the onboarding rituals at some Indian companies into the same conversation as Dandapani's mindfulness, Netflix's culture code, and the Agile manifesto.For Indian managers and leaders, mid-to-senior roles, this book feels like someone finally wrote our story.Chapter 3 ('Focusing on the Being') is a standout. It argues that leadership isn't just about performance metrics but about who you are while chasing them. With mindfulness practices and narratives of emotional maturity, this chapter alone is worth the read.Chapter 10 ('The Gravy Called Culture') uses the metaphor of cooking to describe culture-building—a deliciously Indian analogy that works. Culture, Bhushan says, isn't built in boardrooms. It simmers during chai breaks, skipped thank-yous, and everyday rituals.Chapter 13 (Manager as Coach)Bhushan reframes coaching not as a luxury but as a leadership necessity, where every water-cooler chat or 1:1 becomes a moment of transformation. With tools like the Skill-Will Matrix, this chapter helps managers move from giving directions to developing direction in others.Chapter 14 (Facilitation: The Underrated Superpower)In a world of cross-functional chaos, Kulkarni makes a compelling case for facilitation as the quiet engine of leadership. This chapter equips managers to stop commanding and start co-creating, turning conflict zones into collaboration zones with empathy and structure.Chapter 16 ('Managers and the Coming Wave of AI') provides one of the most human responses to AI disruption. Bhushan doesn't fear AI—he tames it. Managers, he insists, won't be replaced by machines, but by other managers who understand how to work with machines.This book is actionable without being a checklist. From the Eisenhower Matrix to ORID facilitation, BEI interviews to coaching frameworks like the Skill-Will Matrix—every chapter ends with tangible tools. But what sets Bhushan apart is how he breathes life into these frameworks with human stories, setbacks, and small victories.•If you're a first-time manager navigating uncharted waters, this is your compass.•If you're a seasoned leader feeling irrelevant amidst GenAI and GenZ, this is your reset button.•If you're an HR, L&D, or business head thinking about leadership capability building, this should be required reading.Bhushan Kulkarni doesn't just give us a playbook—he gives us a mirror and a map.In a world rushing toward automation, The Irresistible Manager reminds us that it's still the human manager—with empathy, clarity, and courage—who builds teams, drives growth, and leaves legacies.Now that's the kind of leadership wisdom that lingers long after the last page.