I got transferred to a new branch at work. Not only do I get a paid-for travel, my boss is giving everybody a book to read! No complain from this bookworm!! : )

Lately this type of management book seems to be very popular - a thin volume, told in a fictional format, usually about a small establishment that somehow got it right and we can all learn great business skills from it.

In this volume, it is a little Grandma's Kitchen that has the perfect ingredients for soup. As a manager, you have to stir the pot with love, lead with optimism, share the vision and build trust. You also need positive communications and large dose of transparency. Inspire, encourage, empower and coach your members, appreciate them. Leadership is not about your do but what you can inspire others to do. And of course, your soup should be piping hot with passion.

In truth, this is nothing new. No to say it's not useful, because we all tend to forget the fundamentals. We begin looking at numbers and products rather than the people. Once in a while, reading such type of books can remind you of something you forgot along the way. Therefore, organizations all over spend hundreds of dollars buying copies to disperse to managers.