Manager's toolkit
Statistics
Philosophy: Numbers as abstract representation of reality. Loss of data because of numbers.Game Theory
Philosophy: League of smart managers should know what games should be played. What are the best decisions they can take for their long term benefit while influencing all the players in the game. Sometimes a quick win decision can bring in long term consequences and lead to bad equilibrium for the players.Negotiation Strategies
BATNA[TBD]
Thinking
Book: Thinking in Systems - Donella H. Meadows[TBD]
People Management
Philosophy: ???From my experience, I've found that manageres who squeezes every ounce of energy out of everyone just to get the work done on time, often face a fall in productivity and trust. It ends up creating unsurmountably huge walls on the communication front. Leading to broken feedback loops that could've helped improve existing processes.
When I try the opposite for my team -- celebrating every individual's capabilities in the public and correcting them in private -- they beam with confidence and motivation to move mountains. They go over and above average to deliver high quality work when push comes to shove. I guess in the end everyone wants to be taken care of.