First Person

In this collection of first-person accounts from the Harvard Business Review, the 11 contributors describe the hazards and frustrations of trying to be a good manager. From "How I Learned to Let My Workers Lead" and "Reluctant Entrepreneur" to "Nothing Prepared Me to Manage AIDS" and "The Purpose at the Heart of Management, " these essays document the complex and often conflicting responsibilities of the manager: conceiving and implementing strategy; motivating people to do what's best for customers, the business, and themselves; putting themselves in the hot seat of authority while pushing people toward shared responsibility; and developing sensitivity to the needs of subordinates while having the courage to say no. "Unrelentingly compelling...The perfect refutation for anyone who claims a career in business is boring." -- Quality Digest