Being a True VIP: Managing Importance in Yourself and Others

by Eric H. Kessler

Overview

The desire to be seen as a Very Important Person (VIP) is one of the driving factors behind humankind's professional, societal, and spiritual aspirations. In Being a True VIP, management scholar and author Eric H. Kessler illustrates the nature of importance and how it relates to our success as employees and individuals. Through a clear and focused theoretical framework, he follows the paths that lead to importance, who determines it, and how it affects employee engagement and performance. Readers will be able to understand, personalize, and apply these lessons to manage themselves and others to be true VIPs.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781137448040
Publisher:	Palgrave Macmillan US
Publication date:	02/05/2016
Edition description:	1st ed. 2014
Pages:	238
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

Eric H. Kessler is the Henry George Professor of Management at Pace University, USA and General Editor of the Encyclopedia of Management Theory. An expert in the field of innovation and technology, he has worked as an executive educator, policy analyst, and business consultant for public and private organizations such as Ford, IBM, and Goldman Sachs. He is a Fellow and Past President of the Eastern Academy of Management and has served on numerous editorial and advisory boards. Dr. Kessler is the author of several critically-acclaimed books: The Handbook of Organizational and Managerial Wisdom (2007), Cultural Mythology and Global Leadership (2009 / 2010 paperback), and Applying Management Theory to Practice: Real-World Lessons for Walking the Talk (2010).

Table of Contents

List of Tables and Figures

PART I

1. Introduction
2. Foundation

PART II

3. Paths – The Drivers of Importance
4. Profile – The Filters of Importance
5. Context – The External Contingencies to Importance
6. Criteria - The Internal Contingencies to Importance
7. Nature – The Qualities of Importance
8. Use – The Engagements of Importance
9. Outcomes – The Consequences of Importance

PART III

10. Conclusion

Appendix A: References
Appendix B: Author Biography

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Eric Kessler's Being a True VIP brilliantly illuminates the role of IMPORTANCE in our lives, not as ego but as value and significance. With his inspiring and empowering ideas, Kessler enables us to answer age-old questions such as "Is my life important?" and "Does my life matter?" Your life will be much richer from having adopted his ideas. —Bill George, Senior Fellow, Harvard Business School; former CEO, Medtronic; author, Discover Your True North.

Kessler shines a keen spotlight on the impacts we have on our significance and value at various levels and how we can enhance them. An affirming book, brimming with energy and thought. —Nigel Nicholson, London School of Business; Author, The 'I' of Leadership.

Eric Kessler's book challenges us to peer into our own souls to more deeply question what lies behind our ambitions, hopes and aspirations. By charting a path toward greater authenticity Being a True VIP is a journey of self-discovery that can make each of us more powerful in who we are and what we do. —Bill Shore, Founder and CEO, Share Our Strength; Author, The Cathedral Within.

Editorial Reviews

This is a scholarly, theoretical, complex book about understanding and managing importance in oneself and others. … The author explains why people are important sociologically, politically, economically, legally, and philosophically and how the external environment affects the path to importance. This book should be read by psychologists, PhDs, and researchers in the physical and life sciences. … The bibliography is excellent. Summing Up: Recommended. Faculty only.” (D. W. Huffmire, Choice, Vol. 54 (3), November, 2016)

From the Publisher