Most corporate organizations collapse today as a result of ineffective management. This is because most people find themselves in managerial positions without prior training or preparation. Therefore, these managers make many mistakes that negatively affect their organizations. Therefore, it is necessary for such managers to learn from this book titled “13 Fatal Mistakes Managers Make and How You Can Avoid Them.” It is written by Steven Brown, Chairman of the Fortune Group.

Brown says that for many years, he and Fortune Group have been helping companies succeed and managers manage. He reveals that within this period, he has seen almost every type of business situation. Brown adds that after all these years in the trenches, solving real problems, not textbook ones, he has discovered that companies fail primarily because managers fail.

And when managers fail, it’s not because they can’t master the numbers, but because they try to dominate people, or manipulate them, or ignore them, Brown educates.

He says this book is for managers, or anyone who wants to be one someday. The author adds that it is equally for old managers and young people just starting their business career. It’s about honing your leadership and management skills by avoiding the common mistakes managers make with the people they lead, he stresses.

Brown introduces you to the truly classic mistakes that managers everywhere have been making. According to him, these mistakes can prove fatal for an individual or a company. He adds that you don’t have to commit any of these common defects of character, habit, style, and managerial judgment if you know what they are.

Brown reveals that in the hundreds of companies Fortune Group has served in the United States, Canada, and Australia, it has painstakingly cataloged all of the most common management mistakes that occur in business situations gone wrong. He adds that the words used to describe the situations may differ, but the underlying problems rarely do.

This book has 13 chapters based on the identified number of errors. The fatal error number is known as a refusal to accept personal responsibility. According to Brown here, the five essential prerequisites for commercial success are quality or unique product; right moment; adequate capital; human Resources; and effective management.

In his words, “But if you’re missing the fifth element, you won’t have the first four. Why? Look at the influence that the last one will have on the first four. Without effective management, correct decisions cannot be made about the characteristics of the product and the right moment for its introduction in the market”.

Brown adds that the company that lacks proper management cannot acquire, much less maintain adequate capital. He says, above all, that good management is needed to attract the best people and train and develop them.

The author elaborates that in business, everything begins and ends with management, and for it to function effectively, management must be held accountable. According to Brown, when Harry Truman was president of the United States, he had a sign in the Oval Office: “The buck stops here.”

Therefore, the author advises that all managers adopt the same maxim. Brown also discusses other concepts like choosing the path; the formula of failure; the three unspoken words; a management philosophy, etc. in this chapter.

Lack of people development is identified as fatal mistake number two. According to the business management consultant, the management has one main objective: to foresee the continuation of the business over time, the change of personnel and the absence.

Brown says that a well-managed company can continue to operate successfully through generations of employees and during the temporary or permanent absence of any manager. “In addition, his permanent absence due to transfer to another position, retirement, poor health or even death should not paralyze the company. If you do, then you are neglecting your duties as a manager,” he declares.

Brown also discusses the concepts of ineffective management; characters against characters; side management; handling traps, etc. in this chapter.

In chapters three through seven, he examines respectively the fatal errors of trying to control results rather than influence thinking; join the crowd; manage everyone the same way; forget the importance of profit; Focus on problems rather than goals.

Chapter eight is based on fatal mistake number eight, that is, being a friend, not a boss. According to Brown, too often managers want to be friends with employees after work hours, then come into the office and manage the next day, but employees won’t allow it. He says it’s an “either/or” situation. That is, it must be the friend or the manager. Brown expatriates that successful hybrids do not exist in such a situation.

He reports that most managers have been given advice over the years on how they should behave when in the company of those they manage. The author says that he believes that most advice is an expression of the personal conviction of those who pass it on.

In chapters nine through twelve, Brown theoretically X-rays the fatal errors of not setting standards; lack of training of people; tolerate incompetence; and recognizing only the best.

The author says, “If you were to take all the best people in your industry and hire them for your company, at the end of a year only one person would be ranked number one… You can’t hire all the best people, and you can’t can build any department within a company with only the best producers.”

Chapter thirteen, the last chapter is based on fatal error number thirteen, that is, trying to manipulate people. According to him, as managers we can change the attitudes of our people, but we must also be careful about the methods we use to influence our people.

Brown teaches that good influences will boost our staff members’ self-esteem and make them more productive; while the bad ones will make the staff feel manipulated and the production will be negatively affected.

It also discusses the subconcepts of considering attitude; knowing your people; make management work; approaches to increase productivity; corporate philosophy, etc.

As for the stylistic diagnosis, Brown’s efforts deserve praise. The language is simple and embellished with good word order that improves comprehension. Brown is also very creative in the way he handles his concepts, making everything interesting.

It uses graphic embroidery to achieve a visual reinforcement of understanding. The author includes “Fortune Action Contract,” an exercise section, at the end of each chapter to engage readers.

In the words of Dennis Waitley, author of “Seeds of Greatness,” “In the flood of ‘hit’ books, this one stands out in style…and applications…Brown gives us a much-needed dose of preventative medical management.”

However, fatal errors two and ten should have been merged because the concepts are similar.

Do you want to become a great manager by avoiding the fatal mistakes managers make? If your answer is “Yes”, then this book is highly recommended for you.